It’s only a few months since Audi added the upgraded Performance model to its American RS6 line, but over in Germany the brand’s R&D team is cooking up an even more wicked wagon, probably as a way to send the model off in style before it switches to hybrid power.
The hardcore Avant looks subtly different to the regular RS6 and RS6 Performance thanks to new front-end design that provides more separation between the trapezoidal grille and the lower section of the bumper, which makes it look a bit like the rapid wagon is fitted with a proper motorsport-style splitter.
Don’t pay too much attention to the stock RS6 wheels; they’re probably only in place so that the test team can run winter tires. But do check out what’s happening behind the front rims. On shots taken from the rear of the test car we can see a large flared vent at the base of the front fender between the wheel and door. That’s a design feature Audi used on the 2020 RS6 GTO Concept car it created in a tribute to the brand’s classic IMSA GTO race car.
Related: A “More Extreme” RS6 Is Coming, Says Audi Sport Boss
Also apparently inspired by that car is this prototype’s new rear spoiler, which is significantly bigger than the one fitted to the ordinary RS6 and its Performance brother. Snow stuck to the tail prevents us seeing everything new back there, but we can also see that the location of the reflectors next to the trademark oval exhaust tailpipe finishers has moved from the side of the pipes to a new position above them. And did you spot the Audi Sport graphic below the rear side window? That could also be a link to the GTO concept, which was covered from head to toe in something similar.
Under the hood lies the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that’s fitted to the current RS6, but tweaked to liberate a few more horses. The base car already makes 591 hp (600 PS) and the Performance trim pushes that to 621 hp (630 PS), but this unnamed halo model could be pushing as much as 641 hp (650 PS) to its Quattro all-wheel drive system.
We’re expecting the brakes and suspension to get a matching upgrade, and it’s possible that Audi will have made efforts to cut the curb weight, too, potentially by forming those new fenders out of carbon fiber and fitting extremely light forged alloy wheels. There’s a chance we might learn more in the coming weeks because the hot RS6 is slated to join the lineup during 2024.
