Audi RS2 Avant

The Audi RS2 Avant was a limited edition, high performance Audi estate car / station wagon, sold from 1994 to 1996. Collaboratively designed by Audi and Porsche, and built on Audi's 80 Avant, it was the company's first "RS" vehicle,[1] and the first of their high performance Avants; it used the most powerful and most thoroughly developed version of the company's turbocharged inline-5 cylinder engine.

Although it was never exported outside of Europe, except for a few to Hong Kong, South Africa, Brazil and New Zealand, the RS2 has amassed an impressive cult following worldwide, and it is often regarded as being the vehicle that finally firmly established Audi as a producer of practical high performance vehicles; its estate body, and standard quattro permanent four-wheel-drive system made it usable as a comfortable daily driver even in poor weather conditions.

History

The RS2 was the product of a co-development project between Audi and Porsche, based on Audi's 80 Avant, and powered by a modified version of their 2.2 litre, 20-valve turbocharged 5-cylinder engine producing 315PS (311hp/232kW) at 6500rpm. Although much of the car's underpinnings were manufactured by Audi, assembly was handled by Porsche at their plant in Zuffenhausen, Germany which had become available after discontinuation of the Mercedes-Benz E500, which Porsche had manufactured under contract.