Speculation is running rampant as to which cars are going to be making an appearance at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show this week. While other notable vehicles have already been confirmed for the guest list, some brands are keeping tight-lipped until the 11th hour.
One of the cars that is rumoured to show up is the Audi RS3 and while nothing has been confirmed regarding its appearance, one Audi dealer in Cape Town, South Africa seems to know more than we do.
In a tweet he posted on his Twitter site, the dealer said: "Looking forward to the unveiling of the new Audi RS3. 2.5L five-cylinder turbocharged engine, 4WD & 335Bhp. See it at Frankfurt Motor Show."
A number of other sources, most notably those coming from Ingolstadt – Audi’s headquarters, have also let the cat slip out of the bag, despite no formal announcement coming from Audi themselves.
In any event, the Frankfurt Motor Show is only a week away so any and all rumours regarding the appearance of the RS3 is bound to pick up as the days leading to the show winds down.
We’ll keep you posted with any new developments.
When Audi introduced the A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro the automaker from Ingolstadt wasn’t just showing the world how desirable a TDI powered three door hatchback could be, but they were also testing the waters with the radical deign of the upcoming Audi RS3, a car that we could be seeing as soon as September with a possible debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show after being delayed for over a year.
The RS3 is a factory tuned hot hatch based on the Audi A3 premium compact. The highly anticipated RS version of Audi’s popular hatchback takes performance and styling to the next level by fitting the limited edition model with distinct bodywork as well as an upgraded power plant. In true hot rod fashion, the RS3 will be powered by the engine from a real sports car, the Audi TT-RS, combining Audi’s proven Quattro all wheel drive system with a turbocharged five cylinder engine to produce a factory backed 340 HP. However from what we have seen from spy shots and renderings, it looks like Audi is leaving the bold fender flares at home.
Continued after the jump.
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A couple weeks ago we caught a rumor that Audi was working on a RS version of the A3, and now it looks like we may have proof. Although this looks like a tamer S3, reports say that the engine sounded like something much larger than a 2.0-liter turbo four.
The 340 hp 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine from the TT RS is the logical choice for the RS3 because of its linage with the TT. If the car gets the green light, we wouldn’t expect to see an examples until after the A3 line gets refreshed in 2011. Then again, since we are in the U.S., and we don’t even get the S3, we may never see an example at all.
We’ve waited a while to see the Audi TT RS, but now that Audi has unveiled the car ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, we can move on. Audi is doing the doing the same thing...sorta. It now seems that Audi will e trying to get its money’s worth with the development of the TT RS by spreading around some of the mechanical bits to the next generation Audi A3.
Right now the Audi TT shares a platform with the A3 (as well as the VW Golf, VW Jetta, Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia), but around 2011 the A3 will get an all new chassis. The TT may follow suit or possibly borrow from Volkswagen’s BlueSport for its next generation, but either way, the little A3 may take the 272 hp 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine from the TT RS as a parting gift.
Even if this rumor becomes true, U.S. Audi fans shouldn’t hold their breath. If Audi won’t share the 261 hp S3 with North America, the chances are slim that it will export an even hotter version.
Last month Audi unveiled the Audi A3 TDI clubsport quattro, a concept car that not many of us liked. But based on this concept, a very talented member of the CarSpyShots Forum designed the future RS3.
The smallest RS model will be powered by either an uprated version of the Golf R32’s V6, which could easily be tuned to give 350bhp or a modified version of the 420bhp V8 found in the new RS4.
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