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Ever wondered what the Audi 5-cylinder TFSI engine is capable of? Ever wondered what an Audi RS3 sedan would look like? Well ahead of Worthersee this year, Audi has revealed a combination of both, the A3 clubsport quattro concept.
Based on the Audi S3 sedan, it doesn’t take much intuition to realise that this is Audi’s official preview to the RS3 sedan, due for release next year by our estimations. It looks rather vicious and promises to go like stink too, thanks to a 386kW and 600Nm iteration of the 2.5-litre 5-pot engine found in the previous RS3. Yes, 386kW, driving all 4 wheels via a 7-speed S Tronic transmission, which Audi claim is good enough to shunt the 1527Kg concept from 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds and catapult the “A3” to a top speed of 310km/h.
So you could say it’s a bit of a rocket, as it pretty much outguns everything in the Audi stable, bar the R8 V10 Plus of course. But this has 4 doors, 5 seats, and it looks like the hottest Audi sedan since the B7 RS4. Using the base of an S3 sedan, the A3 clubsport quattro concept – it’s a mouthful so we’ll call it the A3 CSC from now on – has been lowered by 10mm, fitted with 21-inch alloys covered with 275/25 R21 tyres, housing 370mm diameter carbon-fibre ceramic brake discs. It also features broad wheel arches, dual oval exhaust pipes, a-la Audi RS, and a new front end design. The single-frame grill with bonnet-mounted 4-ring logo is likely to be the new face of Audi, and should be seen on the face of the B9 Audi A4 when it arrives on the market in 2016. Additionally, the front end of the A3 CQC features a continuous blade of exposed carbon fibre reinforced plastic acting as a front wing. The A3 CQC is finished off in Magnetic Blue paint, very reminiscent of the B7 RS4’s Sprint Blue livery.
Additional technology has also been showcased on the concept, like the use of a rear airbrake, which deploys under high speed breaking, and can stop the A3 CQC 12 metres shorter at 250km/h than a conventional braking system. Also used, internally and externally, are vast amounts of carbon fibre to reduce weight.
So Audi, when is it going to reach production? We’ve been dying for a supercar-killing A3 sedan! Sadly, when this eventually does reach production, it’ll likely be detuned to around 280kW, which should still be enough to teach the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG a lesson.
