In the 1990s, two German giants collaborated to build a car that I still can’t believe exists. The Audi RS2 Avant – a station wagon built as a collaboration between Audi and Porsche – was designed with one goal in mind: to be the ultimate sleeper car.
It even dared to outrun the world’s greatest supercar, the legendary McLaren F1. Truth be told, it only outperformed the F1 from 0 to 30 mph — but beating the fastest car in the world at anything is worthy of celebration. On top of this, the Audi RS2 was Audi’s very first RS car, paving the way for a performance brand that’s still around to this day.
During the 1980s, Audi dominated the rally scene with the insane Audi Quattro. Due to homologation rules — a set of rules to allow us peasants to enjoy race car technology — their road cars received the same all-wheel-drive system and five-cylinder engine. I like to think of it as the Quattro’s performance DNA swimming through the gene pool of the rest of Audi’s lineup, and the perfect example thereof is the Audi RS2 Avant.
Plenty Of Power For Its Time
Back in the day, the RS2 would outrun almost everything on the road, leaving other drivers with dropped jaws, wondering how they failed to keep up with a car that could be described using words such as “neat” and “practical.”
Under its hood, there was a 2.2-liter turbocharged inline-five mill that Porsche had tinkered with. Porsche put in a hilariously large turbocharger, a brand-spanking-new camshaft, more efficient fuel injectors, a more robust intercooler, a more efficient induction system, and a new ECU, among other things.
This resulted in 311 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque. Keep in mind, this was during a time when the V8-powered Ferrari F355 had only 70 hp more at its disposal. Let me repeat that: an exotic supercar had just 70 more ponies than this five-door station wagon.
Porsche didn’t just modify the engine. They went all in and fitted four-piston Brembo brakes at each corner, upgraded suspension components, along with wheels and mirrors identical to the ones found on the Porsche 964 Turbo. Porsche played a major part in the RS2 Avant’s existence, which is why there are Porsche badges scattered across the wagon, such as on the front grille, rear hatch, and the brakes, as if they left their stamp of approval.
Thanks to Audi’s impeccable Quattro all-wheel-drive system, the RS2 Avant accelerated like it had a rocket strapped to its behind. The headline performance figure was its 0 to 30 mph which was recorded at merely 1.5 seconds — marginally quicker than the McLaren F1, which did it in 1.7 seconds. After that, the McLaren wiped the floor with the RS2.
Still, the mere fact that the humble Audi managed to compete with the F1 was almost unbelievable. In the past, cars from such different segments would never be mentioned in the same breath.
The Porsche-tuned Audi wagon reached 60 mph from a standstill in just 4.8 seconds, outrunning cars such as the Ferrari Testarossa, BMW E46 M3, and Porsche 930 Turbo in the process. It also topped out at 163 mph, making it the first Audi to smash through the 155 mph barrier.
The Audi RS2 Avant was the perfect example of a four-wheeled Jekyll and Hyde. It packed a punch and had more than enough room to accommodate the whole family and their baggage for a trip across the country, or an entire month’s worth of groceries (or a couple of bodies).
How Much To Buy One?
Fewer than 3,000 units of the Audi RS2 were ever made between 1994 and 1995, of which only 180 were right-hand drive. It pioneered the fast wagon, was the very first RS car, and is one of the coolest testimonials to showcase carmakers can work together to create a bespoke work of art.
Because of that, it’s no wonder that the Audi RS2 has become highly sought-after by collectors globally. Classic.com says that the average Audi RS2 Avant sells for around $65,000. By no means is it an attainable classic car, but it’s pretty tempting, considering you can buy two of them for the same price as a brand-new Audi RS6 Avant. I know which option I would choose.
