Audi’s been busy placing in work on the Nurburgring. Audi race and growth driver Frank Stippler ran the brand new RS Q8 Efficiency round The Inexperienced Hell in 7:36.698 lap, setting a brand new document for SUVs by beating his earlier document time in a 2020 RS Q8 by slightly below 16 seconds. The identical Stippler achieved the identical feat within the coming Audi RS 3 sedan, hitting a document time of seven:33.123 to set a brand new document for compact vehicles that are not front-wheel-drive. He eclipsed his earlier time in an RS 3 in 2021 by seven seconds, and this time, bested the earlier document set by the BMW M2 by greater than 5 seconds, a 7:38.706 lap run in 2023.
We might wish to interject some historic perspective. The identical 12 months I began writing for Autoblog, shortly after the top of the Qing dynasty, Porsche racing legend Walter Rohrl set a 7:31 ‘Ring time in a 2007 Porsche 911 GT2. As much as that time, the one occasions sooner than Rohrl’s effort had been set by barely-road-legal observe monsters from Radical and Donkervoort, and the Pagani Zonda. The next 12 months, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 opened the Blue Satan account with a 7:26.4 and the R35 Nissan GT-R reestablished Godzilla credentials with a time of seven:29. The approaching Audi RS 3 would sit proper behind them, that trio forward of the 2008 Ferrari F430 Scuderia, 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4, and 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo. (After all, these days had their surprises, too, just like the 2009 Dodge Viper ACR beating a Ferrari Enzo, Koenigsegg CCX, Maserati MC12, Pagani Zonda F Clubsport, and Porsche Carrera GT.)
The RS 3’s 2.5-liter five-cylinder will make the identical output because the final Euro-market automobile, 394 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. Audi credit a number of updates for the sedan with the ability to make extra of the output. The totally variable rear differential can ship all torque to both aspect of the rear axle, assisted by brake-based torque vectoring. A brand new car dynamics controller processes extra dynamic information with extra agility due to an up to date algorithm. And the optionally available adaptive RS sports activities suspension working semi-slick Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires deserve a nod, so too the 19-inch carbon ceramic braking system. Stippler mentioned, “The brand new RS 3 turns in additional willingly at nook entry due to fine-tuning — together with brake torque vectoring — which permits the car to be positioned earlier and higher for nook exit from the apex, on the newest. The result’s a decrease steering angle from apex to nook exit, which ends up in much less friction and earlier acceleration, permitting you to hold extra momentum and pace onto every subsequent straight.”
We anticipate Audi debuting the brand new RS 3 in August shortly earlier than order books open for the European market. An announcement for the American market should not be lengthy behind that. And someday past then, Audi’s hinted it would launch an much more highly effective model of its well-known five-cylinder.
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