Abt Has Made The Audi RS3 Even Spicier

We really shouldn’t need to tell you this, but the Audi RS3 is quite a fast car. It’s a physics-defying, torque-shuffling, oversteering 394bhp flash of five-cylinder noise, and though there are a few things it could realistically do with, more speed is definitely not one of them.

Nobody told that to VW Group tuning specialist Abt Sportsline, though. It’s just revealed the RS3-R, its take on the baby RS model, which manages to conjure up a supercar-baiting 503bhp from its 2.5-litre turbo five-pot, and a torque increase from 369 to 443lb ft.

That uplift comes thanks to Abt’s Power R engine control system, plus a new intercooler, and it’s slashed half a second off the RS3’s 0-62mph time, dropping it from 3.8 to a quoted 3.3 seconds. That’s a tenth quicker than a Ferrari Roma, in a car that’s basically just a Golf underneath. Top speed is unchanged, but considering the RS3 will already top out at 180mph with the optional RS Dynamic Package, that’s probably fine.

As well as turning up the wick on the engine, Abt has given the RS3-R’s chassis a minor tweak, fitting its own set of springs and anti-roll bars plus a set of lightweight forged 20-inch alloys. It also gets Abt’s stainless steel exhaust system because, hey, might as well make the most of the last five-cylinder engine on sale, right?

Visually, you get Abt’s new carbon fibre front splitter and rear spoiler (different designs for the hatch and saloon, obvs), carbon mirror caps and actual racing-style canards on the front bumper. Do these do anything? Who knows, but they sure look the part.

The transformation is slightly less dramatic on the inside, which has essentially been filled with Abt badges to remind you who’s responsible for the fact that your kidneys haven’t been in the usual place since you mashed the throttle.

You also get a plaque and a door sill trim decreeing that you have 1 of 125 examples, for that’s how many RS3-Rs Abt plans to produce each of the Sportback and Saloon versions. We only have German pricing for now, with the whole package costing €38,900 (around £33,000) for the Saloon and €39,900 (around £34,000) for the Sportback.