Ur-quattro and RS2: the Audis that became collector’s cars
It all began in 1980, when Audi unveiled the quattro at the Geneva Motor Show: a coupé with permanent four-wheel drive and a turbocharged five-cylinder engine. It made four-wheel drive the norm in rallying and stayed in production until 1991. Today it is usually called the Ur-quattro, the original quattro, to set it apart from everything that followed.
In 1994 came the RS2 Avant, the first Audi RS, developed with Porsche and assembled by Porsche at Zuffenhausen. Its 2.2-litre turbocharged five-cylinder is matched with brakes, wheels and several details from Stuttgart’s sports car maker. The workshop has rebuilt the five-cylinder engine of an RS2, and the car has kept its original red Porsche callipers. The method, from strip-down to running-in, is described on our engine rebuild page.
RS4, RS6, R8: what to watch on an Audi RS
Behind their understated looks, recent Audi RS models hide very different engineering from one generation to the next, and each has its known weak points. A serious Audi RS specialist starts by identifying the car precisely:
- RS4 B7 and the 4.2-litre V8 R8 with FSI direct injection: carbon build-up on the intake valves, cleaned with the inlet manifold removed;
- RS6 C5 with its twin-turbo V8, RS6 C6 with its twin-turbo V10, RS4 B7: DRC suspension, whose diagonally linked dampers share a hydraulic circuit known for leaks;
- first-generation R8 with the R tronic automated manual: clutch wear is measured before any verdict, the S tronic dual-clutch only arriving later;
- quattro drivetrain: differentials and propshafts checked as a whole.
Audi RS servicing: follow the schedule, keep the record
Servicing an Audi RS follows the manufacturer’s schedule, with a full read of the control units before and after the work. Every part is genuine, of equivalent quality or reconditioned, according to your choice and availability, and its origin is stated. The detailed invoice becomes part of the service history, which matters on an RS whose value depends on its record.
For the classics, the quattro and RS2 first among them, a full restoration can also be considered, faithful to the original or as a personal interpretation: the choice is yours.
Audi upholstery: leather, Alcantara and quilting
The sports seats of an Audi RS wear mostly on the driver’s outer bolster, rubbed every time you climb in. Rather than replacing the seat, the tired section or the whole cover is renewed, in leather, in Alcantara or in a combination of both.
All upholstery is made in our own workshop. The seats of an Audi S3 have been retrimmed there in quilted leather, and the steering wheel of an Audi RS re-covered in leather and Alcantara, stitching included.