America's love-hate relationship with hot hatches and sporty station wagons typically results in a handful of amazing foreign vehicles never making it to these shores. Audi has flipped the script with the new RS6 Avant, however, which made its United States debut at a Malibu Cars and Coffee event back in 2019.
Now on sale in limited numbers, the RS6 Avant's beefy driveline and daily utility have tempted early buyers to flip their cars, hoping to make a quick profit. But for others, Audi's almost 600 horsepower station wagon just isn't potent enough from the factory. To scratch this rare itch, ABT Sportsline immediately unveiled tuning packages for the beastly five-door. And now, the first ABT Sportsline-modded Audi RS6 Avant has been completed, somewhat fittingly, in California.
An American RS6-R
The car's performance and cosmetic enhancements were installed by Pacific German of Laguna Hills, California, to bring the already impressive RS6 Avant up to ABT's RS6-R spec. The highlight of the package comes in the form of an upgraded ECU, which works with a high-flow exhaust system to bump power output up to 690 horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque, up from factory ratings of 591 horses and 591 lb-ft of twist. That grunt allows ABT to claim the 4,600-pound RS6-R can sprint to 60 miles per hour in only 3.3 seconds. That is basically matching the acceleration of an NSX...in a wagon.
1-Of-125 Sporty Wagons To Be Built
ABT will limit the worldwide production of the RS6-R to only 125 units. For eagle-eyed gearheads in California, spotting one of these rare creations on the road should be rare—but they'll stand out wherever they go thanks to exterior bolt-on additions like the carbon-fiber rear diffuser above, carbon-fiber exhaust tips, massive 22-inch wheels, a more aggressive rear spoiler, and a front grille revision. Whether the whole point of a serious sleeper gets ruined by all the visual cues remains a choice that only a lucky few owners will get to make.
Sources: abt-america.com and pacificgerman.com.