In the early '90s, sports car development was in full swing, turbochargers transformed quick cars into seriously fast supercars, provided you could live with a two-seater and barely enough room for a soft holdall. In 1994, things were about to change, Audi rolled out their RS2, the first of a new generation of sports cars, boasting more of everything; seats, space, and most importantly, performance.
Up until this point, Audi, with the exception of the Quattro, wasn't the first name gearheads associated with German everyday performance cars, that niche still belonged firmly to BMW and Mercedes, making the RS2 all the more interesting proposition. No other carmaker had even considered a sporty luxuriously appointed wagon that could and did beat exotic supercars in a straight line, even technical partner Porsche saw a serious rival in the RS2, which would have a huge impact in the final development process.
Twenty-five years later, the world appears to have shrunken, and its population increasingly needs to go places faster, cars as a result are just as quick now as the original RS2, but it's easy to forget how important a role the original played in car development.
9 First Of A New Breed Of Fast Audis
Following on from the legendary Quattro wouldn't be a simple task, Audi had done the rally car cum road car recipe and needed a fresh approach that served both regular owners and serious gearheads alike.
Despite claims to the contrary, genesis, as far as fast Audis are concerned, began in 1994. The RS2, unlike the Quattro before it, was a more refined luxury vehicle with a hefty jump in both power and performance, setting a trend for RS badged Audis that continues to its current line-up with the latest RS6.
8 The Best Of Both Worlds
Appearances are deceptive, looking to all intents purposes like a standard Audi 80 Avant, the RS2 wears little in the way of distinguishing features. All the important changes taking place beneath the skin, there are no outrageous wide-boy kits here, just a few simple restrained badges to hint at the RS2's hidden potential.
The RS2 was a joint venture, Audi supplying the basic bodywork while Porsche concentrated its efforts on the going, cornering, and stopping. Much of the RS2's suspension and braking components are shared with the Porsche 964, comprising Brembo calipers, vented discs, and Bosch-sourced ABS.
7 Audi Engine, Porsche Know-How
Looking under the hood reveals a surprise in the form of custom intakes emblazoned with "Powered By Porsche," leading many to think the 2.2-liter turbo unit is a Porsche item, when in reality, it's the same Audi ADU unit with a ton of performance upgrades.
Stripped back to basics, Audi's twenty valve five-cylinder turbo underwent a drastic transformation, a new camshaft, larger KKK turbocharger and intercooler along with a custom intake system and low-pressure exhaust raised output to 315 hp. Unusually for any inline production engine, Audi's ADU appears to be off-set, canted over to one side, almost as though engineers had split a V10 block in half.
6 Porsche, Audi And The Wagon Decision
Both obscure in its development partner and platform of choice, the RS2s design and production owe much to Porsche, not simply because of the German carmaker's expertise in forced induction, but because Porsche, at the time, was on the verge of financial collapses, having invested heavily in the 959.
This unlikely partnership presented a conflict of interests, a sedan would be too close a rival for Porsche's own sports cars, leading to the adoption of a wagon platform.
5 Sports Car And Family Wagon In One
All things to all gearheads, during the week, a family load-lugger perfectly suited to the school run or grocery trips with room for four and a large cavernous trunk. However, come the weekend, Audi's RS2 was also a fearsome sports car, capable of holding its own against even the best exotics on sale at the time.
The RS2 changed weekend road trips forever, no more monotonous interstate runs with the family and pet dog in tow, the fast Audi made a compelling argument for the twisty back roads, blasting between corners with the kind of performance and agility you'd get from a two-seater, without risking life, limb, or even a breakdown or two. Audi had built the best sports car for all occasions.
4 Faster Than A McLaren F1?
Boosted by the engine geniuses at Stuttgart, Audi's RS2 surprised even the most hardened supercar fan, how could an everyday wagon, admittedly sporting a few upgrades, be so quick? The headline figure here was the impressive 0-60 mph time of 4.8-seconds, faster than both Ferrari's 348 and the Porsche 911. Performance at the top end reached an equally impressive maximum speed of 163 mph before its electronic limiter kicked in.
However, the real surprise is McLaren's F1, the Audi RS2 getting the better of Woking's finest in a dash to 30 mph, needing a mere 1.5-seconds, two tenths faster than the $1 million hypercar, all-wheel-drive clearly an advantage for the RS2.
3 Quattro's Legacy
Quattro had become synonymous with Audi's fire-breathing rally monster of the '80s, the first time any car manufacturer had delivered fully on the promise of full-time all-wheel-drive in a production-based car.
In Audi speak, the Quattro system managed power delivery between each wheel, increasing or decreasing power relevant to grip levels available. Both axles comprising open differentials ensured none of the 2.2-liter engine's 315 hp was wasted, the rear axle also featured an electro-mechanical diff lock should the need arise.
2 The Ultimate Sleeper Car
Adding big powerful engines in the early '90s wasn't anything new, Ford rolled out several hot versions of their production cars with turbo performance and shouty in-your-face styling, big wings, and anti-social reputations. Audi, however, did things in a more restrained manner, nothing more than a set of bespoke wheels and subtle badging was needed.
Getting up close and personal is the only surefire way to tell the RS2 is anything other than just another Audi wagon. Anonymity makes it the perfect sleeper car, you could literally park it anywhere and most gearheads wouldn't give it a second look.
1 Rarity Value
Given the storming performance and practicality of Audi's RS2, you'd think the model would have been way more popular with gearheads. In truth, production lasted 17 months with a total production run of 2,891 cars against Audi's revised plans to limit production to 2,700 examples, making this executive wagon both desirable and rare. Prices today, considering the uniqueness are surprisingly low, a decent 1994 example can be your for $65,000.
Much rarer and less well-known, Audi toyed with the idea of a four-door sedan, even going to the lengths of producing 4 prototypes, three of which are known to exist, two in private hands in the Middle East and a third in Audi's Ingolstadt headquarters.