Audi is one of the German car manufacturers famous for their luxury performance cars. German companies continue to dominate this corner of the auto industry, though they face increasingly stiff competition from US and Japanese firms.
Though the company that would become Audi was founded in 1909, the story of the Audi that we know and love today really began in the 1960s when the business was bought by Volkswagen and the Audi name was relaunched as a luxury brand.
Famous for its high-end, high-performance vehicles, Audi has created some truly impressive cars through their long and successful history.
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10 Audi RS2 Avant
The Audi RS2 Avant was a high-performance station wagon, which was only in production for just over a year between March 1994 and July 1995. The vehicle’s rather ordinary exterior appearance belies an extraordinary secret under the hood; the RS2 Avant was a joint project between Audi and their fellow German car manufacturers, Porsche.
The first of several RS or Racing Sport models created by Audi, the RS2 Avant has become something of a cult classic over the last 25 years.
9 Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is probably one of the most recognizable Audio vehicles of all time, and the iconic car has become something of a cult classic, symbolizing all that was good about the 80s. Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1980, the Quattro went on sale later that year.
It was one of the first-ever four-wheel-drive performance cars and also competed in rally driving races across the globe. Fewer than 12,000 Audi Quattro models were made between 1980 and 1991, which only adds to the vehicle’s collectibility.
8 Audi S6
Introduced as a high-performance version of the A6 executive car, the Audi A6 first went into production in 1994 and is still being made today. The stylish vehicle is fitted with Audi’s proprietary four-wheel-drive system, which bears the same name as the iconic Quattro car.
The most recent S6 model was unveiled in 2018, and as well as being available in the standard saloon and sedan options, is also available as a station wagon, also known as the Avant option in Audi’s parlance.
7 Audi RS4
Designed as a high-performance version of the Audi A4 executive car, the Audi RS4 was first launched in 1999 and made its debut as the RS4 Avant in 2012. The current model, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2017, has a V6 Twin Turbo engine and is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60mph in just 4.1 seconds, with a top speed of 155mph.
This RS4 Avant is also fitted with an 8-speed transmission system that combines the features of both a manual and an automatic transmission.
6 Audi Sport Quattro
As if the standard Audi Quattro wasn’t sporty enough, the company also developed several Audi Sport Quattro models in 1985 and 1986, specifically with motorsports competitions in mind.
The Audi Sport Quattro S1, which was described as the most powerful rally car in the world at the time, won the challenging Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 1985, with the updated model winning the same event in 1987. A few hundred Audi Sport Quattro S1 cars were made available for the public to buy at a cost of 200,000 Deutsche Marks.
5 Audi S8
Launched in 1996, the Audi S8 is the company’s luxury full-size vehicle. However sophisticated it may look, inside and out, the S8 is much more than just a pretty face. The first generation had an electronically limited speed of 155mph and could accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 5.6 seconds.
By 2020, the S8 had a much more powerful V8 engine, and was able to jump from 0 to 60mph in just 3.8 seconds; times that are comparable with supercars, never mind a luxury executive car.
4 Audi RS6
Like the A4 and RS4, the Audi RS6 is a high-performance version of its standard counterpart, the Audi A6 executive car. The RS6 was launched in 2002 as a saloon and as an Avant station wagon, but the saloon option was dropped in 2013 because of low sales.
The Audi RS6 shares an engine design with the much larger Audi S8, the most powerful engine in the Audi line-up, and also uses the German manufacturer’s proprietary Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The current 2020 model takes just 3.6 seconds to get up to 60mph and has an impressive top speed of 190mph.
3 Audi RS7
The Audi RS7 was launched in 2013 as a sporty but stylish upgrade on the standard Audi A7 executive car. Combining the sophistication and luxurious interior of the A7 with a very powerful engine, the RS7 may be expensive but you get a lot of bang for your buck.
The turbo V8 engine can power the Audi RS7 from 0 to 60mph in just 3.2 seconds, and though the top speed is electronically limited at 155mph, the dynamic package plus model can reach speeds of around 190mph.
2 Audi TT
Throughout its history, Audi was generally known for its larger but luxurious executive cars, but in the 1990s the German company went in a different direction when they launched the two-door Audi TT sports car.
The first model was designed by Peter Schreyer, now President at Kia, and was unveiled at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show before going on sale to the public in 1998. The TT manages to incorporate Audi’s old-school sense of style into a sporty, modern vehicle with an impressive turn of pace.
1 Audi R8
While the Audi TT has been a successful venture into the world of sports cars for the German car manufacturer, the company has never really gone in for trying to compete in the supercar sector.
The closest they have come to creating their supercar is the Audi R8, a mid-engine sports car that also uses Audi’s proprietary Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The R8 is even based on the same platform as the Lamborghini Huracan but manages to look more elegant and sophisticated than the Italian supercar.