Audi RS3 tipped to have around 310kW

Audi's A3 clubsport quattro was one of the stars of last week's Wörthersee Tour, but the production-spec RS3 it previews won't be quite as brutal as the concept.

For the Wörthersee show car, the force-fed 2.5-litre five-cylinder motor was amped up to kick out 386kW and 600Nm (on tap from 2300-6000rpm), courtesy of a large intercooler, an oversize turbo that puffs out 1.5 bar of boost and a free-flow intake and exhaust system.

Do the maths and you'll glean this equates to 155.6kW/litre, which is unheard of for a road-going vehicle. However, the boss of Audi's Quattro division, Heinz Hollerweger, suggests the eventual production vehicle's engine will be detuned to eke out a more conservative figure.

"We have experience with a 525PS [386kW] engine on the racetrack. It's durable, but we will need to downgrade it [probably to a figure in the 300-310kW bracket, although he neither confirmed nor denied this] to make it more drivable and get it to comply with emissions regulations," Hollerweger told motoring.com.au.

The other reason, of course, is that the RS3 will need to be positioned appropriately in the Audi hierarchy so that it doesn't tread on the toes of the larger and pricier RS4 and RS6 sedans.

As it stands, the A3 clubsport quattro concept scorches from standstill to 100km/h in 3.6sec and doesn't stop accelerating until it hits 310km/h (more or less on par with the RS6).  

According to Hollerweger, the other key change for the showroom-spec RS3 will be flared arches that aren't quite as wide as those of the concept. It's also likely the 21-inch rims with licorice-strip rubber will make way for 19- or 20-inch hoops.

Wörthersee Gallery at www.motoring.com.au

Images: Tobias Sagmeister