The RS Q8 is the top model in Audi’s Q series. Sporty performance, combined with the elegance of a premium SUV coupé, characterises the vehicle with the four rings.
With the new, strictly limited RSQ8 Signature Edition, ABT Sportsline has further enhanced the sporty exclusivity of this basic model.
True to its own motto “From the racetrack to the road”, the German company has transformed the fast SUV into a Racing Utility Vehicle. In allusion to ABT’s founding year of 1896, only 96 examples are hand-built by experienced racing mechanics. A maximum of eight per month.
“Only those who take their time can create something timeless,” says Managing Partner Hans-Jürgen Abt. However, it is not only the small quantities that arouse desire. In the attractive guise of the RSQ8 Signature Edition, the V8 biturbo engine now produces an impressive 800 HP (589 kW).
The special model thus follows on from the Johann Abt Signature Edition based on the Audi RS 6 presented in 2021 to mark the company’s 125th anniversary.
It is therefore only the second vehicle Race model from ABT Sportsline to be awarded the title “Signature Edition” and thus the highest level of exclusivity.
A time capsule is also once again on board, containing a genuine fragment from the history of the the world’s largest automotive aftermarket and performance parts specialist for Audi and VW.
With the experience gained from countless races combined with top-class craftsmanship, the ABT mechanics extract an incredible 200 additional HP from the RS Q8’s engine. In just 3.2 seconds, the Racing Utility Vehicle from ABT Sportsline sprints from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour – a racy 0.6 seconds faster than its production counterpart.
It is literally breath-taking for the driver when he is pressed into the seat by the 1,000 Newton metres that are evenly distributed to the four wheels thanks to permanent all-wheel drive. Propulsion only stops at 315 km/h.
The exclusive Race ABT Power R* performance upgrade is responsible for the extremely impressive performance. The intercooler and turbocharger, which were specially developed for the Signature Edition models, in combination with the high-tech control unit ABT Engine Control (AEC), provide for the racing performance.
The optimised electronic lowering system ABT Level Control ensures safe road holding at all times. The matching self-confident sound is orchestrated by an ABT exhaust system made of stainless steel, which flows into two double end pipes with a diameter of 105 millimetres.
There is once again an extensive aerodynamic kit with a special and completely different surface structure. “Signature Carbon Bold” is the motto this time for a large number of add-on parts. The striking unique structure adorns, for example, the front lip, the front blades, the front skirt inserts including air intake grille and optimised air flow, the front grill add-on, the fender extensions, the mirror caps, the door strip attachments, the rear trim panel set, the rear skirt add-on and the rear spoiler. The wheelhouse ventilation front and the rear spoiler lip are presented in “carbon glossy black”.
Johann Abt Signature Edition,