Photo: Auto Leitner
In the 1990s, quattro GmbH teamed up with Porsche to make the Audi RS2 Avant. Then came the first-generation RS4 Avant, a sporty wagon that makes gearheads grow weak at the knees.
Just like its venerable predecessor, the Audi RS4 B5 Avant was built in limited numbers and only as a station wagon. For that era, the RS4 B5 was the bee’s knees on more than one level. This particular example of the breed, however, is even more special than the go-faster longroof was back in its heyday.
Offered for sale by Auto Leitner for €99,500, this 2001 Audi RS4 Avant is probably the most pristine of its kind in the entire world. With just 188 kilometers (117 miles) on the odometer, the 15-year-old German wagon is virtually as new. Painted in LZ3M Misano red and kitted with the large-screen satellite navigation system, sliding and tilting sunroof, as well as Sideguard curtain airbags and xenon HID headlamps, a first-generation RS4 Avant doesn’t get much better or original than this blast from the not-too-far past.
The name of the game here is the 2.7-liter biturbo V6 lurking under the hood. Essentially a modified version of the engine in the S4, the 2.7-liter powerplant has been gifted by Cosworth with enlarged intake and exhaust ports, bigger turbos, bigger intercoolers, and louder exhaust. Hence, the RS4 B5 Avant boasts 380 PS (375 hp) and 440 Nm (325 lb-ft) instead of 265 PS (261 hp) and 350 Nm (257 lb-ft) of torque. Sent to all four wheels, of course.
To put that output into perspective, bear in mind that the 2017 Audi S4 Avant is heavier than the RS4 B5 Avant and produces 354 PS (349 hp). By 2001 standards, the Audi RS4 B5 Avant is a wolf in sheep's clothing for the performance it packs in a family-friendly station wagon body shell.
Another highlight of the first-generation Audi RS4 Avant over the current one is the fact that it came with a manual. The final detail I want to share with you is 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph). Only two-tenths of a second separate the RS4 B5 Avant and the automatic-only S4 B9 Avant (4.9 vs. 4.7). Let that sink in for a minute then try to imagine how badass the Audi RS4 B9 Avant will be.
Offered for sale by Auto Leitner for €99,500, this 2001 Audi RS4 Avant is probably the most pristine of its kind in the entire world. With just 188 kilometers (117 miles) on the odometer, the 15-year-old German wagon is virtually as new. Painted in LZ3M Misano red and kitted with the large-screen satellite navigation system, sliding and tilting sunroof, as well as Sideguard curtain airbags and xenon HID headlamps, a first-generation RS4 Avant doesn’t get much better or original than this blast from the not-too-far past.
The name of the game here is the 2.7-liter biturbo V6 lurking under the hood. Essentially a modified version of the engine in the S4, the 2.7-liter powerplant has been gifted by Cosworth with enlarged intake and exhaust ports, bigger turbos, bigger intercoolers, and louder exhaust. Hence, the RS4 B5 Avant boasts 380 PS (375 hp) and 440 Nm (325 lb-ft) instead of 265 PS (261 hp) and 350 Nm (257 lb-ft) of torque. Sent to all four wheels, of course.
To put that output into perspective, bear in mind that the 2017 Audi S4 Avant is heavier than the RS4 B5 Avant and produces 354 PS (349 hp). By 2001 standards, the Audi RS4 B5 Avant is a wolf in sheep's clothing for the performance it packs in a family-friendly station wagon body shell.
Another highlight of the first-generation Audi RS4 Avant over the current one is the fact that it came with a manual. The final detail I want to share with you is 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph). Only two-tenths of a second separate the RS4 B5 Avant and the automatic-only S4 B9 Avant (4.9 vs. 4.7). Let that sink in for a minute then try to imagine how badass the Audi RS4 B9 Avant will be.
Google News