Photo: Audi
Back in 2004, h biggest engines you could comfortably fit in a B-segment car had about 140 horsepower, Audi had no really small cars quattro was still a sacred badge. Fast forward a decade and you end up with the S1, a 231 hp hot hatch only 4 meters long and fitted with all-wheel drive. It's as extreme as things get for this size a vehicle, but maybe a couple of years more and we'll have an even more hardcore model.
Speaking to Motoring.au, Audi S1 designer Frank Gruner was asked about the possibility of an even more hardcore RS1 model. His answer was a candid and yet revealing "wait and see". Basically, Audi has the technology to make such a car, but until the S1 actually goes on sale to see how big the market is for these expensive and very complicated small cars.
Ulrich Weirl, team leader in the technical development of the Audi S1, also spoke to Motoring, saying a more powerful 2-liter can be fitted, since the EA888 family of engines already has a 300 PS unit, installed in the S3.
The drive for creating such a powerful supermini would come from MINI, who are also going to fit their JCW with a 2-liter turbo, potentially with 230 hp as well. However, we think the A1 platform has at the most 4 years left in it before a new model has to be put on sale, so the RS1 would be one of the shortest lived new models ever.
As cool as it sounds, we're not really holding our breath with this one!
Ulrich Weirl, team leader in the technical development of the Audi S1, also spoke to Motoring, saying a more powerful 2-liter can be fitted, since the EA888 family of engines already has a 300 PS unit, installed in the S3.
The drive for creating such a powerful supermini would come from MINI, who are also going to fit their JCW with a 2-liter turbo, potentially with 230 hp as well. However, we think the A1 platform has at the most 4 years left in it before a new model has to be put on sale, so the RS1 would be one of the shortest lived new models ever.
As cool as it sounds, we're not really holding our breath with this one!
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