The 1990s were stupidly good in terms of German muscle. Jason Cammisa sourced no fewer than three icons from that era, including the ultra-rare RS 2 Avant that Porsche assembled on Audi's behalf.
Now known as Audi Sport, the quattro GmbH subsidiary instilled respect into rivals Motorsport GmbH and the peeps at Aufrecht Melcher Grossaspach with the RS 2 Avant. Offered between 1994 and 1995, the go-faster wagon rocks a turbocharged five-pot mill with 311 horsepower and 302 pound-feet (410 Nm).
Weighing a little over 3,500 pounds (that would be 3,516 pounds or 1,595 kilograms if you prefer metric units), the incredibly rare Audi came with a manual transmission exclusively. It's joined by an M5 Touring and a 500 E, which are one size larger than the RS 4 Avant. As a result, both are obviously heavier.
The 1994 model year Bimmer packs a 3.8, meaning naturally-aspirated sixer and five-speed manual rather than six for the RS 2 Avant. Good for 335 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Nm), the Bavarian wagon is rare as well. Only 891 were produced from 1992 through 1995 as opposed to 2,891 for the RS 2 Avant, but alas, the Audi is far pricier nowadays.
Coming in at 4,038 pounds (1,832 kilograms), the wagon-bodied E34 is joined by a 1992 model year Mercedes 500 E. Assembled by Porsche in Zuffenhausen, the W124-based performance sedan makes use of a 5.0-liter V8 of the free-breathing variety. Connected to a four-speed auto, the 500 E makes 322 ponies and 354 pound-feet (480 Nm) of twist.
Photo: Hagerty on YouTube
It's pretty clear the lighter and punchier 500 E leaves the M5 Touring for dead in a straight line, but can it keep the RS 2 Avant at bay as well? After all, remember that the Audi is much lighter and better from a dig thanks to a manual tranny and quattro all-wheel drive.
Surprisingly enough, the Merc reached 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) half a second quicker. The M5 Touring was only a tenth off the 500 E. In the quarter mile, however, the oh-so-pretty Mercedes needed 14.0 seconds flat compared to 14.8 for the M5 Touring and 14.9 for the Audi RS 2 Avant.
Being the victor, the 500 E was given another challenge in the form of a modern sports car. Enter the 2023 model year Mazda MX-5 Miata with the standard manual rather than the optional torque-converter automatic. Exclusively 2.0L in the United States market compared to 1.5 liters in Japan, the quirky roadster develops a respectable 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet (205 Nm). It also weighs 2,346 pounds (1,064 kilograms) as opposed to 3,927 pounds (1,781 kilograms) for the 500 E.
With Randy Pobst in the driver's seat on the long straightaway at Streets of Willow Springs, the MX-5 blitzed the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 97 miles per hour (156 kilometers per hour). Two tenths quicker, the 500 E crossed the finish line at 101 miles per hour (just under 163 kilometers per hour).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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