Audi RS6 Avant GT

The petrol-powered RS6 super-estate is going out in a blaze of glory with the bombastic GT, complete with 1980s racing battledress. What’s not to like?

- RICHARD MEADEN

THESE ARE TRULY THE END OF DAYS. Witness the RS6 Avant GT, a spectacular last hurrah for Audi's petrol-powered super-estate before it cedes to a battery-powered successor. The decision to go all-in on EV might be questionable, but credit where it's due, for the GT means the RS6 has its chance to rage against the dying of the light.

Just 660 Avant GTs will be built. All are sold, despite the £177,115 price tag (that's more than a £60k premium over the regular RS6 Avant), though with just 60 allocated to the UK the GT is sure to be a rare sight and doubtless a coveted future classic is the stiffness of the anti-roll bars (up 30 per cent at the front and 80 per cent at the rear) and the dampers offer triple adjustment.

Quite how many people will deviate from the factory settings is debatable, but the tools and instructions are on-board for those who want to try some experimentation.

The GT boasts what can only be described as a strong look. One that borrows directly from the RS6 GTO concept from 2020, which in turn harked back to the rampant Audi 90 IMSA GTO race car from 1989. This fire-breathing 710bhp five-cylinder monster combined Audi's Group B powertrain and all-wheel drive with a bespoke spaceframe chassis clad in composite bodywork that looked like a production Audi 90 that had been on a diet regime of creatine and anabolic steroids.

Transposed onto a 2024 Audi estate car, the IMSA livery is attention-grabbing to say the least. Given it borrows from an epic but obscure chapter in Audi's motorsport history there's every chance most observers will be oblivious to its significance, but as with most cars aimed at people like us, if you know, you know. The GT also comes in Mythos Black and Nardo Grey with more subdued decals, but going down that route would surely be a cop-out.