The 2023 Audi RS3 Is A Street-Legal Car With Racing Pedigree
by AutoExpert | 27 June, 2022
The 2023 Audi RS3 combines racetrack DNA with street-legal capabilities. Let's reflect on the past. The four Audi racing legends you see here (a 1984 Rallye Quattro A2, a 1987 Pikes Peak champion, a 1988 Audi 200 from TransAm, and a 1989 Audi 90 IMSA) are all a part of Audi history.
They are the genuine vehicles that took home victories in competitions, and they are united by a five-cylinder engine and a Quattro AWD system. The new 2023 RS3 is the sole and likely the only member of the RS3 family to retain those characteristics.
Despite having a 2.1-liter, five-cylinder engine, the 1989 Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO produces an amazing 720 horsepower. It was so quick that it won seven of the thirteen races in that season's series against V8-powered vehicles.
The Audi 200 was so dominating in the TransAm racing series a year earlier in 1988 that the regulations were amended to forbid Quattro, so it simply had to drive to IMSA. With only 510 horsepower available, that vehicle took first place in eight of the thirteen races.
The 1987 Audi Sport Quattro S1, which at the time held the record for the Pike Peak Hill Climb, is another classic. It accomplished this feat with Walter Rohrl at the wheel, with 598 horsepower propelling it.
The Audi Sport Quattro S1 Group B rally vehicle brought Audi and the five-cylinder engine to prominence. When the new RS3 comes around, it's still quick enough to prove it's the best of the lot.
