TECHNICAL DETAILS: RS 4 AVANT and RS 5
The amount of speculation surrounding just what would come under the hoods of these two cars ranges considerably. Some say a high-rev V10 or even the twin turbo V10 from the RS 6. Both are wishful thinking. Wolfgang Hatz has definitively told Fourtitude that the V10 will not fit into a production version of the B8 coupe body structure. Hatz absolutely loves the high-rev V10 from the R8 with all its immediate torque, but the added weight in the snout would be considerable even if it were as easy as simply shoe-horning the big V10 in there.
Another very common and also very perplexing rumor is that of a twin turbo high-rev V8 at around 450-hp. Near as we can tell, the rumor started at CAR and they’re usually a very credible source. While there is a twin-turbocharged 4.0 V8 confirmed for debut in the next A8, there are no immediate plans to fit it in the RS 5. Suggestions in the press of a twin turbocharged high-rev 4.2 to bump power by a mere 30 hp also don’t seem to add up. Adding two turbos for for a gain of thirty horses seems like a lot of work for little payoff.
We have it on very good word
from the highest levels of Audi that the engine will be an updated version of the high-rev V8 developed for the B7 RS 4 and R8 4.2. An additional 30 hp is expected, netting the rumored figure of 450 hp total. Our best guess is that the added power comes from the
addition of Valvelift as one senior source has confirmed that the tech it is compatible with the 4.2’s 8,000+ redline.
Audi’s new 7-speed
S tronic is capable of taking all the torque this updated 4.2 has to offer, and high-placed sources have hinted that the transmission is being seriously considered for duty in the pair of RS cars. Whether or not Audi chooses to go exclusively with the dual clutch semi-auto as Nissan’s decided to do with the GTR remains to be seen, but we’re personally hoping that they don’t turn their backs on a standard 6-speed manual.
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