The 2025 Audi RS 6 Avant GT is 2020’s Wild GTO Concept Come to Life

Ordinarily I’d hesitate to ask anyone to set their mental clock back to 2020, but the latest news from Audi calls for an exception. That year wasn’t all bad—maybe you remember the colorful Audi RS 6 GTO concept, inspired by the 1989 Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO race car. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of quattro GmbH (known today as the performance arm Audi Sport), Audi will produce a highly limited edition of the 2025 RS 6 Avant, dubbed the RS 6 Avant GT, complete with the concept car’s rowdy IMSA GTO-esque aesthetics and a few performance tweaks.

And we do mean a few: Sorry “from our side,” race fans, no roll cages or side-exit exhausts permitted on the production line.

But first, how limited, you ask? A mere 660 examples of the RS 6 Avant GT will roll off the production line at Audi’s Böllinger Höfe plant, also home of the e-tron GT and now-departed R8 supercar. RS 6 Avants destined to become GTs are partially hand-assembled; they leave Audi’s nearby Neckarsulm plant and are then transported to Böllinger Höfe for completion by a special seven-person team (plus one logistician). The United States will receive 85 of these cars, while only seven will go to Canada. Audi very much considers the RS 6 Avant GT a “future collectible,” according to the product briefing we attended. So, let’s explore what this German swag wagon brings to the table beyond a standard RS 6 Avant.

It must be said: “Standard” seems a rather underwhelming descriptor for the RS 6 Avant Performance on which this new GT model is based. As the most powerful Audi road car ever built, the Performance model packs 621 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque from its twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V-8 engine, routing that Teutonic terror to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and a torque-vectoring electronic limited-slip rear differential. While the powertrain is unchanged for the GT, the rear differential has unique software parameters for the control unit that—particularly while the car is in Dynamic mode—”focus on greater ability and rear bias.” The RS 6 Avant’s carbon-ceramic brake system also comes standard. Top speed is limited to 190 mph and the 0–60 mph sprint remains unchanged at 3.3 seconds.

The main hardware bit distinguishing the RS 6 Avant GT is its three-way, manually adjustable coilover damper setup. Sitting 10 mm (0.39 inches) lower than the RS 6 Avant Performance with RS sport Dynamic Ride Control (adaptive suspension), the GT comes with a toolkit and instructions for optimal settings (suited to street or track use, for example). Audi said in its briefing that customers can perform this job easily at home provided they have a lift; otherwise, it’s a dealer or independent shop job. Other suspension changes include stiffer stabilizer bars: 30 percent stiffer up front and 80 percent stiffer at the rear.

Customers can, if they choose, order their RS 6 Avant GT without the manually adjustable suspension. In those cases, the alternative is Audi’s RS sport air suspension—an optional extra offered on the standard RS 6 Avant Performance.

As befitting of any limited-edition, the RS 6 Avant GT sports a fair bit of carbon fiber: hood, front fenders, and side mirror caps. The hood features exposed carbon elements, and inside the fenders are new vents positioned behind the front wheels for increased brake cooling. The front end is an all-new design featuring a prominent chin spoiler and wider air intakes. Out back is a new roof-mounted spoiler whose vertical elements match the redesigned diffuser under the rear bumper.

U.S.-bound RS 6 Avant GTs will get fewer options than those destined for Europe and other worldwide markets. All U.S. models will come with a panoramic sunroof but no roof rails, as well as a single exterior color scheme: an Arkona White paint finish combined with a black, gray, and red wrap to evoke the Audi 90 IMSA GTO car. New six-spoke wheels, sized 22 inches, come exclusively in high-gloss white for U.S. models. American customers will also make do without the Euro market’s racing-inspired bucket seats and their carbon-fiber backing, though our RS 6 Avant GT will get a similar appearance and materials for the interior—red and copper seat stitching, plus an extended Dinamica microfiber treatment to cover the armrests, dashboard, center console, and door waist rails. Other markets will get a wider variety of exterior choices, including one of three wrap schemes and several solid colors. All examples will come with a serialized number plate in front of the center armrest.

At the briefing, Audi refused to confirm whether an RS 7 GT was in the pipeline, but representatives also didn’t rule it out. Given that this limited-edition RS 6 Avant will likely sell out and generate a tidy profit on a car that launched four years ago, we’d expect any savvy product planner to bang the drum again if given the chance. I last drove the RS 7 about two years ago; it’s a ruthlessly capable but not especially feedback-rich autobahn missile. The upgrades articulated on the RS 6 Avant GT are relatively minor, in the grand scheme, and I have a hard time imagining a the average RS 6 Avant owner will miss out on much other than collectibility and street cred. If the changes described are going to be noticed anywhere, they would be most evident on a race track. I offer a generous hat tip to any RS 6 Avant owner who tracks their car and a deep bow to any future GT owner who does so.

Audi will begin deliveries of the 2025 RS 6 Avant GT in the second quarter of 2025. No word yet on pricing, but for context, the 2024 RS 6 Avant starts at $126,895. We’d expect a decent chunk more, not just for the added performance but also the exclusivity and special build process.

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