Audi Avant RS2 - Trend sports car from the Porsche factory

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Audi Avant RS2 - Trend sports car from the Porsche factory

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Created on March 10, 2024

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Audi AG

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Bruno von Rotz

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - rounds bends with low side inclination

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - with the exception of the front apron and the mirrors, no externally visible modifications were made to the bodywork

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - if you wanted to get ahead quickly, the RS2 was the right choice

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - sits firmly on the road

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - no lack of comfort either

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - a lot of fun on country roads

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - it's probably still hard to follow today if it's driven with courage

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - space for a whole family, driving performance like a sports car of the caliber of a Ferrari F355

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - an Audi RS2 ran at over 260 km/h

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the four Audi rings under the rear window and the RS2 emblem to the left of them are missing on this example

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the RS2 is just over 4.5 meters long

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - still looks modern even after 30 years

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the standard Cup rims come from Porsche

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - thanks to all-wheel drive, traction is never really an issue, not even on the ramp

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the wide 245 tires give the Audi a firm stance

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the light strip at the rear was typical of Porsche all-wheel drive models at the time

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the rear differs from the S2 only because of the light strip

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - open the door, the loading sill is as low as on the other Audi 80 Avants

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - four exhaust tips were not used at that time, such excesses came later

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - a lot of luggage fits in the trunk and the rear seat can of course be folded down

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - almost incognito on the road

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the three large openings in the front apron were not dummies, the five-cylinder engine and turbo needed a lot of air

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the color "Emerald Pearl Metallic" suits the compact station wagon well

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - only just under 1.7 meters wide, the RS2 had no traction problems

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Interior with optional leather, airbag and wood paneling came as a package

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Airbag steering wheel with Audi rings

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - neither Porsche badge nor Audi rings on the instruments

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Speedometer up to 300 km/h and LCD display for the trip computer in the center

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - pay close attention to the fuel gauge, because the consumption of the turbo five-cylinder engine can be considerable

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Center console as in the large series

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - additional instruments slightly out of sight, oil temperature and oil pressure are displayed

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the seat heating was standard, it can be regulated in six (!) stages

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the RS2 badge was basically an extended S2 badge

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - manually switchable lock, which switches off again at 25 km:h

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Airbags were still the exception in 1994, and information on them was correspondingly comprehensive

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the longitudinally mounted 20-valve engine

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Porsche extracted 85 extra horsepower from the already somewhat grayed 2.2-liter five-cylinder engine of the S2

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the radiator grille is framed in black, the four rings are in chrome, the pull lever for the hood release is in the third ring

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Elipsoid headlights are standard, the indicators and fog lights are from the Porsche 993

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Side mirrors in Porsche 911 (993) look

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - Side mirrors in Porsche 993 look

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - an Audi sedan draws attention to the alarm system

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the wheel carriers had to be reworked for the wide 245 tires

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - the Porsche emblem on the wheels is missing in series production, but the brake calipers were always labeled

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - four Audi rings were still to be found here on delivery, although Porsche would have liked to see the emblem on the rims

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - red brake calipers with Porsche lettering were standard equipment

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - carefully designed fuel filler cap

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - no reduction in utility value

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Audi 80 Avant quattro 2.3E (1993) - had to make do with 133 hp, but the trunk was the same size as the RS2

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Audi Avant S2 (1993) - the fastest Audi 80 estate until the RS2

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Audi Avant S2 (1993) - provided the basis for the RS2 development

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Audi Avant S2 (1993) - 230 hp and all-wheel drive

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Audi RS2 (1994) - in the special color "Nogaro blue"

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Audi Avant RS2 (1993) - see-through drawing with still preliminary data and Porsche and Audi logos

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - Transparency drawing

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Audi Avant RS2 (1993) - Press photo for the IAA presentation

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Audi Avant RS2 (1993) - pre-production model with radiator grille surround not yet painted matt black

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Audi Avant RS2 (1993) - pre-series car, photographed for the premiere at the IAA

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Audi Avant RS2 (1993) - a look into the cockpit shows a nice sports steering wheel, which was only available without an airbag

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - Interior of the version without airbag, but with carbon look

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - a look under the hood shows the five-cylinder engine upgraded by Porsche

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Audi Avant RS2 (1993) - A look under the hood of a pre-production model

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - Performance diagram - Power and torque

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - with matching license plate

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - good for a top speed of over 260 km/h

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - 0 to 100 km/h in under six seconds (5.8 s according to the factory)

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - Front view of the production version

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - standard version with matt black radiator grille surround

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - silhouette hardly distinguishable from the Avant S2

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - the high-performance estate car

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - early design drawings still had the rings in the light strip

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - the typical RS2 buyer was male

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - for the businessman in a hurry

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - for the successful achitect who still has a few plans to deliver

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Audi Avant RS2 (1994) - practically all factory photos show men with the RS2

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Audi RS 2 (1994) - super-fast station wagon built by Porsche in the "cult box" - Bremen Classic Motorshow 2019

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Audi RS2 (1992) - the wheels and brakes were Porsche parts - at the Geneva Motor Show 2014

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Audi RS 2 Avant (1994) - together with Audi RS 4 Avant (type B7), Audi RS 4 Avant (type B5), Audi RS 6 Avant (type C5), Audi RS 4 Avant (type B7) and Audi RS 4 Avant (type B8)

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Audi RS4 Avant (2001) - the RS4 followed the RS2 and for the first time offered a V6 biturbo with 380 hp

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Audi Avant RS2 (1995) - when cars were still round and large wheels had a diameter of 17 inches

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Summary

With the Avant RS2, Audi and Porsche collaborated to create a compact high-performance estate car unlike anything seen before. The 2.2-liter five-cylinder engine produced 315 hp, the car accelerated almost as fast as a Ferrari F355 costing twice as much and could not be left behind by a Porsche 993. Even with five people and a lot of luggage on board if necessary. Today, the RS2 is a cult car of the nineties and very much in demand. This driving report tells the story of the Audi-Porsche station wagon and shows it in current and historical pictures, supplemented by press documents from the time.

This article contains the following chapters

It all began with the S2
Estate car instead of coupé
Porsche refinements
Enthusiastic reception
The turbo lag
Self-test
Trailer operation at over 200 km/h?
Success and godfather to many other offspring
From everyday car to classic car

Estimated reading time: 13min

Preview (beginning of the article)

315 hp peak power and over 140 hp per liter displacement were a sensation in a compact estate car in the mid-nineties; only Audi could offer something like this as a manufacturer. However, they were supported by Porsche and so it is no wonder that the collaboration resulted in a hybrid of everyday estate and sports car. However, the success had other fathers ... In September 1990, Audi presented the S2 coupé based on the B3, with 230 hp and reminiscent of the Urquattro. The powerful car was developed together with Konrad Schmidt, who also caused a sensation for Audi in motor racing (DTM). From spring/summer 1993, the S2 was also sold as an Avant and saloon.

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