idrivemyself
11-18-2004, 11:54 PM
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/rs4_score.jpg
The fabled Nürburgring racetrack in Germany is a common hangout for car guys and even engineers testing high-performance vehicles. The track has such a reputation worldwide for being one of the most technical and grueling courses anywhere, it’s hard not to be drawn there when you're in the business of building and testing high-caliber performance vehicles. Not surprisingly, it seems the testing staff from quattro GmbH is quite familiar with the legendary track known as the “Green Hell" as several development mules believed to be the upcoming RS4 have been spotted testing there.
The first car that set off alarms with enthusiasts and spy photographers alike was a silver B6 Avant that looked strikingly like an RS4 mule, with wide fenders and aggressive lower front fascia. This car was probably the most confusing, as it’s commonly known in Audi circles that there was never a B6 RS4.
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/014__scaled_600_002.jpg
More recently, a mysterious black B7 sedan sporting aggressive lower front fascia, wider fender arches and ominous oval exhaust tips popped up at the Nürburgring and has been nabbed at least one other time by an eagle-eyed photographer. This car appeared as a much more believable RS4. The B7 being just barely on the market and American B7 production starting just this week, it seems unlikely the car was simply an oddball skunkworks project or tuner car.
Even more proof that the car is close to the real deal was a photographic score of epic proportions by Ad van der Aa of The Netherlands, nabbed during a weekend trip to The Green Hell. A second RS4 sedan materialized, this time a blue car, and quite close in appearance to the black mule spotted weeks ago. Photos were snapped, and this time in generous number and showing some up-close detail.
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/018__scaled_600_001.jpg
In the automotive test mule world, one might be an oddball and simply an exercise in design or humor by engineers. A second points more towards a pattern, and in this case a production model.
Sources within Audi confirm the two sedans appear to be varying degrees of the real deal. Elements such as the front fascia, blackout grille, blister fenders and oval exhaust tips are said to be accurate. Other elements not seen here such as a larger or more pronounced rear spoiler should also find their way onto a production RS4.
The RS4 should come to market with a higher-hp version of the normally aspirated 4.2-liter V8. In addition to higher power, the performance of the new RS4 is said to be raised even further with the increased use of lightweight materials like aluminum.
This mule’s smallish-looking rear brakes are most likely not indicative of what will be on the production car. Expect the black-painted calipers and sizable drilled rotors like those on the RS6.
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/008__scaled_600_001.jpg
We hear wheels will be 19-inches in diameter, though it’s unclear whether 5-spoke design will carry over. That wheel design is slated for use on upcoming S-cars in the USA and on S-line cars in European markets, so a new design will probably debut on the RS4.
Look for the RS4 to debut at an auto show in the next six months. Given the timing, Geneva will likely be where the latest RS car takes a bow. Audi recently confirmed that the car will go into production by the Fall of 2005, which would put it in the USA no earlier than early 2006.
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/011__scaled_600_003.jpg
Expect the RS4 to be sold as an Avant and Sedan in Europe, though we hear North America will likely only see one version, at least initially. Given that A4 and S4 sedans outsell Avants in multiples and the fact that the RS4 could likely replace the RS6 in the North American SPEED GT racing series, we’d bet the RS4 will come stateside as a sedan.
This website would like to extend a special thanks to Ad van der Aa for not only spotting and shooting this great-looking mule, but also generously sharing photos with Fourtitude and its readers.
RS4 (B7) Gallery (http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/gallery2.php?mode=album&album=/Audi/A4-S4-RS4%20(B5,%20B6%20and%20B7)/RS4%20(B7)/Test%20Mule#)
*Fourtitude
The fabled Nürburgring racetrack in Germany is a common hangout for car guys and even engineers testing high-performance vehicles. The track has such a reputation worldwide for being one of the most technical and grueling courses anywhere, it’s hard not to be drawn there when you're in the business of building and testing high-caliber performance vehicles. Not surprisingly, it seems the testing staff from quattro GmbH is quite familiar with the legendary track known as the “Green Hell" as several development mules believed to be the upcoming RS4 have been spotted testing there.
The first car that set off alarms with enthusiasts and spy photographers alike was a silver B6 Avant that looked strikingly like an RS4 mule, with wide fenders and aggressive lower front fascia. This car was probably the most confusing, as it’s commonly known in Audi circles that there was never a B6 RS4.
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/014__scaled_600_002.jpg
More recently, a mysterious black B7 sedan sporting aggressive lower front fascia, wider fender arches and ominous oval exhaust tips popped up at the Nürburgring and has been nabbed at least one other time by an eagle-eyed photographer. This car appeared as a much more believable RS4. The B7 being just barely on the market and American B7 production starting just this week, it seems unlikely the car was simply an oddball skunkworks project or tuner car.
Even more proof that the car is close to the real deal was a photographic score of epic proportions by Ad van der Aa of The Netherlands, nabbed during a weekend trip to The Green Hell. A second RS4 sedan materialized, this time a blue car, and quite close in appearance to the black mule spotted weeks ago. Photos were snapped, and this time in generous number and showing some up-close detail.
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/018__scaled_600_001.jpg
In the automotive test mule world, one might be an oddball and simply an exercise in design or humor by engineers. A second points more towards a pattern, and in this case a production model.
Sources within Audi confirm the two sedans appear to be varying degrees of the real deal. Elements such as the front fascia, blackout grille, blister fenders and oval exhaust tips are said to be accurate. Other elements not seen here such as a larger or more pronounced rear spoiler should also find their way onto a production RS4.
The RS4 should come to market with a higher-hp version of the normally aspirated 4.2-liter V8. In addition to higher power, the performance of the new RS4 is said to be raised even further with the increased use of lightweight materials like aluminum.
This mule’s smallish-looking rear brakes are most likely not indicative of what will be on the production car. Expect the black-painted calipers and sizable drilled rotors like those on the RS6.
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/008__scaled_600_001.jpg
We hear wheels will be 19-inches in diameter, though it’s unclear whether 5-spoke design will carry over. That wheel design is slated for use on upcoming S-cars in the USA and on S-line cars in European markets, so a new design will probably debut on the RS4.
Look for the RS4 to debut at an auto show in the next six months. Given the timing, Geneva will likely be where the latest RS car takes a bow. Audi recently confirmed that the car will go into production by the Fall of 2005, which would put it in the USA no earlier than early 2006.
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploads/Audi_News/011__scaled_600_003.jpg
Expect the RS4 to be sold as an Avant and Sedan in Europe, though we hear North America will likely only see one version, at least initially. Given that A4 and S4 sedans outsell Avants in multiples and the fact that the RS4 could likely replace the RS6 in the North American SPEED GT racing series, we’d bet the RS4 will come stateside as a sedan.
This website would like to extend a special thanks to Ad van der Aa for not only spotting and shooting this great-looking mule, but also generously sharing photos with Fourtitude and its readers.
RS4 (B7) Gallery (http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/gallery2.php?mode=album&album=/Audi/A4-S4-RS4%20(B5,%20B6%20and%20B7)/RS4%20(B7)/Test%20Mule#)
*Fourtitude