[s-cars] RS6 Developments

[Robin St.Clair]

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Guys

The RS6 automatic gearbox is old and its replacement is going to MB first. =
There are 3 gearboxes in development which are of interest:

The new, stronger automatic

The new 6 speed manual

The new SMG box

caveat - if the SMG is all that it is cracked up to be, they might not run =
with the plain vanilla 6-speed.

However, I can confirm that it is feasible to fit a strengthened RS4 gearbo=
x to the RS6, this is the same box as is in the S8 Manual. To make this Hap=
pen, virtually all the internals are replaced, new prop shaft, drive shafts=
, rear differential, extensive reprogramming of the ECU, all the tricky tip=
tronic shift stuff being in the ECU, likely to cost $US20,000.

Having driven the car and spoken to tuners, I can say it is comfortably cap=
able of handling 620BHP plus.

I spent some time the other day with the R8's FSI engineer. The guys in the=
 Sports Department were playing with an RS4 that, obviously, had a raised r=
ev limit, he told me that he took it up to 330 KPH (206 MPH), with plenty t=
o come. As he is a bespectacled nerdy sort of a chap, I suspect that there =
was a lot more to come.

I also learned that the next S4, to be released in Limousine and Avant init=
ially and later as a 2-door Coupe, will be equipped with 'only' 300bhp, the=
 next TT will be a VW-Group V-6  3.2 litre with 240 BHP.

If anybody wants an RS4, I know of one which can be shipped to the States. =
It was specified by one of the R8 drivers and developed by Audi Sport, quat=
tro GmbH and MTM, it has 500 BHP and has been specially modified to cope wi=
th very hot conditions and poor fuel, the owner is upgrading to a ClubSport=
 GT2. The process of Federalising these cars is well understood. I believe =
that there is a certain Don in Colorado who is going to be swamped with dem=
ands for Auto Financing (can't hurt the VC market has gone to hell).

Right now the hot auto property is the V-10 Diesel Touareg, everybody is qu=
euing up for it.

Robin St.Clair



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