Information on the Spectacular Audi RS4
By Jeff McDougall
German manufacturer, Audi, a part of the Volkswagen group,
manufactured this compact executive car, Audi RS4, between the
years 2000 and 2001, and again from 2006 to 2008. This
sport-focused RS4 was one of the top-level models in A4 series
ever since its manufacturing began in 1994.
RS Designation
The RS Designation Audi entitles with it always is currently
rated the best performance designation a car has today. It
stands for the phrase �renn sport� in German language
meaning �Motor Sport� in English, often known with the name
�Racing Sport�.
Initial Model
Manufactured on the Volkswagen�s B5 platform, the Quattro
all-wheel drive was introduced with the first RS4 model in the
year 2000. Audi RS2 Avant was replaced by this model then. A 2.7
liter biturbo V6 engine with a five-door wagon was included in
the original RS4 which also has a six-speed manual transmission.
It is also enclosed with a better aerodynamic body even though
it was manufactured based on the A4 and S4 models as such.
Europe and Latin America provided the highest sales of Audi
RS4, though the 2000 and 2004 models of this car were never sold
in North America.
Second Generation
B6 platform of the Volkswagen�s group was the foundation on
which the Audi A4 series was built from the year 2001 to 2005.
One did not see any RS version release during this period; until
B7 platform was introduced in 2006. A four-door sedan was the
new release and upgraded version of the RS4, which started its
sales in North America from 2008 after the North America
International Show first showcased it in the year 2006.
Five-door wagon, two-door-cabriolet versions are the next new
features that were added in the next releases of Audi. A 4.2
liter V8 engine together with a six-speed manual transmission
feature was included in this version of RS4.
Racing
Audi had the intentions of launching many RS4 racers to compete
in the Sports Car Club of America�s World Challenge; but later
dropped it idea and has not included even a single RS4 once the
design phase has come to an end. Audi Sport Italia, one of the
Audi�s racing divisions, in turn was triumphant in several
wins by producing several RS4 racers for the Italian and
European Championships. The RS4 was about to replace RS6 in the
Speed World Challenge, but later, after seeing the features of
Audi RS4 which has 4WD systems and the wheel size, SCCA imposed
few rule changes by which RS4 could not participate in the race.
Even the competitive horsepower against LS7 proved against the
participation of RS4 in the World Challenge.
Legacy
B8 platform started rising from the year 2008, where Audi
produced several A4 series cars; and the number of RS4 cars
production came reducing until they slowly diminished. But the
features and the innovative technologies RS4 used are still
visible today in the production of the latest luxury cars like
BMW’s M3, the Lexus IS F, and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. The RS
tradition once again came into limelight once Audi introduced
the RS6 model in 2008 and the R8 in 2006.
About the Author: http://www.easydreamcars.com/audi/audi-rs4
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