There's been much hope in recent months that Audi's chunky 402bhp Quattro Concept would become a production reality (
including on this very site
), and now it seems about to become true.
According to the super-sleuths at our sister publication Autocar, an S5-based prototype has been built for evaluation by senior Audi management before the final green light is lit, but it seems as if this may just be an effective formality, with a launch planned for 2013.
Like the car that wowed the crowds at the Paris motor show last year, the prototype is constructed from an aluminium spaceframe with a mixture aluminium and carbon fibre body panels, even though it looks like a standard S5
The prototype, says Autocar, shaves 300kg from the kerb weight of an RS5, but the final production car could be even lighter, with a 150mm-shorter wheelbase and lightweight tricks for the interior. Word is that the final car could be 225kg lighter than an Audi R8. Now that, we like the sound of...