Abt RS5-R Sportback
You want niche? You've got niche! Four-door RS5 coupe gets 500hp 'R' upgrade, currently for America only
In the furore around Audi's emissions (and the consequent push to electrification), the RS5 Sportback has largely been forgotten. Revealed nearly a year ago, we're still seemingly no closer to it reaching the UK. But it is on the way to America, so Abt USA has turned its attention to making it even faster still.
If it looks familiar, that's because this RS5-R Sportback follows the template seen on the RS4 Avant and RS5 coupe of the same name. Abt says it has pulled out all the stops mechanically and electronically, power boosted to 510hp (from 450) thanks to a remap, exhaust and, er, Abt air intake cover, which must be good for at least 5hp. Torque climbs from 442lb to 509; given the twin-turbocharged RS5/RS4 family hardly wants for mid-range performance, expect this RS5 to feel ballistic - 509lb ft is just 7lb ft less than an Aston DB11 AMR, which is far heavier.
As for the rest of the car, the same 'R' enhancements can be found on this Sportback as on the coupe and Avant stablemates. Abt promises "great cornering qualities" thanks to lowering springs and new anti-roll bars. The implication would therefore be that the standard dampers (or optional DRC items) are good enough with the right tweaks in place. The RS5 is marked out cosmetically with the usual smattering of glossy carbon parts: see the front aero flics, spoiler lip and diffuser. Those wheels are 21-inch diameter - but of course. Dare it be suggested that the cornering abilities might be further improved by smaller wheels?
Still, probably not for us to pass comment on - it's easy to imagine 50 tuned RS5 Sportbacks that look like this finding homes across the whole of the USA and Canada. Abt promises that the upgrades will be available for European customers when the cars make it over. Given the Audi popularity in the UK, surely there would be demand from buyers here as well - they're ready when you are Abt!
the Abt online details are interesting
two things that caught my eye (apart from the impressive car):
a couple of grammar / style issues that hint at the possibility of near-native, but not-native use of the English
the social media icons (eg: share this) include something that you don't often see -- Xing, the alternative to LinkedIn which, in German-speaking countries, remains popular
https://abt-america.com/news/news/american-dream-t...
k me it really does look good. Think I might have found my new lottery-win daily 
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