RS goes electric

This weekend sees the world’s largest GT3 race meeting, the 24 Hours of Spa, take to the track, with Audi Sport well represented to add another title to its already impressive tally. But stealing a good deal of the limelight in the lead up to the event is another Audi model which, like the R8 LMS GT3 cars is also built in Neckarsulm at the Böllinger Höfe site.

Called the Audi RS e-tron GT prototype, this all-electric, high-performance model offers an exciting look not just at the future of Audi Sport models, but also at where GT racing could be heading in the not too distant future.  

“The Audi RS e-tron GT prototype is the first all-electric high-performance model from Audi and the next icon in the RS model portfolio,” says Rolf Michl, Director Sales & Marketing Audi Sport GmbH. “With it, we are heralding a new era of the two letters RS at Audi.” 

Customers have already seen the Audi e-tron S models which promise even greater sports performance than the ‘standard’ e-tron models, and with production set to commence on the Audi e-tron GT before the end of the year, even greater performance from the electric platform is obviously a high priority for Audi.

The unveiling of the RS e-tron GT prototype takes that performance potential to a completely new level both in terms of road-going models and indeed race cars from the brand. 

“The Audi R8 and the RS e-tron GT prototype with its expressive design stand for sportiness in the present and the future, both on the road and in racing,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “The fascinating Audi RS e-tron GT prototype is the ideal basis for a promising concept with electrified drives in GT racing, as announced by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation with the GTX World Tour.” The race series to which Chris Reinke is referring, the GTX World Tour, will see different alternative drive systems compete in multidisciplinary competitions in the future. The rules are designed so that the fastest and at the same time most efficient car wins, potentially opening up an exciting basis for GT racing in the future.

Audi Sport customer racing has enjoyed tremendous success particularly with its own GT cars, with the R8 LMS GT3 acknowledged as one of the most successful GT3 cars in the world. Built at the Audi Böllinger Höfe site, this all-conquering race car shares 50 percent of its components with its road-going sibling – the two high-performance vehicles sharing the same production facility that has now been extended to also produce the Audi e-tron GT.