Audi appears to have let slip a detail about the secret new RS3, by – intentionally or otherwise – including a picture of a five-cylinder engine in a brochure.
CAR online reader Astroman042000 spotted the five-pot engine in a new brochure for the latest A3 and S3 – as part of a cutaway drawing of the S3’s chassis. However, the current S3 uses a 261bhp 2.0 four-cylinder.
So a new five-cylinder Audi RS3 is definitely on the cards?
CAR newshound Georg Kacher broke the story about the forthcoming RS3 back in May when it was caught testing at the Nürburgring, and it’s set to send the current A3 line-up out with a bang before the all-new model comes into view in 2011.
The RS3’s 2.5-litre five-pot will be identical to the unit currently employed by the bespoilered TT RS, and will push out a stonking 335bhp to all four wheels. Coping with all this power will be the job of either a six-speed ‘box or a seven-speed dual-clutch shifter, which will be connected to Audi’s Quattro four-wheel-drive system.
What does Audi say about this brochure slip-up?
An Audi official pointed out that the image used in the brochure was accompanied by some smallprint saying ‘for illustrative purposes only.’ He claimed the technical photo was merely used to show the Quattro hardware not the engine.
Hmmm. We reckon it’s still too big a coincidence. CAR would put good money on this five-cylinder engine powering the new RS3 when it arrives at the back end of 2010. Stay tuned for the first official pictures in the next few months.