New Delhi: In 1976, Audi debuted the 100 saloon with a five-cylinder 2.1-litre engine producing 136 bhp. Numerous iterations have gone into various models over the last 50 years, with the largest being the Sport Quattro rally car of the 1980s. Today, this engine makes 400 bhp and 500 Nm of torque and is just in one model, the RS3.
To mark the engine’s 50th anniversary, Audi has launched the RS3 Competition Limited. As the name suggests, it will be limited to 750 units, 585 of which will be hatchbacks and 165 saloons.
Audi RS3 Competition Limited: What’s new mechanically?
Audi RS3 Competition Limited comes with a unique suspension
This special edition isn’t just coming with a special paint job or a sticker to mark the occasion; it also includes several upgrades. This edition of RS3 comes with a unique suspension configuration set up with manually adjustable coil-over shocks and a stiffer stabiliser bar. There is also a more aggressive rear torque-splitter setting, enabling more responsive torque vectoring in corners.
There are carbon-ceramic front brakes, a latter inclusion to the options list on the RS3 that comes as standard. There are also the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick tyres, which are optional on the normal RS3, though Audi has said a standard comfort tyre can be opted for as well for regular use.
Audi RS3 Competition Limited exterior and interior
Audi RS3 Competition Limited exterior is more than just a sticker job
The RS3 Competition Limited is available in three signature colours: Daytona Grey, Malachite Green (a recreation of the Ur Quattro signature paint shade from the 1980s), and Glacier White Matte. They are paired with 19-inch Neodyne Gold wheels. The RS ‘rhombus’ badges also use a special heritage colour, which is white, red and grey, and there is special commemorative lettering on the C-pillar as well.
Further, all four doors come with a puddle lamp projector, with the RS logo, there are matte carbon accents on both bumpers, the mirror and the spoiler. The DRLS inside the smoked black headlamps do a start-up animation that mirrors the engine’s firing order 1-2-4-5-3. The saloon comes with a carbon-fibre decklid spoiler in place of the big roof-mounted spoiler found on the hatchback.
Audi RS3 Competition Limited on the move
Inside, the special occasion is marked by the Neodyne Gold colour of the wheels, replicated in Dinamica (Audi’s brand of suede upholstery) on the seats, armrests, and door cards, complemented by white contrast stitching on the darker parts of the upholstery and the steering wheel. The front seats include optional bucket seats with the car’s name etched below the head restraint.
There’s a lot of matte carbon fibre throughout the cabin, and the Competition Limited also gets a white background for the central tachometer in the digital driver’s display, another retro throwback. The car gets an individual sequential number from 1-750 produced, put in the trim, below the gear selector.
Audi RS3 Competition Limited interiors
The engine is the same five-cylinder unit that delivers 400 bhp and 500 Nm of torque, with power sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It can do 0-100 kph in 3.8 seconds, and has a 290 kph top speed. Despite everything, this might be the end of the road for this engine, with this generation of RS3 being the last one to have it. European emission laws don’t really favour such engines staying in the catalogue.
The RS3 Competition Limited is priced at € 1,00,680 in the hatchback and €1,02,680 for the saloon.