If the Audi RS3 already flew straight out of the factory, now it's going to do so even more thanks to ABT

The Audi RS3 arrives as one of the most powerful compact cars in history. With the facelift it receives aesthetic and technological improvements and a considerable power increase. But, as we already told you with the Audi S5 Cabrio , ABT has a certain predilection for vehicles from the firm of the four rings. Now comes a much more radical Audi RS3 thanks to the German company.

The tuner ABT has decided to play with the German compact once again. On other occasions they already managed to obtain performance far superior to what the RS3 offers as standard. Thanks to ABT the Audi is positioned on a par with several supercars, offering power close to that of a Mercedes AMG GTS.

The 2.5 TFSI engine that sits under the bonnet of the RS3 delivers 400 CV. Very impressive figures considering it is a compact car. With this upgrade it reaches the power output a Ferrari 360 Modena had in its day and outperforms some of its larger siblings, such as the Audi S5.

But ABT has managed to obtain the impressive figure of 500 CV, outperforming many sports cars with a considerably higher price. The German brand also offers the option of stopping at an intermediate step and giving the Audi “just” 460 CV. The modification is focused on the ECU of the RS3, so the engine’s structure remains intact. This power increase can be applied to both the RS3 Sportback and the RS3 sedan, which was presented relatively recently.

But for the raw power to be properly controlled, it has been necessary to change certain elements of the vehicle. The suspension has been replaced with one specially designed for the RS3, although ABT has confirmed that an adaptive suspension is in development. The brakes have also been upgraded and the RS3 gets new 19- or 20-inch wheels. In this way the most radical compact will have technical characteristics better suited to handling 500 CV of power.

The aesthetics have also been modified by ABT. A new rear bumper along with a more aggressive spoiler have been fitted to the RS3. A front splitter has also been added, which considerably improves the vehicle’s aerodynamics. To complete the very sporty look, ABT has added a 102 mm silencer, helping the sound of the inline five-cylinder engine to be even more pronounced.

The interior of the ABT RS3 also features improvements and adds various carbon fibre and Alcantara parts, materials common in this type of vehicle. This gives the Audi RS3 a higher level of exclusivity but for now the prices for this new modification are unknown.