Audi's homage the legendary IMSA GTO
Designed and developed by a group of apprentices at Audi's Neckarsulm factory, this radically styled RS6 GTO concept is based on the firm’s 591bhp V8-powered performance estate and has been created as a homage to the legendary Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO – a 2.2-litre five-cylinder racer that achieved success in America's IMSA series throughout the late 1980s with Hans-Joachim Stuck and Walter Röhrl at the wheel.
The wheels feature white one-piece hubcaps with Quattro badging and red centre caps, true to the original racer, and there's a prominent new rear spoiler finished in red. The livery itself also reflects that of the original car, albeit slightly modernised, with the number 40 applied to reference to the anniversary of the Quattro system from Audi.
The front end has been heavily reworked with an expanded, reshaped grille, GTO badging, a red contrasting lower splitter and new air intakes in the bonnet. The IMSA racer had a sizeable side-exit exhaust, which the concept appears to share.
Inside, the RS6's rear seats have been removed to make way for a heavy-duty roll cage, while the front seats have been swapped out for carbon fibre Recaro race-spec items with red six-point harnesses.
The Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO was built for the 1989 season for fielding in the GTO class of the US IMSA racing series. In this Audi presented its leading-edge technology on the stage of circuit racing that was new for the brand at the time, demonstrating its pioneering technical advantages of four-wheel drive, turbo engines, lightweight and compact design – particularly aimed at the North American market.
Photos © Audi