May 21, 2012 at 6:59pm by Andrew Wendler
It appears that a set of drawings depicting the soon-to-be-released-lots-of-places-but-probably-not-here Audi RS6 Avant have surfaced at a European design patent database. We snagged some spy photos of Audi’s RS6 über wagon testing at the Nürburgring in Germany last month, fully cloaked in a whirly-swirly camouflage pattern seemingly the product of a defective Spirograph. Let’s try and peer below that dizzying camo veneer and see just how closely the mule’s lines and features resemble those of the drawings.
Head on, the new drawings offer a near-identical take to the spy photos; the key changes can be found in the lower fascia and hoodline. On the test mule, the center grille is split in two by a horizontal bar running behind the license plate while the design calls for a single, gaping maw. The prototype’s lower outer air intakes are a single unit and contain what appear to be circular mounts for fog lamps while the design shows two separate openings. The panel gap between the hood and fender moves from the center of the headlight on the mule to the outside edge of the lamp in the design. The lamp itself gets a more-relaxed underside in the design compared to the more jagged shape of the mule.
The front wheel arches appear similar in size, but with a far more gentle transition in the new drawings. The wheel arches in the rear of the tester are virtually non-existent, their shape either uncompleted or heavily modified by the application of the camo substrate. The body-side crease that runs just below the window line from headlight to taillamp is equally visible in both versions; the large, scalloped trenches above the front and rear wheel arches can be seen only in the patent drawings.
The taillights are the biggest aberration between the images. Clearly different units, the camouflaged car’s lamps also have been partially masked. A rear spoiler resides atop each of the tailgates; the unit on the drawings is far more streamlined and stylized. The oval exhaust tips and lower bumper are nearly identical.
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So there you have it: the latest look at Audi’s muscle wagon that likely won’t be making the trip Stateside. Until Audi changes its tune about Americans and performance wagons, the Cadillac CTS-V wagon and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG wagon will continue to have the ’burbs to themselves.
Tags: Audi, Audi RS6, Audi RS6 Avant, German, luxury |