► Audi RS3 Competition Limited revealed
► Coilovers, track tyres and ceramics
► Just 11 are coming to the UK – at £92k each!
Audi has just unveiled its last ever five-cylinder production car and it’s a doozy: this is the RS3 Competition Limited.
The new model is both a nod to 50 years of Audi’s five-cylinder engine as well as a final farewell, given the engine is being retired largely due to emissions restraints.
At face value, the Competition Limited looks very much like a regular RS3. Aggressive bodywork over an A3, a 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo cranking 395bhp that sends power to all four wheels, a blistering 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds and a warbly, fluttery soundtrack that can’t be replicated via any other cylinder configuration. But the devil’s in the details.
The Malachite green paint, for example, is a copy of the same green that was available on the original Quattro model – but you can choose Daytona Grey or a matte Glacier White. Badging front and rear has a ‘heritage’ look to it, while some extra carbon trimmings around the edges of the bodywork finish the look. The matrix LED headlights have their own bespoke wake-up animation, beating to the same 1-2-4-5-3 firing order as the engine.
Ten-spoke, 19-inch alloy wheels in ‘neodymium’ matte gold finish hide standard carbon ceramic brakes on the front axle, and can be wrapped in Pirelli Trofeo R semi-slick tyres if you intend to use your Competition Limited on track.
As well as properly serious bucket seats, each Competition Limited version comes with more badging inside including a unique model number to each of the 750 being made. Unlike many other cars that display this detail, each one will be individually numbered (i.e.: not 1/750 for all) – cue collectors fighting for what they think is the best number. The interior upholstery colour is called Ginger White, and can even be found on the seatbelts.
As for performance engineering, Audi has included 12-step manually-adjustable coilover suspension and provides a tool set to adjust them. You can reach into the car to twist the dials, but Audi’s engineers recommend you using a lift to adjust them properly. Around 4kg has been saved via a reduction in soundproofing, so you can hear that 5cyl engine burble that little bit more, and both the rear anti-roll bar and suspension have been stiffened.
A total of 750 are being made, split between 585 Sportback hatches and 165 saloons. Just 11 are coming to the UK and all of them are Sportbacks, with the UK taking numbers 739 to 749. Want one? Good luck finding one, even if you could afford the eye-watering £92,855 price tag.
So that’s it then. Goodbye, auf wiedersehen and farewell to one of the most glorious and iconic engines ever created. It’s been a blast.
Jake has been an automotive journalist since 2015, joining CAR as Staff Writer in 2017. With a decade of car news and reviews writing under his belt, he became CAR's Deputy News Editor in 2020 and then News Editor in 2025. Jake's day-to-day role includes co-ordinating CAR's news content across its print, digital and social media channels. When he's not out interviewing an executive, driving a new car for review or on a photoshoot for a CAR feature, he's usually found geeking out on the latest video game, buying yet another pair of wildly-coloured trainers or figuring out where he can put another car-shaped Lego set in his already-full house.
By Jake Groves
CAR's news editor; gamer, trainer freak and serial Lego-ist