Is the Audi RS6 Avant GT a proper tribute to the IMSA GTO?

Given the new wagon's distinct lack of flux capacitor, the only real way to get the two cars together was to wheel out a 90 IMSA GTO and find a place to let it stretch its legs and rock up with the modern car it inspired. So we did that.

Photography: Tobias Sagmeister

At an undisclosed location, the 90 GTO emerged from the distorted heat of the horizon, loudly, with its massive turbocharger chattering with every gear shift. In person, it’s both tremendous and diminutive at the same time. The broad body of the angular race car is squat and tightly-packed, most notably with components of the exhaust sticking out of what was once a passenger-side window.

In news that'll surprise nobody, the 90 GTO shares little with the Audi 90 it’s supposed to draw from, with possibly the roof being the only actual carry-over. Still, it is in some fashion, a race-going Audi 90 in that it bares the rough silhouette of the four-door sedan - it even has fake door handles - and it's also powered by a 2.2-liter five-cylinder engine. Though, this one is spooled up to pump out 720hp, sending it through a six-speed manual and spinning all four wheels.

This car had one glorious year competing in the IMSA racing series here in the States, due to Audi hopping out of Trans-Am after scorching everyone so bad, the series banned all-wheel drive. The 90 GTO then entered IMSA late in the 1989 season, with Hans-Joachim Stuck being the standout driver of the team and leading Audi to win seven out of the 13 races it participated in. Though Audi missed out on the championship, the 90 GTO instead won many hearts along with the ire of its rivals.

Thus, it sits here beside the GT, a family sport wagon that we're supposed to compare it to. Yes. This is an absurd comparison. Sat next to the gritty, hard-edged race car that’s seen real competition, the RS6, dressed up in the GTO’s uniform, looks like a fan in a store-bought jersey rather than a direct descendent.

It hasn’t lit up any American racing series like the 90 GTO. In fact, it's barely seen much action Stateside. It's a stately, sporty modern five door... with as little to do with the IMSA car as the IMSA car did with the Audi 90. It doesn’t take sharp scrutiny to see that there are few carryovers, though it is more than just a collection of retro-style decals. To start, the bodywork of the RS6 has been changed, with a bespoke front fascia, carbon fiber fenders, a carbon fiber hood and a roof spoiler, the latter of which is the biggest nod to the GTO.

The GT has the same 621hp turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 and eight-speed tipronic gearbox that the regular RS6 has, though the special edition car doesn’t have the same top speed restrictions and is freed to max out at 190mph. Most significant is the GT’s use of a manually adjustable coilover suspension in lieu of the air suspension usually found on the sport wagon. In this detail, the GT leans closer to its race car progenitor.

Lastly… yes, there are decals. Between the white paint scheme and the matching 22in Avus wheels, black, red and gray decals mimic the IMSA’s signature style. There are also several more points of egress on the RS6 than the 90 GTO, none of which strictly require you to climb in feet-first and slot into a steel and plastic cage of brutality. Speaking of the GTO's cabin, it’s a wonderful glimpse into the history of motor racing and a reminder of just how down-to-business these cars were.

Cockpit cams of modern racers show us cabins adorned with multi-million-dollar spreads of colorful switches, computers, digital displays and dials. Here, a label-maker has done the heavy lifting in identifying all the lights and the few inputs found in the tight, low-visibility cabin. It's rare to find a second seat in a car like this, but in the GTO, that space is occupied by the exhaust, which we’re betting lacks the catalytic converter mandated on the road Audi 90. Getting in is easy compared to getting out, by the way.

In further news that'll surprise nobody, the interior of the RS6 Avant GT is palatial in comparison, with its adjustable sport seats (plural) and digital multi-colored screens displaying driver info and navigation.

Speaker of driver info... inside the IMSA 90 is a large German man. Some say his name is… Tom. Because it is. His name is Tom. Specifically, Thomas Bauch: engineer, mechanic and Audi driver. In English or German, Tom’s a man of few words, letting the car do the talking, which the 90 GTO can do and then some. Because with a thumbs-up, Tom lights up the old-timer and dispels another point of comparison: the RS6 Avant GT is no race car.

The street car, with its bigger turbocharged powerplant and computerized throttle mapping, is still short 100hp and weighs at least twice as much as the vintage track competitor. There’s also lots more going on in terms of power management. Even in its most aggressive setting, the RS6 GT has its on-board computers measuring traction and stability for clean, straight launches and to prevent drivers from binning it after sliding out of a corner. It feel ridiculous trying to run up on the GTO.

Just what made the GTO so special to drive? TG found Hans-Joachim Stuck, whose name is still on the car, and asked him. “They never saw us coming,” he told Top Gear. “Driving the IMSA GTO was an absolute pleasure and quite the surprise for our competitors,” he continued. Stuck went on to say the combination of the punchy five-cylinder engine and Audi’s patented all-wheel drive meant the GTO out-gripped the competition and stayed on the field longer since it didn’t mince through tires as much as its rear-drive opponents.

But while the RS6 GT is not a race car, it’s a damn good road car. Away from the celebrity heat of the GTO and on twisty mountain roads all to itself, the sport wagon is stellar, planted and responsive. Its suspension is communicative and the grip it provides around bends feels almost unending. I found myself pushing its limits and my nerves further after each bend, with the latter finally, sensibly, relenting. You could drive it hard all day and never get tired. It’s useful, too.

We left confirming what we already knew: there’s no comparison between the two

But not plentiful. Only 660 RS6 GTs will be made, with 85 coming to the States. That’s not a lot, but it’s still a larger club than its forebear: only six IMSA GTOs were made.

So in the last bit of news that'll surprise nobody, we left confirming what we already knew: there’s no comparison between the two. One is a stripped-out, bare knuckle race car from Audi’s past while the other is a modern road car with a few performance upgrades and a glow-up inspired by the classic competitor.

To even compare the two is an exercise in the absurd, but... it's a lot of fun. With that said, the GT fares better than most so-called tributes with the way it leaves you smiling. The retro stuff might get you in the door, but the modern aspects stick the landing. It further honors Audi’s 90 IMSA GTO by being a modern car that will leave most of its competition scratching its head as it screams away around the next bend. Is it rare? Marginally. Is it special? We’d say so.