Audi AS5 news - How very Abt - 2008

The Audi A5 has only just touched rubber on UK soil, but that hasn't stopped German tuner Abt getting a shift on and making Audi's new coupe even faster. 

The thing is, those wayward tuning boffins haven't started with the S5 - which would be logical - but with the 3.0-litre turbodiesel instead. 

The resulting AS5 has an extra 31bhp to churn out 268bhp. Or you could go the whole hog and order Abt's own turbochargers to release 300bhp - from a diesel.

Abt reckons the AS5 is good for 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds, which is mighty close to the standard Audi S5 with its 349bhp petrol-powered 4.2-litre V8, but with - one assumes - a few more mpg into the bargain.

There are quad tailpipes and a natty rear diffuser to give a more sporting look, but we reckon it's best to leave the two-tone paint job off the build sheet. No, really.