Jon Olsson’s New ABT Audi RS6 Is a 725-HP Two-Faced Superwagon

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Freestyle skier and ski racer Jon Olsson’s history with Audi wagons is a story of ups and downs. A few years ago, he had an Audi RS6 Avant built into a camo-covered DTM-racer-style beast, complete with a carbon-fiber wide-body kit, aero flicks, a massive chin splitter, and a roof-mounted carbon cargo box. It was equal parts gorgeous and menacing, and Olsson was rightfully quite proud of the car. He ended up selling that RS6, however, and it was subsequently stolen and burned to the ground. It makes sense, then, that his newest build is called Project Phoenix, another RS6 Avant with even more power and an entirely new look.

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Well, the look isn’t completely new. It still features a camouflage wrap—a trademark of Olsson’s multiple supercar builds—albeit with a twist: One half is white camo, while the other is black. A red stripe separates each side. In addition to more red accents and a few brand logos, each side has graphics that mix gloss and matte portions that play with light to make the car look different from various viewing angles. The Olsson RS6 also debuts a new prototype aero wheel from build partner ABT; the wheels provide more contrast as they’re rendered in white and black up front and red and black at the rear.

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ABT also helped boost the car’s performance. The company, which recently released the ferocious RS5-R, based Olsson’s ride on the RS6+, a limited-edition beefed-up version that starts with Audi’s own RS6 Performance. Project Phoenix has 725 horsepower and 679 lb-ft of torque, healthy bumps over the RS6 Performance’s 597 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque.

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A custom exhaust finished with carbon-fiber tips ensures that the engine’s might is obvious; the system was assembled by hand and sounds absolutely demonic. Check out the 1:50 or 5:00 marks in the video embedded below to hear this thing bark.

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ABT-installed exposed carbon-fiber exterior pieces include the front lip spoiler, mirror caps, fender vents, front skirt, side sills, rear diffuser, and low-profile spoiler atop the hatch. Every window was given a heavy tint, and dark headlight covers complete the look.

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In Olsson’s video, his reinvigorated appreciation for the versatility of the RS6 is apparent. “You have four-wheel drive, you can put everything in the back, four seats,” he says during his ride-along in the video. “No other reason to have anything else. I have no idea why I sold the old RS6.” He clearly has the wagon love, and so do we.

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