This is the Audi RS3 Competition Limited. To no great surprise, it’s a limited edition of the RS3 Competition that’s been built to celebrate 50 years since Audi first slotted a five-cylinder engine into the slender nose of the 1976 100. To great surprise, it’s supremely expensive. More on that later.
How, then, you might wonder, does an Audi famous for its five-cylinder engine celebrate 50 years of Audi making famous five-cylinders? Nope, not like that. Audi has instead bolted in a set of coilovers and bolted on a set of carbon accoutrements to its rampaging little hatch, and left that famous five-cylinder well alone.
As such, there’s the same 395hp and 500Nm of torque you get in a so-called ‘regular’ Audi RS3, and the same 0-100kph time of 3.8sec. Though for the RS3 Competition Limited, the speed limit has been raised right up to 290kph out of the box.
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To be fair, this is a bit of a masterstroke of an engine, one that has won multiple Engine of the Year awards. Doesn’t really need anything. So for this installation, Audi has decided to fit a variable RS sports exhaust system, said to “broaden the spectrum of the exhaust note.” There’s less insulation around the firewall, so more noise will infiltrate that impeccably appointed cabin. Essentially: You’ll hear more of that five-cylinder.
The main thrust, as mentioned, is that suspension upgrade. In comes a set of very fancy adjustable coilovers that are better cooled than before, and thicker, too. The low-speed compression is adjustable in 12 steps, high-speed in 15 steps, and rebound adjustable in 16 steps. That’s a lot of steps and a lot of customization.
At the back, there’s a new stabilizer that’s thicker and stiffer than before, and because of the new suspension, Audi has also stiffened up the spring rates at the rear. All in, it’s way, way more adjustable than before. So adjustable, there’s a setup manual and even some tools on board the new car.
Elsewhere on board, you’ll find the RS3’s torque splitter, new aero elements at the front, a new roof spoiler, a special colorway exclusive to this car, some badges, RS bucket seats, contrast stitching, and RS-specific elements in the 10.1-inch display. It even gets white dials, just like ye olde RS2 Avant. That also got a five-pot, remember.
As mentioned, this is a limited edition: Audi is building only 750 units, and to give you an idea of the pricing, each of the 11 units headed to the UK will kick off at £92,855 (around P7.4 million). That’s a heck of a lot of dough for a small, fast Audi. Worth it?
More photos of the 2026 Audi RS3 Competition Limited:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
