2022 Audi RS6 Avant

The One That Had to Do Everything

This was the first dream car I ever got to call mine. I’ve wanted an RS6 since they first came out. Fast, refined, understated. It always felt like the perfect answer to a question I kept asking: how do you build one car that can do everything without giving anything up? The RS6 was the answer. And it was a dream for years. When the timing finally lined up to make that dream a reality, I knew exactly who to call.

Brian and I go way back. He sold me my first Audi at the Mission Viejo dealership almost 20 years ago, and we’ve stayed close ever since. These days I just send him what I’m after, and somehow the right car shows up in less time than it should. This RS6 was no exception.

From the start, I knew this wasn’t going to be an extreme build. It didn’t need to be. The goal was to create a car that could carry pace, presence, and polish all at once. Something quick enough to make you smile, clean enough for a night out, and comfortable enough for a long weekend with the family. I wanted it to feel complete, but not loud. Sharp, but not showy. Just a reflection of my style and how I like to build cars. Subtle and sorted.

The RS6 gives you a head start in that department. The wide body, the drivetrain, the interior. Audi already did the hard part. My job was to refine it. I started with a Maxton lip kit in piano black to match the rest of the trim. The kit includes a front spoiler, side skirts, and a rear diffuser. Just enough to sharpen the lines without forcing it. I added spacers to pull the wheels out to the edges, then installed an air suspension controller so I could fine-tune the ride height by hand. The roof box went on for trips, the tint and PPF for daily use. Each piece had a purpose. Nothing added just to check a box.

The wheels are 22s, which I usually avoid. But on this car, they work. The proportions are dead on, and the way the arches swallow the tires makes it feel like Audi designed the body around them. Getting that fitment right is harder than most people realize, but this one nails it.

Mechanically, I left the car stock. The 4.0L twin-turbo V8 already shares its roots with Lamborghini, and the performance is more than enough. Press a button, and it’s quiet and composed. Press another, and it’s a totally different car. There was no need to chase more power, and I wanted to preserve the factory warranty. It made more sense to leave it alone.

The interior sealed the deal. Carbon inlays, red stitching, and the kind of finish that makes it feel like a luxury suite. It’s a place you want to spend time in. It's one of the few cars I’ve owned that feels just as rewarding cruising as it does at full throttle.

If I had to name a low point, it was the air suspension module install. I’m not great with electrical, and this one reminded me why. There was barely any room to work, and I didn’t want to force it. This is the same reason my other build is still with Louis, the Corvette racing guru and owner of LGR, getting wired and tuned. Know your limits. Trust people who know theirs.

What I love most is the balance. The RS6 has presence, but never screams for it. People who know what it is tend to stop and take a second look, but it never feels over the top. I brought it to a supercar event recently, Obsessed Invitational, and it was the only RS6 there. That probably says more than I could. It’s rare enough to feel different, practical enough to drive every day, and so dialed in that if I disappeared tomorrow, I would just go out and buy the exact same thing, make the same mods. I would build it exactly the same.