Audi's 523bhp Quattro comeback is here, but good luck trying to buy one

ABT, a tuner that specializes in VW Group vehicles, recreated the Audi Quattro.

It looks spectacular, and it’s surprisingly close to the original.

There’s only one small problem.

It’s basically impossible to buy.

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As close as possible to the original Quattro, but with a few changes

ABT created a faithful modern-day ‘replica’ of the iconic Audi Quattro.

They did things right, by the book – or as close as they could get to doing it ‘by the book’.

The engine (from an Audi RS3, ed.), for example, is a five-cylinder unit, like the original, but it’s bigger – 2.5 liters instead of 2.1 – and more powerful, rated at 523bhp.

ABT also fitted an enormous rear wing, five-spoke lightweight wheels, a new front splitter and grille and an ‘invisible roll cage’, which means it’s integrated into the frame and you can’t see it.

ABT hasn’t said anything about pricing, but the company did say something about availability.

Only 30 are going to be built, and they’re all spoken for.

So, in a way, it doesn’t even matter how much it cost considering no one will be able to buy it at retail.

Restomods are in demand

This ABT is essentially a restomod, which is loose definition that’s often used across the industry to describe a classic car reengineered and modified to fit the modern world.

We’ve got restomods based on the Porsche 911, the Maserati Shamal, there’s even one that combines a Jeep Wagoneer and a Ferrari.

Then we have electromods, which are basically the same thing, except they’re powered by electric units rather than internal combustion.

Apart from anything else, restomods generally always have one thing in common: they’re more expensive than the equivalent original.

For example there’s the Eccentrica, a Lamborghini Diablo-based restomod that costs $1.3 million.

For the record, the Diablo has a current average market value of around $350,000.