Audi Unveils Exclusive RS 7, Limited to 23 Units

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

The tasty RS 7, with a 4.0L bi-turbo V8 belting out nearly 600 horsepower packed into a slinky sportback body, is the sort of delightful lunacy which acts as a speedy tonic to the raft of dour crossovers and SUVs which crowd parking lots at the mall. A new exclusive edition – a trim infuriatingly spelled in all lower-case letters – ratchets up the rarity even if it doesn’t provide any extra German horses.

The price goes up, too. A lot.

Audi is not alone in this phenomenon, of course. Witness the crew at Aston Martin who went through an era in which their pricing strategy was apparently “think of a price, then double it”. The RS 7 exclusive edition will bear a Monroney of $165,400 which is quite a walk from the standard RS 7’s sticker which starts at $118,500.

For yer money, Audi will sell you an RS 7 with a number of – erm – design enhancements. The exterior is painted in an exclusive Mamba Black pearl, a shade which apparently gives an effect in which the black paint carries undertones of blue. An exterior Carbon optic package, generally a $6,650 option on an RS 7, darkens the Audi rings and badges, puts carbon-like material on the exterior mirror caps and front spoiler, and jazzes up the rear diffuser element. There are 22-inch tires at each corner, cutting a 285 section on 30-series rubber. There is also a blue light signature in the headlight housing for good measure.

It does come with Ceramic brakes which is a $9,000 option on workaday RS 7 models. Biting into those discs are blue-painted calipers, a shade not available on other trims which means your nemesis at the yacht club will instantly know you’ve splashed out for something special. Dynamic Ride Control suspension and Sport exhaust are also part of the deal, so your frenemies will have no trouble hearing you accelerate out of the Ritz parking lot. Meanwhile, the cabin is decked out with similar addenda, including (surprise!) blue stitching on the seats and other interior surfaces. Leather coverings are extended to just about every touch point like the doors armrests and upper dashboard.

Configuring a check-every-box example of a 2022 RS 7 on the Audi build and price tool results in a machine costing $145,740, equipped with the likes of Ceramic brakes and a Bang & Olufsen sound system costing five grand. That lessens the delta between an RS 7 and an RS 7 exclusive edition – but 20 large is still a lot to pay for blue trim. Perhaps the one-percenters think differently.

[Image: Audi]

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Stuki Stuki on Jul 08, 2022

    Since coach built one-off were such great, reliable cars, compared to the Corolla and all..... There was a time, back when Germany had the Mark, when German products could be relied upon to be pretty much at the cutting edge of industrial excellence. Those for whom vanity drastically trumped sense, could still get this sort of stuff. From Uwe Gemballa and the like. Except, Gemballa and guys like him, had some sort of style. Not everybody's favorite style, but at least some sort of edge that the mainstreamers couldn't quite bring themselves to touch. The Central Bank Welfare empowered wannabe Gemballas behind this latest round of silliness, have none of that. Nor of anything else valuable. Just lots of loot, stolen by central banks and handed to clueless clowns.

  • Mgh57 Mgh57 on Jul 10, 2022

    If Musk is so smart then why doesn't he understand that the Earth has an overpopulation problem. We don't need more people. He also seems sadly lacking in business ethics. Just more reasons to dislike this guy. Not a fan.

  • Joe This is called a man in the middle attack and has been around for years. You can fall for this in a Starbucks as easily as when you’re charging your car. Nothing new here…
  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
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