If you wanted supercar levels of power in the early 2000s, but wanted to ferry the kids, the dog, and the weekly supermarket shop around too, there was only one car to get. Unfortunately, you had to live in Europe, or a few other countries around the world. This superfast super wagon wasn't available in America, which was a shame for anyone who liked five-door Sleeper Cars. But that's changing with US fans finally being able to get the keys to one of the most audacious load-luggers of all time — here's how. The Sleeper Was A Niche That Was Exploding In The Late '90s And 2000s Bring a Trailer Not many people would have heard the term "sleeper" in the early '80s. That all changed when BMW launched the E28 M5, a pretty innocuous-looking sedan that packed a 286-horsepower naturally aspirated 3.5-liter inline-six (M88/3) derived from the M1 supercar. Suddenly, you could have the power normally reserved for the fastest sports cars combined with the practicality of a four-door. Then there was the AMG Hammer, a V8-powered E-Class with a near-180-mph top speed.Perhaps the most significant car of this brave new world was the Audi RS2, an aging 80 wagon with a 2.2-liter five-pot boosted by a single KKK turbocharger that was good for 315 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque. Hand built for Audi by Porsche, the RS2 could hit 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and could famously outrun a McLaren F1 to 30 mph. Not only was this the first Audi RS model (kicking off this nameplate for the brand), but it also carved out a niche for the company in ultra-fast wagons that it would continue to this day. The C5 RS6 Was One Of The First Mainstream Super Wagons Audi If the 1994 RS2 was a limited run model with Brembo brakes borrowed from a Porsche 911, the next RS needed to be more mainstream. That didn't mean that the Euro B5-generation RS4 wagon was boring, fitted with a 375-hp twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 built by Cosworth Technology. At the turn of the new millennium, quattro GmbH (now Audi Sport GmbH) asked the staff which model would be next for a high-powered upgrade after RS 4. The response was the Audi A6. The A6 may have been a middle-management special, but Audi wanted to bring its motorsport success to the masses (it had won the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans several times between 1999 and 2002) and decided the best way was to make the A6 a sports car. The RS6 Is Fitted With A Twin-Turbo V8 Via: Audi The answer was to take the naturally aspirated 340-horsepower 4.2-liter V8 from the S6 and add two turbochargers to create the RS6 (Typ 4B). This car was available in America, but only as a sedan. Going on sale in 2002, the C5 RS6's pumped-out bodywork hid a 450-hp twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V8 assembled by Cosworth, a subsidiary of Audi AG until 2004. The RS6 received wider sills, new skirts, 18” or 19” wheels, and two oval tailpipes that are now a trademark of RS models. But Audi hadn't forgotten its RS roots, creating a C5 RS6 Avant wagon too. The only problem was, this five-door model never went on sale in America. The RS6 Was A Supercar With Five Doors Audi The estate version was fitted with the same boosted V8, with a five-speed automatic gearbox and Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive, but there was also a Plus version with output up to 467 hp. Both will hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 14.1 seconds, but the Plus raises the top speed from a limited 155 mph to an autobahn-stomping 174 mph. A 2000 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage fitted with a 414-hp V12 would struggle to keep up with the Audi, posting a sprint to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. 2002 Audi RS6 Avant Specs Even more surprising is the fact that the RS6 wagon would be neck-and-neck with a 2000 Ferrari 360 Modena. Very much the benchmark for mid-engined supercars in the 2000s, the 395-hp V8-powered 360 needs the same 4.6 seconds to reach 60 mph, and you certainly won't be carrying a Labrador in the back of one of those. The RS6 in sedan form cost $82,000 in 2003, compared to $153,500 for a 2000 Ferrari 360. The RS6 Remains Rare And Sought-After Audi It's hard to pin down an exact figure, but plenty of internet sources claim that around 8,000 C5 RS6s were built between 2002 and 2004, just over 1,000 going to America officially. According to Howmanyleft.co.uk, there are just 281 left on the road in the UK, with 442 currently off the road. In the UK, at least, RS6 Avants start at around $13,000 and good low-mileage examples still dip under $20,000. In the USA, high-mileage RS6 sedans go for as little as $10,000, with a high-mileage four-door complete with a six-speed manual conversion from a TDI selling for $14,000. If you want a really low-mileage RS6 sedan, expect to pay about $25,000. If you really want an Avant wagon, there is good news, too. The RS6 Avant Can Now Be Imported Into The USA Bring A TrailerUnder the 25-year import rule, 2002 RS6 Avants can soon be imported into the USA. Essentially, this stipulation waives the need for a vehicle to meet safety standards and emissions regulations after a quarter of a century. That means that from 2027 to 2029 you will be able to source and import 2002 to 2004 cars. The price of importing a car from the UK to the US starts from $2,750 in ocean freight, says West Coast Shipping, with classic cars paying 2.5% duty. Of course, that will mean that the RS6 is right-hand-drive, so you may want to look elsewhere in Europe if LHD is essential. Buyers Need To Do Their Homework Before Entering The World Of RS6s Bring a Trailer There is a reason why secondhand RS6s sell for the same price as used Honda Civics. These are expensive cars to fill up, and expensive cars to repair if they go wrong. The annual maintenance costs are between $2,435 to $4,871 in Europe, says Carchecker.pro, but that will be if nothing major goes wrong. The main issue with the RS6 is the amount of space in the engine bay, or rather the lack of it. The twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V8 didn't fit in the body of the A6 when Audi first developed the idea of the RS6, so quattro GmbH extended the front end and gave the V8 1.6 inches more installation space.The result is that many fairly standard maintenance procedures could require the engine to be removed completely, with some procedures carrying five-figure bills. Users at Audizine.com discuss the many different jobs that require the engine to be removed (or are at least easier with it out), saying that, ultimately, when it is removed, you should get everything done that is likely to need attention. So, the RS6 offers supercar performance with supercar-style maintenance — which makes sense — but with extra practicality built in. It is a mighty tempting package if you've got some money set aside.Sources: Audi, Audizine.com; Carchecker.pro; Howmanyleft.co.uk
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