Is it a phantom? Or is it just a very special car? On the Essen Motor Show, one of the world’s biggest tuning trade fairs, ABT Sportsline is presenting an extremely cool Audi A3: The phantom black paintjob underlines the appeal of a truely superior car. In contrast to the car body, all ABT exterior parts are anthracite-coloured. The logo of the globally largest tuner of cars produced by the Volkswagen Group has been applied to the front grille, the mirror glasses and the floor mats. The ABT DR design alloy wheels in 19 inches also belong to the astonishing package of this very special ABT AS3. Of course, the Bavarian tuners are offering even more thrilling features, most notably the powerful engine upgrades.

Concerning the new Audi A3 series, ABT’s engineers have been most successful: The engines of the elegant car are very torquey and powerful indeed. The currently most powerful variant with ABT Sportsline shows 170 HP (125 kW). The upratings and the ABT-typical roadworthiness are now being tested thoroughly, but what we can already say is that the 2.0 TDI of the new Audi A3 is very potent and powerful. And the smaller and very efficient turbo petrol engine is also huge fun. It is a perfect mixture of reason and sportiness: 160 HP or 118 kW (standard version: 122 HP/90 kW) make for a huge drive. Both engines make the racy compact car a real “lifestyle mule”, which is speedy even when fully loaded.

The ABT AS3 is an exceptional vehicle, a car in which you can really enjoy every single mile you drive. The ABT Sportsline designers also see to it, however, that the new car makes your heart beat faster even when it hasn’t moved one little bit yet: The front grille, fender inserts and front spoiler let the AS3 seem more bulky and impressive; in conjunction with the side skirts they make for an assertive and also harmonious impression. Following the motto “a beautiful rear also can endear”, ABT has come up with a very sporty one here: The rear skirt insert, the striking double two-pipe exhaust and the rear spoiler show what a winner looks like. ABT Sportsline recommends its CR and DR series’ 18 or 19 inch design wheels. It goes without saying that these are also available in conjunction with high-speed tires.

After all, ABT Sportsline makes all components part of the same successful range. The new ABT AS3 is an athlete for all seasons. Or, to use the words of Hans-Jürgen Abt, the managing director of this traditional company: “We have dealt with Audi cars for many decades now. We developed the AS3 by utilising all our experience and know-how. Our customers can always depend upon getting a fully harmonised car.“