Every classic car emits a signature exhaust note, whether from the tearing calico of a Bugatti Type 35B, or the siren screeching of a Ferrari 360 Modena. However, enforced by regulations and the re-application of exhaust emissions by turbocharged engines, while some carmakers have attempted to plumb-in induction ‘roar’ to the cabin, using some form of sonic pipework, unless your car is equipped with an aftermarket (and often questionably legal) exhaust system, sound characteristics are largely ignored.
For Audi, the luxury/sporting arm of the VW Group, its five-cylinder engine yowling offbeat through Kielder Forest, accompanied by wastegate chirrups and the occasional bang of an over-fuelled competition exhaust, during the 1980s peak of the UK rallying scene, was both blood-curdling and ineffably exciting. At night-time, with brake discs glowing yellow, wastegate spluttering orange spumes and blue flames emerging staccato from a big-bore tailpipe, it could be both terrifying and remarkably engaging.
For Audi buyers of the latest TTRS, RS3 and V10 R8 models, it would be fair to state that the ‘symposers’ have returned. The evergreen TT and the fresher RS3 in their hottest guises develop not just 396bhp and sub-4.0s 0-60mph potential from their turbocharged 2.5-litre five-pot engines (the TTRS being the marginally speedier) but also a cleaner, more refined soundtrack that accentuates the famous offbeat rumble redolent of Audi’s rallying past.
Invest almost twice the price in an 566bhp R8 (605bhp in performance form) and its glorious V10 engine also delivers similar visceral thrills, the guttural V10 lacking both the revviness of a multi-valve V8 and the silken flood of a V12. Of course, mention of price also ventures into telephone number territory, with the mid-engined R8 listed as starting from £128,295, rising to £162,885 when specified in performance carbon trim (prior to discounts being applied). It makes the RS3 Sportback look like a bargain at £46,285 (the saloon variant adds £1,000), while the TTRS starts at £53,905 in coupe form, the top Audi Sport Roadster (drop-top) version costing £59,655, all at pre-discount levels.
Naturally, as desirable as the R8 is, armies of potential buyers are not exactly going to overcrowd showrooms seeking an example. On the other hand, with highly competitive lease rates available, an RS3, or TTRS, falls within the bounds of monthly affordability, aided in no small part by strong residual values for much-appreciated models.
With interior detailing to the customary high levels expected of an Audi, clad in finest Nappa diamond-stitched hide, or plush Alcantara ‘suede’, proper aluminium alloy trimmings, tactile dashboards and door cards, driver satisfaction comes as standard. Very few Audi drivers want for much more. However, appealing to senses that may have remained unstirred in recent times, it is engine music and exhaust symphony that will seal the deal.
