The registration paperwork may call it a 2002 Audi S6, but in person, it’s pure RS6. Converted with fastidious attention to detail, this is the wagon Audi never brought to the United States. Mind you: the Avant version was available in markets other than the US, but Audi never produced a 6-speed manual variant.

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In America, wagons spent decades as punchlines but Europeans have long known the benefits of longroof performance cars: the capacity and usability of SUVs with the lower center of gravity and handling of sport sedans. So, while Europe enjoyed its Audi RS4 and RS6 Avants, BMW M5 Tourings, and Mercedes C63 wagons, America went without. We did get a number of AMG E-class wagons, but the take rates were low.

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The "RS" initials are taken from the German RennSport literally translated as "racing sport" and is Audi's ultimate top-tier high-performance trim level. Like all Audi RS models, the RS6 pioneered some of Audi's newest and most advanced engineering and technology: a halo vehicle. Production of the original Audi C5 RS6 began in June 2002 and ended in September 2004. A factory RS6 wagon with a 6-speed manual option would have made this driver’s car into the perfect package: engagement, performance, and usability, without sacrifice.

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There are a million ways to take shortcuts doing a build like this, but this is OEM quality throughout. This conversion was completed by Steve Kendrish, Audi specialist and conversion magician well known to the brand’s aficionados. To begin, Steve needed an S6 Avant of the same generation that was mechanically sound and accident-free. Once Steve located his S6 donor he sourced a RS6 powertrain with low kilometers from the U.K. He cleaned, resealed, and refreshed the 4.2-liter twin turbo V8 replacing wear items like belts, rear main seal, and water pump. Steve then inserted a 01E 6-speed manual transmission and fabricated the adapters necessary to mate it to the rear of the engine. The following steps included adding RS6 brake rotors, calipers and coilovers, in place of the notoriously finicky DRC suspension. Lastly, an OEM RS6 sport exhaust was sourced and installed for a deep, rich exhaust note, an option only available on the US sedan version.

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Once done with the mechanical and electrical aspect of this project it was time to work on visual aesthetics. All factory RS6 details were sourced and installed, from instrument cluster to spare wheel to front and rear bumpers (and everything in between), or painstakingly recreated including all elements that went into the original factory Black Optics package, down to the black door pull handles, special door sill, and powder-coated exhaust tips.

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Beneath the hood sits the potent Cosworth-developed 4.2-liter twin turbo V8 tuned to produce more than 130 horsepower per liter, pure supercar territory in those years and still very respectable by today’s standards. The engine urges you towards redline, where the individual throttle bodies and sport exhaust produce a distinctly mechanical German howl.

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The RS6 was never the grippiest nor the lightest car to come out of Ingolstadt, but the combination of power delivery, balance, and road feel it delivers are harmonious and natural.

Feedback pulses through the steering wheel, the shifter—even the pedals—in a tactile way. It’s not a very large car, but it reacts to inputs like an even smaller one, firmly and directly. It’s modern enough to be properly quick, and plush enough to drive every day.

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This RS 6 Avant sits at a unique intersection of character, road feel, and performance, which is why enthusiasts are still talking about these cars to this day.

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