ABT tops off its 130th birthday with a 1,000 hp Audi RS Q8, fuel additive included
ABT already turned an Audi RS3 into a 630 hp hot hatch to mark this anniversary. The trilogy's final chapter is the biggest one by far
ABT Sportsline, the German tuner founded in 1896, is closing out its 130th anniversary trilogy with the RSQ8-LE 1000, a version of the Audi RS Q8 pushed to around 1,000 hp. That is more than 350 hp over the donor car's factory output, and only 30 will be built.
What actually changes under the skin
The RS Q8 Performance leaves Audi's factory with 640 hp from its twin-turbo V8. ABT's Power R upgrade adds a new set of ABT turbochargers, a larger intercooler, and a full engine recalibration to get to around 1,000 hp, enough for a top speed near 320 km/h. Chassis changes include a retuned 48-volt active roll stabilization system with actuators on both axles and adjusted air suspension, so the car is meant to carry the extra power rather than just produce it on paper.
Why it needs its own fuel
Getting a road-legal V8 to four figures without simply melting it requires a water and ethanol injection system, which cools the intake charge under load and is controlled through the myABT app. In practice, that means owners top up a separate reservoir alongside the fuel tank. It is a genuine piece of engineering rather than a remap, but it is also a maintenance habit a standard RS Q8 owner never has to think about.
The look matches the number
Bodywork is finished in matte exposed carbon, with a new front lip, bumper inserts, hood and fender vents, a wide-body kit, a deeper rear diffuser, and a roof spoiler. Satin gold 23-inch ABT IR23 forged wheels pick up the same gold accents ABT has used across the whole anniversary trilogy. Inside, carbon fiber trim, an Alcantara steering wheel, individual numbering, and a 130th anniversary coin on the console mark each of the 30 cars as its own.
The price of finishing first
The RSQ8-LE 1000 package costs 165,000 euro on top of a donor RS Q8, plus another 20,000 euro for fitting and certification, for a total of 185,000 euro added to whatever the donor car already cost. Only 30 will exist, and ABT is not building any more once they are sold.
Three cars, one birthday
The RSQ8-LE 1000 closes a trilogy that began with the RS6-LE 800 and continued with the RS3-630, a 630 hp version of Audi's five-cylinder hatchback that we covered when it landed. It is also not ABT's first attempt at a four-figure-adjacent SUV, having already pushed a Lamborghini Urus SE to 910 hp outside the anniversary series. "With the RSQ8-LE 1000, we are picking up exactly where we left off with the RS6-LE 800," said Hans-Jurgen Abt. "The trilogy is complete, and all three models stand for what ABT has represented for 130 years: passion, craftsmanship, and the courage to keep setting new standards."
AutoNext Take
We said we were curious what the trilogy's final chapter would bring, and ABT answered by putting a four-figure horsepower number on its flagship SUV rather than saving the fireworks for something smaller. A 1,000 hp Audi with its own fuel additive habit is a genuinely strange thing to own, and that is exactly the point of a birthday car nobody actually needs.
At 185,000 euro on top of the donor RS Q8, this was never going to be a rational purchase, and the water and ethanol tank is a real inconvenience dressed up as an achievement. None of that will matter to the 30 buyers who wanted the loudest possible way to say they were there for ABT's 130th.
