If you’re a regular on these pages, you’ll probably be familiar with the work of German tuner ABT Sportsline. Simply put, they are very good at taking a VW Group product and giving them more presence and performance.

Previously they have taken the Audi RS3 up to 453 hp (338 kW) but this time, they have gone even further.

Welcome the ABT RS3-R Sportback which is strictly limited to 200 units and will deliver a very potent 493 HP (368 kW).

The Abt Power R performance upgrade and ECU work show how much headroom is in the engine and with this increase in output, the little Audi can sprint to 100 km/h in a radical 3.3 seconds (down from a claimed 3.8s).

As you can see, there is some new eye candy on the car too in the form of a high gloss carbon aero kit, comprised of front lip and flics, rear spoiler, rear diffuser and mirror caps.

Additional modifications include sportier suspension, a custom-built exhaust and 20-inch forged wheels.

Inside you will find a host of ABT/RS3-R branding to show that this isn’t any bog-standard RS3 because “After all, such a potent engine wants to be brought to life in a manner befitting its status”

There is no word on pricing yet but do not expect this to be cheap by any means.