Audi RS3 Frankfurt debut – outed on Twitter

The new Audi RS3 has been outed by an Audi dealer on Twitter, and will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

We have been hearing rumours for some time that Audi were going to put together an RS3 and bring it along to Frankfurt. But we’d not managed to get a confirmation – until last night. And now – thanks to Twitter – we have.

Audi Cape Town managed to post a Tweet last night which said “Looking forward to the unveiling of the new Audi RS3. 2.5L five-cylinder turbocharged engine, 4WD & 335Bhp. See it at Frankfurt Motor Show”. Which kind of gives the game away.

And I’m sure you’ll have guessed from the brief  Tweet that Audi has indeed bitten the bullet and found another home for the Audi TT RS powerplant – bang in the front of the new RS3. So that means 335 happy horses and a 0-60mph of around 4.5 seconds. And – if it’s unlimited – a top speed cracking on for 175mph.

Because this is the first confirmation of a rumour we’ve heard for a while, we don’t have any real spec beyond what the Audi dealer’s Tweet tells us. But expect a seriously sorted suspension setup and a price in the region of £32,000 when the RS3 hits UK shores next year.

This will make a dent in the reputations of the Focus RS and BMW 135i.

More detail as soon as Audi confesses the story is true and sends us some detail.