Back in 2018, Audi revealed its first prototype of the E-Tron GT, which would hit the market three years later. As with many near-production concepts, the automaker gave the fastback four-door some light camouflage, with a black and red wrap with complex geometric motifs concealing the car’s real sheetmetal.
Apparently, some consumers were as interested in that wild scheme as they were the car itself. In the intervening years, Audi has acquiesced to buyer demand somewhat by offering the E-Tron GT with an accessory car cover designed to look like the original show car. But that wasn’t enough, which is why Audi of America cooperated with the company’s Exclusive customization program to create the Project_513/2, an ultra-limited RS E-Tron GT wearing graphics that cleverly mimic the 2018 prototype. The Project_513/2, whose name refers to the car’s internal development code, is limited to just 75 units destined solely for the US market.
The special RS features graphics that are very close to those of the prototype, including Audi’s first-ever use of bright red on its four-ring logo. Red accents also appear on the lower front fascia, air curtain fangs on the front bumper, rear diffuser, and rocker panels. Audi Exclusive applied dark gray graphics to the metallic black paintwork, including geometric elements that resemble a DC charger and a battery icon, as well as a particle-glitch “e” motif recalling the company’s electric-specific E-Tron branding. Capping off the wild design with some subtlety is a Project_513/2 logo etched into the rear quarter glass.
Before you step into the E-Tron GT Project_513/2, you notice that logo appearing once again in the puddle lamps, setting the stage for the sinister black cabin livened up with a few details. The seat gussets, stitched quilting, and air vent slats are done up in the same shade of lava red as the exterior, and there’s yet another project logo embossed into the center armrest. One of the subtlest, yet coolest, design details inside is the camouflage motif overlaid on the matte carbon fiber dash trim. An Audi Exclusive badge on each front door panel leaves no question as to Project_513/2’s provenance.
The customized RS E-Tron GT will cost $181,990 when it arrives later this spring, including a $1,495 destination charge and $595 for metallic paint. Project_513/2 is based on a fully equipped example, with a carbon fiber roof and mirror caps, carbon-ceramic brakes with red calipers, rear axle steering, multicontour front seats, and a posh Audi Exclusive interior with leather appearing on the dashboard and door panels. With the same 637 horsepower as other RS E-Tron GTs, the limited edition will hit 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds – maybe even less.
If that’s not enough for prospective owners, Audi will also include a unique piece of art derived from each individual vehicle’s VIN. Printed on a thin, high-gloss aluminum plate, the “VIN art portrait” is intended to give the owner a personalized, high-definition piece of art to display in their home. That’s all well and good, but we’re far more interested in the RS E-Tron GT’s warp-drive speed, now done up in the high-tech wrapper it always deserved.
Gallery: 2023 Audi RS E-Tron GT Project_513/2
