Audi RS6 DTM
It can hardly have escaped your notice, the larceny of the unique Audi RS6 DTM in Amsterdam last week which unfortunately ended in the total destruction of this special car. Car mad Holland was upside down.
The international car community also closely followed the news of this event. The news that the car was found burnt out later that night was received emotionally by many enthusiasts worldwide, but what made this car so special?
To tell you how this unique creation came to be, we must first tell you a little about its creator and first owner Jon Olsson. Jon is a world-famous freestyle skier and true car geek from Sweden, known for his love of unique and special cars. For years he has been an avid participant of the Gumball3000 Rally; a legendary name in the world of fast and exclusive cars. This rally once started as a road trip of a group of friends and this has grown over the years into one of the world’s biggest car events. Every year 100 special cars appear at the start in the middle of a big city, ready for a 3000-mile adventure (about 5000 km) involving 6 days of driving and 7 nights of partying. The field of participants consists of mostly celebrities and millionaires, which is also evident in the cars and party locations. Of course, this cannot go unnoticed in the center of a large city, and as the annual road trip grew, so did the attention they received. Cities these days prepare for days before the rally arrives. Barricades are set up along the route and sometimes even entire streets, such as Covent Garden in London or Times Square in New York, are cordoned off so the cars can stand guard there overnight. For one day, those cities along the route turn into a mecca for car enthusiasts.
So Jon is a repeat participant of this event and has made a name for himself with the creations in which he drives this Rally. In 2010, he appeared at the start line for the first time, and not entirely inconspicuously. The car in which he was to drive the challenging route was none other than a Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4, a top model of the Italian marque limited to only 350 units, on top of which he had a ski box mounted. The following year, he had fitted his Lamborghini with a different wrap for the Rally and his Nissan GTR in matching wrap also competed. In 2012, he impressed again by appearing at the start with a new creation. Jon had an Audi R8 fitted with a carbon fiber widebody kit and boosted the engine by fitting a supercharger. Of course, this creation was also again equipped with a custom ski box on the roof, made entirely of carbon fiber and mounted so that it could fully handle the car’s performance. Jon’s little club drove several cars again that year, and fully in style, the second car was a Lamborghini Gallardo with bodykit and also the signature ski case on the roof. The photo above, which yours truly shot in New York, shows both cars in Times Square the night before the start of the rally. With this, the trend was set, the sponsors poured in and the following year Jon outdid himself once again. In 2013, he appeared at the start with his Rebellion R2K, a LeMans concept-inspired street-legal race car that had been built especially for Jon the previous winter. The 2014 Gumball, Jon once again drove this uncompromising race car (it doesn’t even have air conditioning), accompanied by an Audi RS6 Avant in camouflage wrap for his gear.
For this year’s edition, Jon wanted something new again; outside of rallying, he had become a huge fan of the versatility the RS6 offered him in everyday life, and the decision was made that his next project would be built based on that car.
“I have always loved the crazy widebody style of DTM cars and it’s been a dream to build a similar car for the road, but I also need a car that has enough space to carry all my ski gear to the slopes, so the decision was made to see what we could do with an Audi RS6.” – Jon Olsson
Jon, together with former Koenigsegg Chief Engineer Leif Tufvesson, created an extraordinary design. To illustrate that no expense is spared in these creations, they ordered, for example, 100 meters of special 4X4 carbon fiber from the same factory that supplies Pagani with this material. The Audi not only had to look extreme, but also had to be able to be driven daily through extreme weather conditions. After all, Jon also wanted to be able to drive his creation up and down between ski resorts with all his ski gear.
Jon Olsson Audi RS6
Jon Olsson Audi RS6
Engine-wise, the car was not left untouched either. The RS6 already delivers around 560hp as standard; Jon’s, however, generated around 700hp the year before thanks to some modifications but this was clearly not enough. The entire suspension was modified to handle more power and the widening, and the engine was further boosted thanks to, among other things, two custom-fabricated turbos whose insides were anodized with 18-karat gold. The modifications meant that this RS6 now had about 950hp at its disposal on normal gasoline; however, if Jon filled the tank with racing gasoline, the power exceeded 1000hp.
For a very long time, however, Jon did not enjoy his creation. In fact, shortly after the Gumball rally, he sold his creation to Dutchman Douwe Leitner. Douwe deals in very exclusive cars and undoubtedly saw an opportunity in this car. Jon explained that he actually had no intention of selling the car so soon but he knew from experience that it is not always easy to sell such a special car. So when he received an attractive offer, he tied the knot and sold the car to make room for his next project. From then on, the Audi RS6 DTM was in Dutch possession and a welcome guest at all kinds of car events. So last week, unfortunately, all of this ended tragically in a pointless theft that proved fatal to the car, probably because the perpetrators couldn’t get the car running after shutting it down without a key and perhaps also because they hadn’t thought about the fact that the eyes of the world would be on them. However, we know that by now Jon has long since been working behind the scenes again to create something new, according to his own words his latest creation should surpass the RS6 DTM in everything so we curiously await more news.
We may not have an Audi RS6 DTM in our fleet of wedding cars, but do not underestimate our Audi RS5, Audi TTS Roadster, Aston Martin DBS and Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS. Our cars have graced many weddings; stylish and powerful these cars are, not too flashy but definitely eye-catchers and an experience to be allowed to drive for the day. Be sure to contact us if you would like more information about the services we can offer for your special day. Now that you know the story of what is perhaps the world’s most famous station wagon, we will conclude the article with the pictures of what this car looked like in its glory days.
