The Audi RS6 has certainly taken centre stage in recent days. While the latest version of the RS6 Avant GT has just been unveiled, another of these cars has been noticed in a completely different way.
On Friday 2 February, in the Oise region of France, police officers at the wheel of their Alpine A110 S stopped a young driver at the wheel of the famous German car who was travelling at a speed of 272 km/h (169 mph) on the motorway! Unfortunately for him and his two companions inside, France does not have a demarcated stretch of motorway like Germany, and anyone daring to exceed 130 km/h (80 mph) will pay dearly, both literally and figuratively.
Gallery: Alpine A110 S (2020)
After a few kilometres of pursuit (we can imagine that the poor Alpine must have had a hard time), the three youngsters were arrested, while the Audi RS 6 was impounded for seven days before its fate was decided. The driver faces up to three years' suspension of his driving licence and a €1,500 (approx. £1,300) fine. He will be summoned to appear before the Compiègne court in April.
A fleet of 26 Alpine A110s has replaced the Mégane RSs at the Gendarmerie Nationale.
Some get away with it...
This case may remind you of that of another 39-year-old French motorist who, on 20 May, was checked on the A29 motorway by a team of gendarmes after breaking 275 km/h (170 mph) in a German saloon. However, his lawyer carefully studied the operating instructions for the radar in question and concluded that it could not measure speeds in excess of 250 km/h (155 mph). The court therefore accepted the defendant's defence without being able to object! But it's hard to believe that the driver of the RS6 will benefit from such miraculous help.
Gallery: 2024 Audi RS6 Avant Performance: First Drive Review
With a speed limit of 258 km/h (160 mph) for the driver from the Oise region (not sure that this will change anything), the gendarmes took the opportunity to issue yet another prevention message:
"We would remind you that speeding, including on the motorway, is one of the main causes of death in the department. Be careful on the roads and take care of yourself".
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