Feature Car: Aaron Wade’s RS 6 Avant

RS 6 owner Aaron Wade is called simply “Wade” by most of those who in the community who know him. And if you know him, then you also know of his incredible Glacier White Audi RS 6 Avant.

by: Ryan Ponto

Wade grew up in a family of gearheads. His grandfather was the general manager for the Harrah’s Automobile Collection in Las Vegas and worked directly for Bill Harrah to plan the catalog. Sadly, a good number of cars from that collection were sold off in the 1970s after Bill died, but there is still a solid selection that remain at a museum in Reno, Nevada where Wade made his way back to and resides today. 

When Wade was younger, his brother owned a Subaru 2.5 RS that Wade says was one of the coolest looking cars on the road at that time. He and his brother were out for a drive when a Volkswagen Golf pulled up beside them. As big brothers do, he took off only to be shocked when what they thought was just a regular Golf passed them, disappearing from their sight. Wade eventually learned the car was a Golf R32, and it left an impression. He figured a Golf like that was the closest thing to a super car he could ever expect to afford. By the time Wade was seeking his own first car, he chose a GTI for its similarity and also its affordability. That GTI would lead to an R32, and then it was time to move on… but to what exactly.

Wade had done a good job of saving up his money over the years. Then, Audi announced that they were finally bringing the RS 6 to America. 

Wade didn’t have a relationship with any Audi dealerships and didn’t know how to even get an allocation. He called all around the country asking to buy a new RS 6 at MSRP and was met with laughter most of the time. Feeling discouraged but not defeated, he eventually got a call back from a salesman in Calabasas following up on an online inquiry he’d made for a Glacier White RS 6. The general manager indicated he was willing to let it go for MSRP. Wade jumped at the opportunity and three days later the car showed up in Reno on a single car trailer. 

Wade absolutely loves his RS 6 Avant, optioned with the Driver Assistance package, carbon optics and the carbon ceramic brakes. So far, he’s swapped out the exhaust for a custom cat-back from Illegal Speed Shop, added a carbon fiber steering wheel, and some beautiful AL13 wheels paired with the CETE lowering module for a more aggressive stance. And to top it off… literally, he installed a PhantomOne R Carbon Roofbox that was color-matched to the car.

The Avant has already come a long way from being just another RS 6, and Wade attributes a lot of that to his friends at TAG Motorsports in San Diego, Low Boost Performance and finally Illegalspeedshop in Reno, the latter always ready to answer his numerous questions and all of his extra requests.  Wade has further plans for the RS 6, but for now he’s enjoying it in its current state.