Audi has just very removed the wraps from its most exhilarating RS convertible to date – the new 450PS RS 5 Cabriolet.

Complementing the beauty and brawn of the RS 5 silhouette with a fast-acting lightweight fabric roof the new open-top will arguably offer the very best environment in which to savour the red-blooded 4.2-litre V8 shared with the RS 4 Avant.

The lightweight ‘acoustic hood’ of the RS 5 Cabriolet offers a degree of sound absorption that runs its fixed head counterpart remarkably close, and at the press of a button opens and closes fully automatically in 15 seconds and 17 seconds respectively – even when driving at speeds of up to 31mph.

When open, it hardly affects the size of the spacious luggage compartment – it only requires 60 litres of its 380-litre total volume. The split rear seatbacks can be folded down individually, and a through-load facility from the boot to the rear seating area maximises versatility. Special reinforcements contribute to the convertible body’s high rigidity, and aluminium front wings compensate for some of the added weight of the reinforcements.