Audi’s Quattro is a legend that rewrote the book in international rallying, as well as causing rival manufacturers to rethink their offerings. It was, quite literally, a trailblazer. The story began with Audi chassis engineer Jörg Bensinger, who spent a Finnish winter testing the Volkswagen Iltis — a 4-wheel-drive West German military and forest-service vehicle — and found it could outperform all other machines on snow, whatever their type or power output. He put the idea of a 4-wheel-drive version of the Audi 80 Coupe to the company’s hierarchy and, well, you know the rest. The resulting model was launched to great excitement at the 1980 Geneva Salon and then released to European customers later the same year. It was powered, initially, by the WR inline 5-cylinder, a 2,144-cc 10-valve SOHC unit with turbocharger and intercooler. This was the first time the mass car market had been introduced to the intoxicating combination of turbo power and 4-wheel drive, and the results were spectacular. The road-going Quattro was clearly a success for Audi, with nearly 11,500 cars produced, but it was as a world-beating rally car that the model really gained its fearsome reputation. Throughout the early 1980s until the end of the Group B era, Quattro variants won 23 WRC rallies at the hands of rally legends Michèle Mouton, Hannu Mikkola, Walter Rӧhrl and Stig Blomqvist, including two world championships and twice championship runners up. Offered here is a U.K.-supplied, right-hand-drive 10-valve that’s showing just over 83,000 miles. Classically finished in Tornado Red with a tidy interior in Grey Herringbone cloth and black and red plaid. This charming example is supplied with a good history file, the service book displays 13 stamps, and it is accompanied by the normal manuals, books, original brochure, invoices, fresh MOT and spare keys.
Jeff is a lifelong automobile enthusiast with a penchant for sports and racing cars. He has raced SCCA, local circle track, and stage rally as a co-driver. He makes his living as a freelance automotive journalist and is the author of six books on automotive topics. As a rule, he practices catch-and-release fishing when it comes to collectible automobiles, trying to leave each one in better condition than he found it. Enduring passions include his MGA and Austin Mini, and his 1969 Corvette. He recently purchased a 1920 Ford Model T Touring because “you just have to have one of these once in your life.”
