Classic Car: Audi Quattro

When discussing important cars in racing history, it is hard not to mention the Audi Quattro. The Quattro was the first rally car to use a four-wheel drive, which was allowed by the then new rule changes. The Quattro won 23 WRC races from 1981 to 1985. The Quattro also won two WRC championships. The Quattro was the first Audi to use Audi's "quattro" permanent four-wheel drive system and was the first Audi to use a turbocharger and a four-wheel drive system. The quattro GmbH, Audi's in-house tuning company that is responsible for the Audi RS4 and Audi R8, is named after the Quattro.

I recently saw the Quattro at the March 2012 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. For an iconic car, the Quattro was not getting much attenion. Also present at the event was Christine, the Ferrari 288 GTO, and the McLaren MP4-12C. For a car from the 1980's, the Quattro has good lines. I also like the fastback design of the car. It worked for Ford Mustangs and it works for the Quattro. The Quattro looks like it was built for racing.

The original Quattro is powered by a turbocharged 2.1L I5 engine, paired with a five-speed manual transmission, that produces 197 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds and reaches a top speed of 137 mph. The Quattro got a 2.2L DOHC turbocharged I5 engine in 1989 that produces 217 hp and reaches a top speed of 143 mph. As of the time this article was written, the Quattro was going for $19,500 on Auto Traders Classic. This is cheap for a car that was important to rally car racing and Audi history.

The Quattro has been featured on Top Gear, Der Alte, 20 Cars that Changed the World, The World's Greatest Rally Cars, several Jeremy Clarkson car specials, Massive Speed, 30 Years of the RAC Rally, Ashes To Ashes, Car Years, Too Fast To Race, Spender, and many other movies and shows. The Quattro is playable in Stunts, Cross Racing Championship 2005, German Classics GP, Need For Speed: The Run, Beverly Hills Cop, Need For Speed: World, V-Rally 2, Rally Championship 2002, Sega Rally Revo, Rally Cross, Drift Out '94, Choro Q Park, Pro Rally 2001, GT Racing: Motor Academy, Gran Turismo 4, Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo 5, WRC: Rally Evolved, and WRC 4.

The Audi Quattro is a great car. This car changed rally racing. It is a must own for any German car collector, rally car collector, or just a general car collector. The Quattro had 23 WRC victories, 2 WRC championships, and was the first car to use Audi's "quatto" system. The quattro four-wheel drive system is used in the Audi R8. This car is awesome and for under $20,000, you can have your own classic rally car.


CarJunkie

Photo taken from a digital camera.

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