Car

Audi Quattro

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The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car produced by German manufacturer Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March, and production continued through 1991. It was the first rally car to exploit then-recently changed rules permitting four-wheel drive in competition, and is commonly referred to as the Ur-Quattro — "Ur-" being a German augmentative prefix meaning "original" or "first of its kind". The model is designated Typ 85 internally, a code it shared with quattro versions of the Audi Coupé.

The idea originated with Audi chassis engineer Jörg Bensinger, who in 1977 observed that the Volkswagen Iltis military vehicle outperformed other vehicles in snowy conditions. Bensinger proposed a high-performance four-wheel-drive car, developed in cooperation with Walter Treser, Director of Pre-Development. The Quattro shared many parts and its platform with the Coupé version of the Audi 80 (B2). Its characteristic flared wheelarches were styled by Martin Smith. The car featured independent front and rear suspension.

Audi introduced the original Quattro to European customers in late 1980, combining Audi's quattro permanent four-wheel-drive system with a turbocharged front engine — a first. The initial engine was a 2,144 cc longitudinally-mounted inline-5-cylinder 10-valve SOHC unit with a turbocharger and intercooler, generating 147 kW (200 PS; 197 hp) and 285 N⋅m (210 lbf⋅ft) torque at 3,500 rpm. The car reached 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds and exceeded 220 km/h. The engine was later modified to 2,226 cc with 10 valves, retaining the 147 kW output, then in 1989 changed to a 2,226 cc 20-valve DOHC setup producing 162 kW (220 PS; 217 hp) and a top speed of 230 km/h.

The Quattro was partially hand-built on a dedicated line. Total production ran to 11,452 units over 11 years with no major changes to visual design. Interior updates included a green digital LCD instrument cluster from the 1983 model year, changed to an orange LCD in 1988. The interior was redesigned in 1984 with a new dashboard, steering wheel and centre console. Exterior changes included combined headlamp housings with twin reflectors in 1983, and a new sloping front grille and trim updates in the 1985 facelift model. For the 1984 facelift, wheel size increased from 6×15-inch with 205/60-15 tyres to 8×15-inch with 215/50-15 Pirelli Cinturato P5, with suspension lowered 20 mm. From 1987, a Torsen centre differential replaced the manual centre differential lock.

North American sales began with the 1983 model year. U.S. total sales were 664 units; Canada recorded 99 units. North American cars featured larger impact bumpers with built-in shock absorbers, air conditioning and leather upholstery but no ABS. The U.S./Canadian engine (code "WX") had lowered turbocharger boost pressure and emission controls, reducing power output to 160 hp (119 kW; 162 PS).

The competition Quattro debuted in 1980 first as a development car at the Rali Urbibel Algarve Portugal, then formally at the 1981 Jänner Rallye in Austria. The base competition version produced approximately 304 PS (224 kW; 300 hp). In 1981 Michèle Mouton became the first female driver to win a world championship rally, driving an Audi Quattro.

Audi subsequently introduced the A1 and A2 evolutions of the Quattro in response to new Group B rules, raising power to around 355 PS (261 kW; 350 hp). The Quattro A1 debuted at the 1983 season-opener Monte Carlo Rally and won the Swedish Rally and Rally Portugal in the hands of Hannu Mikkola. Driven by Stig Blomqvist, Mikkola and Walter Röhrl, the A2 evolution won eight world rallies: three in 1983 and five in 1984. Two cars also completely dominated the South African National Rally Championships between 1984 and 1988 with drivers Sarel van der Merwe and Geoff Mortimer.

The Audi Sport Quattro S1 was a shorter Group B homologation variant introduced in 1984 and sold in limited numbers (224 cars at DM 203,850 each). Its all-aluminium 2,133 cc inline-five engine — displacement reduced from the standard Quattro to qualify for the 3-litre class under the 1.4× turbo multiplier — produced 306 PS (302 hp; 225 kW) at 6,700 rpm and 350 N⋅m at 3,700 rpm. Compared with the Ur-Quattro, the body shell used carbon-kevlar, the wheelbase was shortened by 320 mm, wheel arches were wider, and wheels were nine inches wide. Michèle Mouton won the 1985 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in a Sport Quattro S1, setting a record time.

Introduced at the end of 1985, the S1 E2 evolved the Sport Quattro S1 with a 2,110 cc inline-five engine officially rated at 480 PS (353 kW; 473 hp), with actual output exceeding 500 PS at 8,000 rpm. A recirculating air system kept the turbocharger spinning at high rpm during throttle-off moments, eliminating turbo lag when full throttle resumed. An aggressive aerodynamic kit with prominent front and rear wings increased downforce. Weight was reduced to 1,090 kg and 0–100 km/h took 3.1 seconds. Some examples were supplied with a "power-shift gearbox", a forerunner of DSG technology. The S1 E2 debuted at the 1985 Rally Argentina with Blomqvist. Röhrl and Christian Geistdörfer won the 1985 Sanremo Rally. Walter Röhrl won the 1987 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in an S1 E2. The final 1986 factory cars were rated at 600 PS (441 kW; 592 hp). Audi withdrew the works team from the World Rally Championship following the fatal accidents at the 1986 Rally Portugal.

The Audi Sport Quattro RS 002 was a Group S prototype designed for regulations that were to take effect in 1987. It featured a longitudinal mid-engine layout with a 2,100 cc I5 producing 700 PS (515 kW; 690 hp) and a claimed top speed of 300 km/h. The car was tested by Walter Röhrl but never raced; Group S regulations were scrapped alongside Group B following the fatal accidents of the 1986 season.

The Audi quattro Spyder Concept (1991), unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, was a rolling test bed for a future mid-engine sports car using a 2.8-litre V6 from the Audi 100, rated at 174 PS and 245 N⋅m, with a 5-speed manual gearbox, aluminium body panels over a tubular steel space frame, and 1,100 kg kerb weight. The economic downturn of the 1990s led Audi to cancel production plans.

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show, on the 30th anniversary of the original Quattro, Audi presented a quattro concept based on the RS5 with a modified 2.5 L five-cylinder TFSI engine claimed to generate 408 PS (300 kW) and 480 N⋅m, mated to a 6-speed manual. Dry weight was 1,300 kg using aluminium and carbon fibre construction. A rear-biased quattro system using planetary gears distributed power front and aft. A limited production run of 200–500 cars was considered but scrapped in favour of expanding the crossover range.

The Audi Sport quattro concept (2013), unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) to mark the 30th anniversary of the original Audi Sport quattro, featured a 4.0 TFSI V8 at 560 PS and a disc-shaped electric motor at 150 PS for a combined 700 PS and 800 N⋅m, with a liquid-cooled 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery giving up to 50 km of electric range.

This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.