Audi quattro

Audi quattro (1980-1982)

The Audi quattro, also called Ur-quattro is a sports coupe, the Audi brand, which was established between the spring of 1980 and mid-1991. With 11,452 units built, it was the first produced in larger quantities road vehicle with a permanent all-wheel drive and a major general in charge of the success story of the Audi quattro drive as well as for the use of the permanent all-wheel drive in road vehicles.

Although the mid- 1960s were already equipped some road vehicles with permanent all-wheel drive Ferguson, but with limited success. These included the 1966 Jensen FF presented, were produced of which only 320 vehicles, as well as the Ford Zephyr with Ferguson - wheel drive, of the 22 experimental vehicles were manufactured for the British police. Because of the high production costs The latter project was not continued. The production of the Jensen FF was also set in 1971 due to lack of marketing opportunities.

In the fall of 1971 Subaru brought to the model Leone a four wheel drive road vehicle on the market, which, however, was only equipped with a selectable four-wheel drive.

As early as 1983, quattro GmbH was founded, also the permanent all-wheel drive was available as an option for more and more Audi vehicles.

Audi himself describes the model Audi Coupé S2 as the official successor to the original quattro.

The word quattro (Italian for four) is always written throughout in lowercase. Also the original quattro logo shows only lowercase letters.

• 7.3.1 Treser
• 7.3.2 Artz
• 7.3.3 ROC

Formation

When testing in Scandinavia in 1977, in which Audi sedans should be explored, noted investigator Jörg Bensinger that the escort vehicle, which he drove - a four-wheel driven VW Iltis ( SUV, potential successor to the DKW Munga for the Bundeswehr ) with 55 kW ( 75 PS) - under the winter conditions was by far the fastest vehicle in the test fleet.

Upon his return he reported Ferdinand Piëch, then Board of vehicle development department at Audi of his experiences. He convinced him, with a small group of employees a prototype with five-cylinder turbo engine and all-wheel drive based on the Audi to have 80 manufacture.

1978 this prototype with 118 kW (160 hp) was developed so that it could be presented to the board of VW, the green light to build a production vehicle had to give. This presentation took place during a test in Austria, should be tested with the winter tires and snow chains on a snowy, steep slope on other vehicles. The quattro prototype mastered the pitch without any problems - on summer tires.

In the summer of 1978, a further demonstration took place in the quattro prototype should drive up a steep, heavily watered meadow. Of all the available comparison vehicles in this test mission was accomplished only by quattro prototype. A short time later, the VW board gave its approval for construction.

In February 1979, a further prototype, disguised as the Audi 80, advance a number of international journalists in Turrach, Austria presented. Among them was Paul Frère. Were available two winterbereifte vehicles with front engine and rear-wheel drive and an Audi 100 with a front engine and front wheel drive. While Brother came in driving tests only about 150 yards with the sedans on the snowy slope, he even had to take back the gas, because the speed attained on this route was too high in the quattro prototype. At the top he turned, went back and was asked by a development engineer Walter Treser if he wanted to carry out the test again and indeed to winter tires. Again, the vehicle had only reared summer tires.

In another experiment on this day - this time the vehicle was equipped with winter tires - Brother held on a huge slope of 28%, which had a thick layer of snow, and drove without any problems on. The thing seemed to him to have so impressed that he wrote a book about the Audi quattro and wrote down his experiences in it.

In March 1980, the Audi quattro was presented at the Geneva Motor Show the public. By the press at the vehicle has been celebrated around the world using many superlatives as a sensation.

Body

The body of the Audi quattro is based on the Audi Coupe. This in turn was a modified Audi 80 with two doors and hatchback. The quattro differed from the purely external Coupe by widened fenders, bumpers, and voluminous skirts and a larger rear spoiler. In the last years of construction, the body was partly zinked, where this information was never verified.

Facelift

• 03.1980: Presentation of the Audi quattro at the Geneva Motor Show.
• 10.1982: Width twin headlights under glass and digital instead of analog displays.
• 09.1983: Presentation of the Audi Sport quattro at the IAA in Frankfurt.
• 01.1985: The Quattro is optically aligned with the coupe. Changes: Black tail lights, new dashboard, revised headlights and grille.
• 07.1987: New engine with 2.2 liter displacement and new digital faucets and new center differential.
• 08.1989: New 2.2 -liter engine with four valves per cylinder ( " 20V ").
• 05.1991: Production of quattro is set.

Drive Technology

The quattro permanent four-wheel drive has received a mid and rear differential lock. Until the 1981 model you could turn both locks manually and independently with two claw couplings via cables, and from the Year 1982 up to and including Year 1987 could be both or only the rear lock manually electro and off. The quattro was further revised over the years, especially be -wheel drive system has been refined from the 1987 model year with a Torsen differential means something else. The rear differential remained electro manually switchable. Thus, these vehicles were ideal for winter trips or for other difficult tasks on slippery roads (rain, dirt, fall foliage, etc.).

Motors

It was for this vehicle different engine variants, but all quattro had a five-cylinder in-line engine with turbocharger.

• Audi quattro (1980 ): 2.1 - liter engine with 147 kW/200 hp, MKB WR
• Audi quattro (1987 ): 2.2 - liter engine with 147 kW/200 hp, MKB MB
• Audi quattro (1984-1988): 2.1 - liter engine with 119 kW/162 hp and Cat, MKB WX
• Audi quattro 20V (1989 ): 2.2 - liter engine with 162 kW/220 hp, four valves per cylinder (hence " 20V " ), MKB RR
• Audi Sport quattro (1983 ): 2.1 - liter engine with 225 kW/306 hp (shortened wheelbase, four valves per cylinder ), MKB KW
• Audi Sport quattro S1 ( 1985): 2.1 - liter engine with 390 kW/530 hp (shortened wheelbase, four valves per cylinder, for rallying )

Performance

In each case, the acceleration 0-100 km / h in seconds and the top speed in km / h

• 1980 Audi quattro, 147 kW/200 hp: 7.1 s, 222 km / h
• Audi quattro 20V of 1989, 162 kW/220 hp 6.3 s, 230 km / h
• Audi Sport quattro from 1983, 225 kW/306 hp: 4.9 seconds, 250 km / h
• Audi Sport quattro S1 1985, 390 kW/530 hp: 2.6 s ( dual clutch transmission ) or 3.1 seconds ( manual transmission ), rally car

Models

Sport quattro

A particular variant was offered from the fall of 1984 Audi Sport quattro, also called " the Short ," is an abbreviated to 4.16 m body length, with 225 kW ( 306 hp) and 350 Nm of torque also much more powerful model for the base vehicle the group B cars represented. Through the body change the wheelbase has been shortened by 32 cm. The dimensions of the body changed to: length 4164 mm, width 1790 mm, height 1345 mm.

The Sport quattro was until mid- 1985 in a quantity of only 220 copies ( for the FIA homologation in Group B were at least 200 pieces compulsory ) and built to the then exorbitant price of 195,000 DM at first, later offered 203,500 DM in free sale.

Sport quattro S1

The Audi Sport quattro S1 was based on the Sport quattro. It was produced as so-called evolution model exclusively for racing purpose in a required by the FIA ​​quantity of 20 copies and was originally only reserved for the Audi factory team. The vehicle was not intended for public sale. Only after the FIA had banned the end of 1986 the group B of the World Rally Championship, a privileged few racers were able to acquire it for sale at Audi Sport. As a particularly extreme version of the Audi Sport quattro S1 applies the S1 Pikes Peak, also called " the wings Monster", the Walter Röhrl in 1987 at the Pikes Peak set a new course record and the engine power of around 441 kW ( 600 hp) is said. When Auto Sport Rallycross there was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, some S1 RX- Specials who possessed engines with more than 478 kW ( 650 hp). The S1 Pikes Peak is still in racing condition and is occasionally presented to the public at prestigious events such as the International Mountain Race Arosa ClassicCar 2012.

Replica Sport quattro S1

2012 made ​​the Thuringian bodyshop Gehrt a technically and visually authentic replica of the winning car of the San Remo Rally in 1985. Purpose almost all former project partners were again incorporated to faithfully re- produce the old components. Decisive for this work has also provided the former Head of Audi Motorsport Roland Gumpert. The former driver of the car, Walter Röhrl Stig Blomqvist and were involved in the project.

Tuning variants Quattro base

Treser

The company Treser, which was founded by the significantly concerned in the development of the Audi quattro engineer Walter Treser, built a few copies into a convertible with a fixed roof at using the technique of the roof with the Mercedes SLK is comparable.

Artz

The company Artz built some special versions of the Audi quattro, mostly unique pieces. Among them was a combination variant with a very large glass tailgate, which reached to the light strip between the taillights as well as a sedan based on the Audi 80 with the front, the spacers, the rear lights and the technology of the Audi quattro.

ROC

For the Dakar Rally (1984/1985), the French company ROC quattro built with an increased by more than 10 cm roof.

Others

• The Audi quattro was built only a total of 11,452 times. His wheel-drive technology was further developed for other Audi vehicles and used. The all-wheel- drive vehicles from Audi carry up today the addition of " quattro " in the model name.
• Today, the original quattro has a high sentimental value and reaches much higher prices than other vehicles from Audi from this period.
• The term quattro now also stands for the quattro GmbH, a subsidiary of Audi, which is specialized ( such as AMG to Mercedes or BMW M GmbH for BMW ) to the serial production of particularly sporting cars from the factory, with special customer requests can be considered.
• The car was originally to be called " Carat ", as an abbreviation for " coupe all- wheel - drive Turbo". Only later this name was dropped due to a perfume of the same name, whose image and target group appeared not suitable for Quattro.

• It is largely unknown, or just forgot that the first FIA Sports Car title with a Audi quattro was not collected from the Audi factory team, but by the Austrian Franz Wurz. The father of Formula 1 driver Alexander Wurz secured on 3 October 1982, the Estering in Buxtehude his third Rallycross European Championship title ( after 1974 and 1976 ), while Audi itself until about a month later in the RAC Rally of Great Britain world Rally Championship 1982 ( only the Manufacturers 'Championship, Walter Röhrl won the Opel Ascona 400, the drivers' standings ) could bring in the bag.