Description
This lot will be auctioned via Silverstone Auctions, Race Retro Classic and Competition Car Sale 2023 on Friday the 24th of February - Saturday the 25th of February, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh Rd, Coventry, CV8 2LG. Audi's Quattro is a legend that re-wrote the form book in international Rallying, as well as causing rival manufacturers to rethink their offerings and was, quite literally, a trailblazer. The story began with Audi chassis engineer Jorg 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, powered initially by the WR, 2, 144cc in-line, five-cylinder, 10-valve SOHC unit with turbocharger and intercooler.
The Quattro available here is finished in Alpine White with Brazil cloth trim and is on offer from long-term, 27-year ownership, spending most of that time either being cherished or in storage. With 1984 being the first year that right-hand drive cars were available in the UK, this particular example is naturally fitted with the early 2. 1-litre, five-cylinder, 10-valve power unit and was optioned from new with ABS, heated front seats, electrically operated mirrors and windows, headlamp wash and the period-correct sunroof. The superb paintwork is believed to be largely original with only minor cosmetic refreshment and, internally, the drivers seat required minor attention and has been professionally retrimmed to bring it into line with the remainder of the interior. The engine has been thoroughly checked over with the head removed for pressure testing and seal replacement as required. Prior to being offered for sale, the Audi has recently been fully recommissioned after a period in dry storage including a full suspension and brake overhaul and a thorough check of all the electrical components which are all reported to be in good working order including the all important digital dashboard. It's accompanied by a photographic record of the recent refresh.
These cars had a genuinely transformative influence on the dynamic parameters of modern road cars and this is an opportunity to take ownership of a largely original Audi Quattro, highly innovative in-period and increasingly desirable today.
