Rally fans go weak at the knees at the mere mention of the Audi Quattro, built from 1980-91, and for good reason too. The GT that brought all-wheel drive to the world’s supercar lexicon attained legendary status having won the World Rally Championship in ‘82 and ‘84 and the gruelling Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in ‘85 and ‘87, setting new world records along the way. Not only was it a fiendishly clever car (which came about through a change in regulations) it also seated some of the greatest drivers of all time including Stig Blomqvist, Michèle Mouton and Walter Röhrl and inspired other incredible AWD models such as the Impreza, Lancer Evo, Nissan Skyline and 911 turbo.
Inspired by the four-wheel drive Volkswagen Iltis and developed in the Scandinavian snow during 1977, it made its debut at the 1980 Geneva motor show and was based on the Audi 80/4000 Coupe. It featured the iconic Martin Smith-designed wheel arches, a wider track, four-wheel disc brakes and independent suspension while the longitudinal, turbocharged 2.1-litre five-cylinder made 200 horses (by 1991 output rose to 220 horses). It was mated to a five-speed manual which was connected to a centre differential that split torque 50/50 between the front and rear axles blessing it with tencacious roadholding abilities which helped make it the must-have performance car of the decade. Originally developed as a low-volume homologation special for Group 4 rallying, that idea was soon scrapped due to public outcry. After an impressive 11 year production run during which time the car visually hardly changed, total Quattro production stood at 11,452 units.
Best of all, thanks to its robust build quality and reliability, you can buy a good one today for around Dh100,000 (concours condition cars fetch Dh260,000) and drive it, hard, until you too are as good as Blomqvist and co.
You may also like: 1994 Audi A8
You may also like: Eight-millionth quattro-equipped Audi rolls out
Audi R8 Spyder review
The thinking man’s super-cabrio returns, and promptly goes head to head with one of the greatest driving roads in the world. We adjudicate
November 09, 2016Week 6: Audi S3
Even with just three proper tyres the Audi proved so smooth on the move, and the cabin remained as serene as usual too…
June 11, 2017Audi simplifies nomenclature
There’ll be a clearly discernible hierarchy in each model series and the A8 will be the first model with the new type on the decklid
August 31, 2017Audi RS 3 Sportback vs Audi R8
The RS 3 Sportback is quick enough to frighten supercars from just a few years ago. So we pit it against one to see if sheer numbers do indeed amount to a better car
August 12, 2016Audi Q5 review
Audi’s latest crossover gets an update to take on ever-sharper competition. We drive it in Mexico
December 31, 20161935 Auburn 851 SC Cabriolet
It had an old-school sense of style — but modern engineering for the time. With just 40 of these ever made, good luck finding one...
April 18, 2018Chevrolet Corvair
People often criticise the Corvair but it should be praised for being so different from anything else that General Motors built
April 11, 2018Lotus Essex Esprit Turbo
It wasn’t just a proper looking supercar with a wedge shape and pop-up headlights — the Essex was also the first turbocharged Esprit
April 04, 2018Rolls-Royce Silver Spur
For around Dh70k you can get a glimpse into a world that you’d never thought possible — but be warned, this isn’t a car for the shy or retiring...
March 28, 20181993 Cadillac Fleetwood
It led the way in the evolution of luxury and was America’s longest production car. Today, it can be yours for as little as Dh20k
March 21, 2018