A celebration of the world’s first turbocharged 4x4 coupéSearching for Vorsprung durch Technik (Progress through Technology) a small squad of research and development engineers at Audi’s HQ in Bavaria broke the rules in the late 1970s. Under the leadership of ex-Porsche engineering legend Dr Ferdinand Piech, without official blessing, they raided the factory’s parts bins to create the first prototypes of what would become the revolutionary Audi quattro.
From its public debut at Geneva in March 1980, the quattro was an instant sensation. The original two-door coupé was a low-volume image-building exercise that resulted in a production run of over 11,500, rather than Audi’s original estimate of 400. Today there are over two million road-registered cars carrying the ‘quattro’ 4x4 trademark. Supporting such profitable sales was Audi Sport’s massive 1981–1986 World Rally Championship programme. Often controversial, often explosively unreliable, the flame-spitting rallying quattros revolutionised the rallying world. The quattro seized four World Championship titles from 1982–1984, guided by driving talent such as Michele Mouton, Hannu Mikkola, Walter Röhrl, Stig Blomqvist and Per Eklund.
This is the full story of Audi’s pioneering 4x4 turbocharged coupé. Illustrated with specially commissioned studio photography and a wealth of archive images, the authoritative text chronicles the quattro’s unconventional birth and evolution, from an Audi 80 development mule, through the first-generation road and rally cars, to the uncompromising Sport model and the sensational Pikes Peak specials. Interviews with leading development engineers and drivers add fascinating insight into the triumphs and setbacks behind the story.
Jeremy Walton first developed an enthusiasm for the quattro when he attended the car’s debut at the 1980 Geneva Show. Rides alongside Hannu Mikkola in works cars, both in the quattro’s rallying heyday and more recently, and the opportunity to drive various road and rally quattro models, have only heightened his respect and passion for Audi’s groundbreaking design. He is the author of 32 automotive books, including the reissued Haynes biography of the late Gerry Marshall, Only Here for the Beer.
Audi Quattro (Haynes Great Cars Series)
