Audi Quattro

Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
Overview
Manufacturer	Audi
Production	1980–91
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupé
Powertrain
Engine	2.1 L SOHC 10v I5 (1980–87) 2.2 L SOHC 10v I5 (1987–89) 2.2 L DOHC 20v I5 (1989–91)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2522 mm
Length	4404 mm
Width	1722 mm
Height	1346 mm
Curb weight	1290–1350 kg
Chronology
Successor	Audi S2

This article refers to the car named the Audi Quattro. Audi's quattro all wheel drive system is described on its own page.

The Audi Quattro is a famous and historically significant road and rally car produced by the German automaker Audi. It was special in that it was the first four-wheel drive grand tourer since 1966's Jensen FF. Officially, the model name is simply "Quattro", always with a capital "Q" (although the graphics on the car, confusingly, refer to the four-wheel drive system and use a lowercase "q"). The word "quattro" with the lowercase "q" is used to refer to either the Audi AWD system, or any AWD version of an Audi automobile. To avoid confusion, it is also commonly referred to as the Ur-Quattro (the "Ur-" prefix is a German augmentative used, in this case, to mean "original" and is also applied to the first generation of Audi's S4 and S6 sport sedans, as in "UrS4" and "UrS6").

European Distribution

Audi released the original Quattro in 1980, making it both the first car to feature Audi's quattro four-wheel drive system (hence its name) and the first to mate four wheel drive with a powerful turbocharged engine.

The powerplant was oringinally a 2.1L (2144cc), SOHC, 10 valve straight-5 originally producing 200 hp (149 kW) and was evengually modified to 2.2L (2226cc) 10 valve straight-5 and then to a 2.2L (2226cc) 20v DOHC straight-5 setup producing 220 hp (164 kW). Audi Quattro's are often refered to among fellow owners and enthusiasts by their engine codes to diferentiate between the earlier and later versions, the earliest (2144cc 10v) being the WR engine, the 2226cc 10v being the MB engine and the later 20v being the RR engine, therefore the Quattro is quite often refered as either the WR Quattro, MB Quattro or RR Quattro respectivly.

Total road car production is 11,452 vehicles over the period 1980-1991 and through this 11 year production span, nothing MAJOR actually changed in the visual design of the vehicle. The intereor stayed the same from the outset until 1985 when the interior was quite massively redesigned featuring a whole new dash layout, new steering wheel design and new centre console design, the switches around the instrument panel were also redesigned at this time. However the instrument panel itself was changed for the 1983 year from an analogue instrument cluster to a green digital LCD display (later changed for 1988 to an orange LCD display).

Externally, overall styling received very little modification during its production run, originally the car had a flat fronted grill featuring four seperage light lenses for each of the low and high beam units, this was altered for the 1983 model year and replaced with combined units featuring a single lens but housing twin reflectors. This was later changed again for the 1985 model year for what has become known as the 'facelift model' and included such alterations as a new sloping front grill, headlights, trim and badging changes. The RR 20v Quattro also featured a new three spoke steering wheel design.

It is considered one of the most significant rally cars of all time, and was one of the first to take advantage of the then-recently changed rules which allowed the use of all-wheel-drive in competition racing. Many critics doubted the viability of all-wheel drive racers, thinking them to be too heavy and complex, yet the Quattro was an instant success, winning its first rally on its first outing. It won competition after competition for the next two years.

North American Distribution

Sales of the Quattro in North America began with the 1983 model year and continued through 1986. Total sales in the USA was 664 units.

The Audi Sport Quattro

The Audi Sport Quattro was a Quattro program car developed for Group B rallying homologation, and sold as a production car in limited numbers - it featured a 2.1L (2133cc) 20v DOHC engine slightly smaller than that of the Audi Quattro but capable of producing approximately 350 hp (257 kW). The vehicle also featured a different body shell comprising wider arches, wider wheels (8" as compared to the Quattro's 7" wide wheel rim), a steeper windscreen rake (requested by the Audi Sport rally team drivers for improved visibility) and, most noticably, a 320mm shorter wheelbase.

Other information

The quattro is also famous for being a career highlight of one of the pre-eminent women in rally racing, Michèle Mouton.

In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number four on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

The copyright on the quattro drive system extends to the case it is written in, Audi states that quattro must always be written fully in lower case.

While the quattro drive system is used in VW's and Skoda's Audi is the only manufacturer licenced to use the name.

External links

• The UK based Quattro Forum, very valuable resource for Audi UR Quattro owners
• Quattro Owners' Club
• Audi Owners Club