RE: Audi Quattro: PH Carpool
Monday 12th August 2013
Name: Martin Hall
Car: Audi Quattro 1984 (WR model)
Owned since: 1992
Previously owned: Humber Sceptre, Ford Capri Mk1 2.0, Audi 100, Datsun 260Z, Porsche 911 2.2 Carrera
Martin's previous car history is pretty interesting!Why I bought it:
"It is one of the best looking cars ever produced - simple. I had always really liked the car through the late 80s (mainly due to the styling and the imagery of its rally dominance) but never thought it might be something I would ever afford. In comparison to today's prices, my Quattro bought new in 1984 was very similar to a three-bedroom terraced town house in Northampton. In 1990 I bought an Audi Coupe GT, the same platform which the Quattro was built on. I was so impressed with it that I decided to take the next leap and got the ur Quattro."
Quattro cost as much as a house in Northampton!Things I love:
"Even though I have owned it for longer than I have had children or even known my wife, when I look at it I still smile in the knowledge its mine. Being 29 years old the car is still a joy to drive. The older I get the more I like it as a symbol of when the world was a simpler place. As my wife waves me off to work in the morning asking me to be home for tea on time I can jokingly say 'shut it you slag!', as only a true 80s throwback would. It also sounds like a real car should."
'It sounds like a real car should' says MartinCosts:
"Agreed value insurance is £117 per year. It's quite thirsty, 20 to the gallon. Spares can be very difficult to source and they are getting harder to find, they're pretty expensive too in most cases. I have a large spares collection growing and I pick up a lot of parts from eBay. It's reliable but being at its age it needs a few minor things now and then."
Sourcing spares demands time and ingenuityWant to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
Audi Quattro: PH Carpool
20-odd years down the line this week's Carpooler loves his Quattro as much as ever
Car: Audi Quattro 1984 (WR model)
Owned since: 1992
Previously owned: Humber Sceptre, Ford Capri Mk1 2.0, Audi 100, Datsun 260Z, Porsche 911 2.2 Carrera
Martin's previous car history is pretty interesting!
"It is one of the best looking cars ever produced - simple. I had always really liked the car through the late 80s (mainly due to the styling and the imagery of its rally dominance) but never thought it might be something I would ever afford. In comparison to today's prices, my Quattro bought new in 1984 was very similar to a three-bedroom terraced town house in Northampton. In 1990 I bought an Audi Coupe GT, the same platform which the Quattro was built on. I was so impressed with it that I decided to take the next leap and got the ur Quattro."
What I wish I'd known:
"I did very little research really, I just wanted it more than anything else so I got one that I liked, a bit on impulse really. I soon found out all the inherent pitfalls of the car, but as I like tinkering, fixing it as the bugs came out was just part of the ownership."
Quattro cost as much as a house in Northampton!
"Even though I have owned it for longer than I have had children or even known my wife, when I look at it I still smile in the knowledge its mine. Being 29 years old the car is still a joy to drive. The older I get the more I like it as a symbol of when the world was a simpler place. As my wife waves me off to work in the morning asking me to be home for tea on time I can jokingly say 'shut it you slag!', as only a true 80s throwback would. It also sounds like a real car should."
Things I hate:
"There's nothing to hate about it - it's awesome. Anything I didn't like has been changed or improved. From initial purchase I have done lots to it but since the first few years of ownership and all the repairs, rebuilds and overhauls there's been very little since, although I don't use it that often in order for it to go wrong to be fair."
'It sounds like a real car should' says Martin
"Agreed value insurance is £117 per year. It's quite thirsty, 20 to the gallon. Spares can be very difficult to source and they are getting harder to find, they're pretty expensive too in most cases. I have a large spares collection growing and I pick up a lot of parts from eBay. It's reliable but being at its age it needs a few minor things now and then."
Where I've been:
"Nowhere exciting, I've been to a couple of track days and it's not the easiest to drive on tarmac. I used to drive down to Cornwall every year but I have been planning a summer trip to the Alps in it one day soon.
What next?
"I have never considered selling it but am always looking out for something else. I would like a Mk1 Escort!"
Sourcing spares demands time and ingenuity
Discussion
C'mon, speaking as a fellow UR owner there's at least one thing to hate about these...
...the serious lack of parts thanks to Audi's NLA policy. If it wasn't for the help and generosity from members of sites like Classic Audi I would have thrown in the towel long ago!
On a positive note, there's a great feeling driving a car like this. The sound of the engine, the way the whole car rocks from side to side as you blip the throttle at lights. The looks and waves you get when out and about.
If only the parts were readily available I would keep my car indefinitely.
Lovely looking example you have though, you don't often see them in that colour and it certainly helps being able to tinker under the bonnet! Mines white (Bentley Ghost NOT pearl or alpine!) with grey leather interior
...the serious lack of parts thanks to Audi's NLA policy. If it wasn't for the help and generosity from members of sites like Classic Audi I would have thrown in the towel long ago!
On a positive note, there's a great feeling driving a car like this. The sound of the engine, the way the whole car rocks from side to side as you blip the throttle at lights. The looks and waves you get when out and about.
If only the parts were readily available I would keep my car indefinitely.
Lovely looking example you have though, you don't often see them in that colour and it certainly helps being able to tinker under the bonnet! Mines white (Bentley Ghost NOT pearl or alpine!) with grey leather interior
I had one in 91 and did London to Aurillac to Val D`Isere to Chamonix to St Tropez, back to Aurillac then back to London, I remember having no aircon, all windows open,roof out, a pile of TAPES on the passenger seat and even listening to The Archers while blasting along the Autoroute!
A friend then bought one and loved it but sold it a few years ago because he was worried about a lack of parts availability, now has an A2 which he hates!
A friend then bought one and loved it but sold it a few years ago because he was worried about a lack of parts availability, now has an A2 which he hates!
Very lucky that Audi let me loose in their own car a few times, a lovely 20v, and it remains one of the nicest cars I've ever driven and perhaps the only one of my youthfull heroes that didn't dissapoint. I truly loved it (though it took a while to find the boot release)
Always had the slight feeling that the fabulously eighties digital speedo was a little behind what the car was doing - but with grippy tyres it really did feel so planted - which was a godsend as I also felt that the brakes were more hopeful than effective :-)
Glorious - and I'd have one in a heartbeat!!!!
Always had the slight feeling that the fabulously eighties digital speedo was a little behind what the car was doing - but with grippy tyres it really did feel so planted - which was a godsend as I also felt that the brakes were more hopeful than effective :-)
Glorious - and I'd have one in a heartbeat!!!!
I'm annoyed - Audi have always gone to great pains to utilise the Quattro history, even as I've said going to lengths to get this stunning car to people who could help to spread the gospel of Ur - so if they aren't supporting the dedicated owners of these great cars on which their modern history is based I think it is a great shame, a very great shame!!!
I think just because they are great cars - and that's a particularly great example in that colour combination - this Carpool has left me wanting for more.
Martin Hall said:
Anything I didn't like has been changed or improved.
Like what? Can we have some interior pics please? Some more driving impressions please?
Lovely Colour Lovely Car. Fab you Slag.
Back in 1990 due to work for a year I lived near Chester. Most evenings on the way home from work the last 4 miles of my journey were on a twisty back road where I usually hooked up with a red quattro.
Either he would be behind me or I behind him we had some great fun chasing each other.
I had a Alpine GTA V6 Turbo and on the dry days there was nothing between us, I could not loose him and he could not loose me. But on the wet days he most definitely had the upper hand.
He would turn off just 1/2 a mile before me and although we would always flash and wave we never actually met up but we had a good short work out at the end of most days which would put you in a good mood for the rest of the evening a great end to the day.
Always wanted one but never got round to one.
Back in 1990 due to work for a year I lived near Chester. Most evenings on the way home from work the last 4 miles of my journey were on a twisty back road where I usually hooked up with a red quattro.
Either he would be behind me or I behind him we had some great fun chasing each other.
I had a Alpine GTA V6 Turbo and on the dry days there was nothing between us, I could not loose him and he could not loose me. But on the wet days he most definitely had the upper hand.
He would turn off just 1/2 a mile before me and although we would always flash and wave we never actually met up but we had a good short work out at the end of most days which would put you in a good mood for the rest of the evening a great end to the day.
Always wanted one but never got round to one.
QuattroDave said:
...the serious lack of parts thanks to Audi's NLA policy. If it wasn't for the help and generosity from members of sites like Classic Audi I would have thrown in the towel long ago!...
That's the same for a lot of manufacturers with cars over 10/15yrs old. Comes with the territory of owning older cars I'm afraid.
FAB car, its making me all misty eyed for my old 90 Quattro, love the sound from the old 5 pot Audi.
Seeing an old Ur Quattro hammer down the road still makes me go weak at the knees thinking about Welsh forests and huge lumps of metal being hurled sideways with all four tyres spinning franticaly for grip - bring back Group B .... please.
Seeing an old Ur Quattro hammer down the road still makes me go weak at the knees thinking about Welsh forests and huge lumps of metal being hurled sideways with all four tyres spinning franticaly for grip - bring back Group B .... please.
I love these cars, but I think I've missed the boat now that spares are getting hard to source. My Dad had a coupe quattro back in the 80s (I had a Mk2 RS2000) and he liked his Audi so much he exported it to Oz when my parents emigrated there in 1987. He often had people ask "Is it a quattro?" Unfortunately without the arches, the turbo or drive to the rear wheels!
I used to watch a lot of rallies in the 80s too and the sight and sound of the A2 quattros banging and popping through the forests was awesome.
If you could keep one on the road easily, I'd buy one tomorrow. Unfortunately I need a second car I can use and rely on, so it looks like a 993...
I used to watch a lot of rallies in the 80s too and the sight and sound of the A2 quattros banging and popping through the forests was awesome.
If you could keep one on the road easily, I'd buy one tomorrow. Unfortunately I need a second car I can use and rely on, so it looks like a 993...
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