1985 AUDI QUATTRO

One of the most influential designs of recent decades, the Audi Quattro brought four-wheel drive into the motoring mainstream. Introduced in 1980, the Quattro was based on the outwardly similar Coupé's practical and stylish three-door 'fast hatch-back' bodyshell but used a different floorpan to accommodate its four-wheel-drive transmission and independent rear suspension. The engine was a development of the 2.1-litre, five-cylinder unit first seen in the 200 saloon, equipped with a KKK turbocharger and producing 200bhp in road trim, considerably more being available in race tune. The motivation behind Audi's marriage of a Volkswagen military vehicle's four-wheel-drive system to its new high-performance Coupé had been desire for success in international Group B rallying. In the latter role the Quattro excelled, winning the Manufacturer's Championship for Audi in 1982 and 1984 and the Driver's Championship in 1983 and '84 (with Hannu Mikkola and Stig Blomqvist respectively), but its enduring legacy would be the demonstration of four-wheel drive's advantages for passenger cars.

Having achieved significant successes with the original Quattro, Audi developed a more specialised rally car in the form of the Sport Quattro 'homologation special'. Weight saving had been one of the engineers' main aims in developing the Sport, which featured a turbocharged alloy-block engine of 2,133cc boasting a new double-overhead-camshaft 20-valve cylinder head. Maximum power went up to 306bhp. This new power plant went into a short-wheelbase chassis, while further weight savings were gained by using Kevlar for the wings, roof and front apron. ABS brakes made their appearance on a Quattro for the first time. With over 300 horsepower on tap in road trim, the Sport Quattro possessed supercar performance, boasting a 160mph top speed and 0-60mph time of only 4.8 seconds - truly outstanding figures even by today's standards. According to Eric Dymock's The Audi File: "214 were built; 164 were sold to customers, and 20 were used as competition cars by the Motorsport Department. The remainder were experimental and retained by the factory."

The current owner purchased this Sport Quattro in September 2024 through Bonhams at Goodwood Revival. Prior to this the vehicle was acquired in 1993 from Duncan Hamilton; the previous owner was Simon Draper, who had purchased the car from Audi in 1986. It should be noted that the V5 registration document states that the car was 'previously registered and/or used overseas prior to first registration in Great Britain'. The Audi was 'declared manufactured 1985' and first registered in the UK on 11th April 1986.

Buyers should note that this example still retains its original and rare Aluminium engine block. The buyer should be aware that the chassis number has a typo and should read WAUZZZ85ZEA905126 not WAUZZZ8SZEA905126