Coupe 2.2 Petrol

The Audi Quattro may not have been the first four-wheel drive production car (that honour belongs to the 1966 Jensen Interceptor FF), but its place in history is assured. Thanks in no small part to its enormous rallying success, the Quattro popularized all-wheel drive, and is now regarded as one of the most influential and important sports cars of the 1980s. The brainchild of Jorg Bensinger, an Audi chassis engineer, development work was started in 1977 and, three-years later the finished product was released. Although the floor pan had much in common with the Audi 80 and the running gear was largely taken from an Audi 200, the Quattro used a manual centre differential lock (operated by levers next to the handbrake) to govern the 197bhp and 210lb/ft power outputs delivered by the 2.1-litre in-line five-cylinder turbocharged engine. By the time this particular car arrived in 1990, the crude cable-operated 50:50 split differential had been replaced with a much more advanced Torsen (torque sensing) diff and the engine had been uprated with double overhead camshafts and a larger 2,226cc capacity, upping power to 217bhp.

Finished in Pearl White with a grey half leather and cloth interior, H945 TNV was first registered on 1st August 1990 and is believed to be one of the first, if not the first, 20-valve cars to be registered in the UK. It's been enjoyed by five keepers in total, the last being a private Collector who has cherished and cossetted this Quattro for the last few years. Whether or not it's the first UK-20 valve car has not been established yet, but it does have some celebrity status as this particular car appeared on television and was magazine featured by Jeremy Clarkson in Performance Car, January 1991.

The car has just recently had a total going-over by Pete Berry of White Cottage Quattros in Horsham and is good to go. It's accompanied by its original book pack, including the Owners Manual, two stamped service books and a copy of the magazine feature. Described by our vendor as 'extremely nice and a joy to drive', with such provenance this highly sought after 20V Quattro would enhance any collection and be a great talking point at local shows and events.