RE: Audi quattro | Anniversary Rise
Discussion
I spent my formative years in the back of one of these (albeit without a turbo). And suspect its this car alone that planted the petrolhead seed in me. Road trips to Wales to watch the Lombard, effortless over takes down B roads with my mum grabbing the door handle telling my dad off, and leaving muddy carparks with the difflocks on whilst everyone else had to get out and push. True love.
loggyboy said:
I spent my formative years in the back of one of these (albeit without a turbo). And suspect its this car alone that planted the petrolhead seed in me. Road trips to Wales to watch the Lombard, effortless over takes down B roads with my mum grabbing the door handle telling my dad off, and leaving muddy carparks with the difflocks on whilst everyone else had to get out and push. True love.
Every passenger, when on the twisties, made to grab the high grab handle (I was in my 30's ffs, and the world was a different place) - only to discover that there wasn't one. The door handle was all there was to hold on to.... 
Terrific article and vid Dan.
Loved the car and love it today.
A true great sorely missed.
AM Cars in Chard Somerset used to maintain and sell the UR’s...not sure if they are still about.
Likewise Tim Stiles Racing in Bridgwater now TSR used to service modify and maintain them in the late 80’s and 90’s.
Loved the car and love it today.
A true great sorely missed.
AM Cars in Chard Somerset used to maintain and sell the UR’s...not sure if they are still about.
Likewise Tim Stiles Racing in Bridgwater now TSR used to service modify and maintain them in the late 80’s and 90’s.
Terrific article and vid Dan.
Loved the car and love it today.
A true great sorely missed.
AM Cars in Chard Somerset used to maintain and sell the UR’s...not sure if they are still about.
Likewise Tim Stiles Racing in Bridgwater now TSR used to service modify and maintain them in the late 80’s and 90’s.
AM cars
Here you go:
https://www.amcarsquattro.co.uk/vehicle-listings/
Loved the car and love it today.
A true great sorely missed.
AM Cars in Chard Somerset used to maintain and sell the UR’s...not sure if they are still about.
Likewise Tim Stiles Racing in Bridgwater now TSR used to service modify and maintain them in the late 80’s and 90’s.
AM cars
Here you go:
https://www.amcarsquattro.co.uk/vehicle-listings/
My old man bought his when he retired in 1991. He had endured a succession of the coupés as company cars, but bought his Quattro within a week of going.
His was one of the run-out 20v S1s in Tornado Red.
What a beautifully brutal piece of kit. Deeply cool.
His slowly bled him dry financially with myriad problems later in its life, but it was fun while it lasted.
Boy, he loved that car.
His was one of the run-out 20v S1s in Tornado Red.
What a beautifully brutal piece of kit. Deeply cool.
His slowly bled him dry financially with myriad problems later in its life, but it was fun while it lasted.
Boy, he loved that car.
carinaman said:
This is one of the reasons why I like PH, I keep learning new nerdy stuff about my favourate old cars. Thanks.Bet they a pretty rare find these days.
Probably my all time favourite car. I had (and still have) a matchbox model of one when I was a kid and loved it back then because of the rally link. In 2007 I bought a mk3 golf (I know) from a guy in Manchester that was in the middle of a nut and bolt restoration of one and fell in love with it all over again. I almost bought one a few months later but I couldn’t really afford it at the time. Then Ashes to Ashes came out and the price of them skyrocketed and suddenly a lot of them got painted red.
I had the great pleasure of using an Ur Quattro (Treser tuned; 250bhp...) back in '83 or '84 for 3 months and 10,000 miles because ... it would not start on a turn of the key, except when stone cold. Read on ...
There I was, as Fleet Manager and dedicated petrol head, lumbered with selling this used company car that would not warm or hot star on the key, but it would always bump start immediately. Needless to say, I could not sell it without declaring that fault and could not possibly sell it with the fault at a price that came anywhere near what I needed to achieve in order to balance my books.
It had been halfway round the UK to try and trace the fault with no success. Our trusted local Audi dealer (Lockyear Motors of Plummers Plain), GTI Engineering, here, there and everywhere. Each of these had changed at least one component and declared it fixed. I wasn't and the bills were mounting up ...
In the end, not being easily defeated and being notably handy on the tools, I had a chat with the company Chairman and did a deal that I would fix it in my own time and the company would pay for the part(s). After I'd fixed it, I would have use of it for three months.
Ten days later, beavering away each evening in my driveway, I'd found the fault. It was a broken wire in one of the hall effect triggers that sense TDC and the base timing point. Nightmare to trace, £30 plus VAT to fix.
The 10k miles I drove over the following 3 months were the best fun I'd ever had up to then on the road. The car was simply stunning to drive. Nothing could keep up with it over any reasonable distance. Terrific - and I'd have another tomorrow!
There I was, as Fleet Manager and dedicated petrol head, lumbered with selling this used company car that would not warm or hot star on the key, but it would always bump start immediately. Needless to say, I could not sell it without declaring that fault and could not possibly sell it with the fault at a price that came anywhere near what I needed to achieve in order to balance my books.
It had been halfway round the UK to try and trace the fault with no success. Our trusted local Audi dealer (Lockyear Motors of Plummers Plain), GTI Engineering, here, there and everywhere. Each of these had changed at least one component and declared it fixed. I wasn't and the bills were mounting up ...
In the end, not being easily defeated and being notably handy on the tools, I had a chat with the company Chairman and did a deal that I would fix it in my own time and the company would pay for the part(s). After I'd fixed it, I would have use of it for three months.
Ten days later, beavering away each evening in my driveway, I'd found the fault. It was a broken wire in one of the hall effect triggers that sense TDC and the base timing point. Nightmare to trace, £30 plus VAT to fix.
The 10k miles I drove over the following 3 months were the best fun I'd ever had up to then on the road. The car was simply stunning to drive. Nothing could keep up with it over any reasonable distance. Terrific - and I'd have another tomorrow!
skylarking808 said:
Well done on finding that wire fault!
You got to drive one rare car. Any photos?
Thanks! I enjoyed the search and, after I found the fault, I tested the sensor by using the time honoured method of dunking it in a coffee mug full of hot water until it went open circuit. Then I cut the case off and unrolled the very fine coil up to the point of the break. No photos - 'twas in the days before I had a digicam.You got to drive one rare car. Any photos?
The car was certainly rare and was a real wolf in sheep's clothing at the time
Leithen said:
MFS151X
A brief history of what was one of the most remarkable cars we ever had.
Happy days.
Leithen, thanks so much for sharing the photos and story of this car. I look after the Audi UK heritage fleet and knew only a little bit about its history, so this is fascinating to me. I’ve spent many happy miles behind the wheel of this car too. It is a wonderful thing and Dan has done it proud in this video. A brief history of what was one of the most remarkable cars we ever had.
Happy days.
Incidentally, MFS, along with our four other quattros (2x20V - 1 unregistered, Sport quattro, Sport quattro S1 E2 rally car) will be at the London Classic Car Show at the end of this month.
I hope you don’t mind me asking, but could possibly DM me the photos you’ve shared here in hi-res please? It would be great to add them to our history file. Or if easier I can DM you my email address. Thanks in advance!
alexandthegolf said:
Leithen said:
MFS151X
A brief history of what was one of the most remarkable cars we ever had.
Happy days.
Leithen, thanks so much for sharing the photos and story of this car. I look after the Audi UK heritage fleet and knew only a little bit about its history, so this is fascinating to me. I’ve spent many happy miles behind the wheel of this car too. It is a wonderful thing and Dan has done it proud in this video. A brief history of what was one of the most remarkable cars we ever had.
Happy days.
Incidentally, MFS, along with our four other quattros (2x20V - 1 unregistered, Sport quattro, Sport quattro S1 E2 rally car) will be at the London Classic Car Show at the end of this month.
I hope you don’t mind me asking, but could possibly DM me the photos you’ve shared here in hi-res please? It would be great to add them to our history file. Or if easier I can DM you my email address. Thanks in advance!
skylarking808 said:
Made quite an impact when those squared off wonders hit the road back in the day.
Remember aged 17 driving my first car (Mk 1 Escort 1300 XL) in 1986 up the Torquay bypass. Red Quattro; the first I had ever seen, overtook me at warp speed and sounded/looked epic. Before that I probably lusted after a VW Golf Mk 1, but that of course changed.
Never driven one, but I did own a 1984 Audi 80 sport which was one of my faves of that era and a great base for the Quattro. Think they got 4 wheel drive 80 sports in Europe?
Black or green Quattro for me please.....
(I hear parts are a nightmare and they are very popular with tea leafs as they always were!)
I used to have an 80 Quattro sport, A65 LND. Normally aspirated, 140bhp.Remember aged 17 driving my first car (Mk 1 Escort 1300 XL) in 1986 up the Torquay bypass. Red Quattro; the first I had ever seen, overtook me at warp speed and sounded/looked epic. Before that I probably lusted after a VW Golf Mk 1, but that of course changed.
Never driven one, but I did own a 1984 Audi 80 sport which was one of my faves of that era and a great base for the Quattro. Think they got 4 wheel drive 80 sports in Europe?
Black or green Quattro for me please.....
(I hear parts are a nightmare and they are very popular with tea leafs as they always were!)
What a mega car. Looked the biz when I fitted Escort RS Turbo wheels, had soo much traction, incredible when activating the pnuematically operated centr and rear diffs.
What a hoot.
Eventually P/ex'd for a Moonstone Blue 3 door Cossie, another mental motorcar for the day!!
Nors said:
Not sure where the myth originated that later quattro's were galvanised, but it keeps poping up in articles like this.
No quattros were galvanised, not even parts of them.
Yep, my 1990 RR rotted for fun and needed a full restoration, with a lot of new metal, at just over 20 years old - it hardly goes out now and never in the rain. My 996 is now 20, used in all weathers (apart from winter salt season) and just needed a bit of rust repairing on a rear arch last year. Underneath it is still spot on.No quattros were galvanised, not even parts of them.
There is no way any Quattros were galvanised. The metal is awful.
^ That said, my TT is galvanised and it hasn't stopped the rear wheelarch rusting. It's only a coating after all, and a decent scrape can bring it off.
I have read various rumours of various bits of later ur-quattros were galvanised, but I wonder why Audi wouldn't have mentioned it if it was true.
I have read various rumours of various bits of later ur-quattros were galvanised, but I wonder why Audi wouldn't have mentioned it if it was true.
Ahonen said:
Yep, my 1990 RR rotted for fun and needed a full restoration, with a lot of new metal, at just over 20 years old - it hardly goes out now and never in the rain. My 996 is now 20, used in all weathers (apart from winter salt season) and just needed a bit of rust repairing on a rear arch last year. Underneath it is still spot on.
There is no way any Quattros were galvanised. The metal is awful.
Hi Steve - good to see you stuck with the old girl. Also completely agree with Nors re the galvanising - my 20v was irretrievably rotten. Except... the WR I bought next - which was badly rotten in the sills - had a bonnet on which a significant amount of paint was missing along that leading edge lip, which absolutely refused to rust. The MB I have now has, apart from some surface rust on the wheelarch returns, almost zero rust. Even scratches and bashes underneath haven’t rusted. And this on a car that lived outside for the first 22 years of its life (ie until I bought it ten years ago). The only rust actually is along the cut edges of metal, and I think this lends credence to the theory that Audi used some galvanised sheet metal in some cars. But Quattros were never dipped, of that I’m sure.There is no way any Quattros were galvanised. The metal is awful.
https://ibb.co/ZWJmGgp
why did i sell mine many years ago
better pic after few years of same car
https://imgur.com/xoMtRIt
why did i sell mine many years ago
better pic after few years of same car
https://imgur.com/xoMtRIt
Edited by x type on Monday 10th February 22:33
Edited by x type on Monday 10th February 22:34
I was maybe aged about 8 when my grandparents came back from their holidays with a toy UR quattro for me. From that moment on it was my favourite car.
Years later my parents bought an 86 plate Audi 90 quattro. It was good few years old by then and not quite a UR, but with its 5 cylinder 2.2 it was awesome.
Some years later I got the chance to drive an actual UR Quattro . It didnt disappoint.
For years I talked about buying one myself, that was in the late 90's when you could pick up a really good one for about 10 grand.
Oh well. If I ever win the lottery............
Years later my parents bought an 86 plate Audi 90 quattro. It was good few years old by then and not quite a UR, but with its 5 cylinder 2.2 it was awesome.
Some years later I got the chance to drive an actual UR Quattro . It didnt disappoint.
For years I talked about buying one myself, that was in the late 90's when you could pick up a really good one for about 10 grand.
Oh well. If I ever win the lottery............
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