For the Audi, BMW and Mercedes, the DTM has always been a pretty big deal. Whether that's full-on homologation heroes or special editions marking championship success, they're never averse to marking a tin-top triumph. Mercedes-AMG went as far as creating an entirely new model in the CLK DTM, and BMW recently made a few more GTS M4s in a unique colour scheme to commemorate another title victory. DTM really, really matters. Or rather, it did - the championship is a rather different proposition running to GT3 rules...
Anyway, the point stands that cars inspired by DTM are cool. But they're also expensive - the cheapest M4 DTM Champion Edition we found is more than £80k. And the CLK? Set aside a quarter of a million. There is hope, however, for those after some DTM cachet (or merely something rare) that isn't quite so pricey, in the Audi A4 DTM Edition.
Okay, sure, it doesn't have 500hp or bespoke bodywork or a massive rear wing. But the car created to mark Audi's 2004 DTM clean sweep - a drivers' and manufacturers' title for the first time - wasn't merely badges and floor mats. Based on a A4 2.0T, the DTM was more powerful and torquier (220hp and 221lb ft) than standard, lower by 20mm and ever so slightly lighter thanks to unique cross-drilled brake discs. With a smart bodykit and chunky twin exhausts as well, the DTM wasn't quite as cynical a special edition as some expected. In 2005 Audi made 250 for the UK, each costing £30k and said to be capable of 153mph.
Soon after, though, the RS4 of this generation appeared, and any residual enthusiasm for the DTM probably disappeared. Because, by every single measure, it was a vastly more exciting car. An RS4 isn't £8k nowadays though, and a DTM is - probably a whole heap rarer, too.
Guess the mileage of this one - you'll probably be at least 20k out. This A4 DTM is now almost 180,000 miles old, the most recent MOT in October at 177,981 and its 16th birthday coming up at the end of March. Remarkable, isn't it? You really could mistake it for a car with 80k - the Sprint Blue paint is vivid, the wheels miraculously unkerbed, even the Recaro seats pretty plump for all this use. There are one or two giveaways to a higher-than-average milage, but the DTM really does present very well indeed. When the original DTM floormats are still in, you get the impression that it's been cared for.
The MOT history backs that up, too. The DTM has only failed twice since its first test 13 years and 140,000 miles ago, both for a worn rear tyre. The passes have all been largely blemish-free, too - the A4 has just racked up the miles, seemingly without much complaint. Or with diligent ownership, at least. Now, hopefully, the next custodian of the DTM will be a brand enthusiast and the most dedicated yet. After all, £8k buys a newer, lower mileage A4 with around 200hp, if that's what you're after. But for buyer into the rarity and the upgrades unique to the DTM, this one really looks a fine example. Despite a mileage more minicab than racecar...
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