Before Audi could field a quattro in the elite Group B ‘supercar’ category in international rallying, it needed to comply with prevailing FIA homologation regulations necessitating production of 200 road legal examples of any planned competition car. As a result, the Audi Sport quattro was born in 1984, its wheelbase length reduced by 320mm primarily to optimise weight and adjustability in the forests and its power substantially increased from the standard wheelbase ‘civilian’ model’s 200PS to a mighty 306PS.
That power hike came courtesy of an extensively revised version of the original car’s 2.1-litre five-cylinder engine, allied to an uprated five-speed manual gearbox. Endowed with a larger turbocharger and rally-spec intercooler, the unit also featured a lighter aluminium block and cylinder head to reduce nose weight, the latter setting a new precedent in the Audi engine range at the time with a four-valve per cylinder configuration. Beyond the optimised engine and truncated wheelbase, the extensive use of Kevlar, carbon fibre and GFRP throughout the fearsomely flared and vented body also worked in favour of the Sport quattro’s impressive power-to-weight ratio.
Suspension that was so close in specification to the corresponding rally car’s that it necessitated exhaustive tuning work for the road was combined with specially tailored quattro all-wheel-drive and larger, fully ventilated disc brakes to deliver truly extraordinary stability, traction and control.
Just 214 examples of the Sport quattro were produced. Our car was purchased from AUDI AG in 1985 to use as a demonstrator for the five cars allocated to the UK and registered here at the beginning of 1986.
Technical information
- Cylinders – five in-line
- Displacement – 2133cc
- Power – 306PS @ 6500rpm
- Torque – 350Nm @ 4500rpm
- Max speed 155mph
- 0-62mph in 4.8 secs
- Transmission – five-speed manual
- quattro all-wheel drive
- Weight – 1270kg
Audi Sport Quattro – 1985 Press Release
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