The Forgotten Quattro
The original Audi Coupe Quattros were hot in the early '80s but 25 years later they leave collectors cold
by Rob Sass


Audi Coupe Quattro

How the mighty have fallen. In 25 years, most expensive cars depreciate, but few cars as significant as the original Audi Coupe Quattro (Ur-Quattro from the German for "original") have so utterly disappeared both in value and visibility from the marketplace.

Although Audi was not the first to offer an all-wheel-drive sport coupe—Jensen briefly offered the FF in the late '60s and early '70s—Audi brought the concept to the mainstream with the Quattro. They promoted it by dominating the world rally scene and successfully integrated all-wheel-drive into their main product line.

Lamborghini Countaches and Ferrari 308s may have dominated the dorm room posters of the early 1980s, but if you spent any of your formative years either following big-time rallying or living in places like Boulder or Aspen, Colorado, the Coupe Quattro was the car you wanted.

As SCM's Thor Thorson noted in his July 2002 profile of the Audi Quattro Coupe, "At the 1980 Algarve rally in Portugal, Audi served notice when a Quattro was used as a course car (first car through, to clear the roads). Had it been a competitor, it would have won by 30 minutes."

While based on the underrated Audi 4000-derived Coupe, the relationship was like that of an E30 BMW M3 to a garden-variety 318i. Like the original M3, the Quattro pumped up the aggression level to the point of needing anger management therapy—the big fender blisters and Auto Union ring side decals signaled that Audi was back on the enthusiast map in a way not seen since the 1930s.

Boost gauge one of the few clues

The car's aggressive good looks didn't translate to the inside, which looked almost identical to a 4000 sedan, with plastic no better or no worse than the standards of the day. Most U.S. cars came with leather seating with funky diagonal pleating. The boost gauge and the differential control knob in the center console were the only giveaways to the special nature of the car.

One bonus is the acceptable rear seating the Quattro inherited from the ordinary coupe. U.S. cars unfortunately missed the good-looking, non-sealed-beam (i.e. effective) headlights of the Euro cars, making do with four square sealed-beam units. Most Quattro geeks have remedied this by retrofitting the Euro lights and adding a set of round driving lights.

By today's standards, the 2.1-liter KKK turbocharged inline 5-cylinder was neither particularly smooth nor powerful, putting out just 172 hp in U.S. trim. But it was good enough to push the Coupe Quattro from idle to 60 in a little over seven seconds—not much slower than a Ferrari 308 GTB of the day. And unlike a Ferrari, you didn't have to put the car away at the first sign of bad weather. In fact, "bad weather" was really "good weather" for the Quattro.

The Coupe Quattro was poised enough on dry roads, but lock the center differential with the knob on the console (complete with a lighted drivetrain diagram) and the car became nearly invincible. In the hands of drivers like Blomqvist, Mikkola, Hertz, and Mouton, the CQ was a weapon of mass destruction, from Pikes Peak to Monte Carlo, winning the manufacturers title for Audi in 1982 and '84.

Today's Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evo owe their existence to the Ur-Quattro, which proved that a lightweight all-wheel-drive system and a compact high performance car were a match made in heaven.

Doesn't seem exotic today

Although considered relatively exotic when new because of its drivetrain, there is very little to the Quattro that seems exotic today. Like most early turbos, post-shutoff heat spikes could cause oil to coke, which ruined turbo bearings and impellers. New or rebuilt KKK turbos are shockingly expensive. Using modern synthetic oils and allowing a cool-down period of several minutes after a hard drive is advisable. Blown head gaskets are also a family flaw in Audi inline 5-cylinder engines. Expect the usual electrical issues and also brake booster problems.

Quattro coupes are only average rusters, but since fun in the snow was the raison d'etré for the Quattro, it's probably best to avoid Salt Belt cars. In addition to European headlights and a honking set of Hella or Cibié spotlights, most Quattro owners have made the wise decision to replace the stock wheels. For whatever reason, Audi chose to deliver the Quattro with the same skinny, finned "turbine" wheels that came standard on the 5000 of the day. They look lost in the big blistered fenders of the Quattro. A set of period Ronals, Gottis, or BBS wheels can be found on most surviving examples.

A few Quattros modified by ABT are still running around. ABT is to Audi what Alpina is to BMW. Turbo and exhaust mods gave these cars the jump of the European cars. If you find one still on the road after all this time, that answers any longevity questions.

Lousy cars change hands for $6,000

As far as future collectibility goes, the short-wheelbase, high-horsepower, unobtainium-in-the-U.S. "Sport Quattro" will always steal the limelight from its older brother. However, don't count out the Ur-Quattro. Although they rarely appear at land auctions, there have been a few recent eBay sales of good cars at close to the $20,000 level. I have a feeling the lousy ones change hands publicly for $6,000-$7,000, but the really good ones trade among those in the know for a lot more.

Cars like the original E30 M3 already have an intense following. Maybe the Gen-X WRXers will want to examine their cars' ancestor in much the same way the Boxster has caused the once-overlooked 914 to be re-examined by collectors.

Provided by Sports Car Market—The Insider's Guide to Collecting, Investing, Values and Trends

December 06, 2007

By Mike Beirne and Steve Miller

After a 20-year absence from the game, Audi will advertise during Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLII.

Audi will feature is $109,000 R8 roadster in a 60-second spot that will air during the first quarter, said Scott Keogh, CMO of Audi of America.

“We are going to keep our cards close to the vest until Super Bowl day actually arrives, because I think we have a dramatic message,” Keogh said.

Keogh said the execution, from Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, will “grab into the heart and soul of the American struggle and the American entertainment business," but declined to go into details.

The ad’s only broadcast TV airing will be during the Super Bowl telecast Feb. 3. However, there will be teaser spots available online prior at AudiWorld.com and third-party sites, filled with subliminal messages and innuendo that Keogh hopes will prompt repeated viewings as consumers attempt to decode the secret meanings.

“We want this to explode on the Web and get people talking,” he said.

The R8 is a so-called “halo” car, designed to draw attention to the brand. It first hit dealerships in October. Audi sold 104 of the R8 that month, and 67 in November.

The spot will kick off a bid to position the brand as a top-tier luxury car on the biggest stage in advertising.

“It’s time for us to not only let the experts and aficionados know about Audi; we want America to know about Audi,” said Keogh.

Audi spent $67 million on advertising in 2006, and $21 million from January through September of this year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

LeSueur Car Company is proud to announce our sponsorship of AZAudi.org!

This is Rob O'Brien in the Service Department. You might be more familiar with my username, Type44. I wanted to take a second to tell you a bit about LeSueur:

We specialize in sales and service of used/pre-owned Audis and Volkswagens. We have been in business since 1975. Currently, we have about 30 Audis including the A6, A4, A3, and TT, to say nothing of the over 200 VWs in stock including the Jetta, Passat, GTI, Golf, Rabbit, Beetle, TDI, Touareg, Jetta Wagon, and Passat Wagon.

We also offer a wide selection of other vehicles from BMWs to Volvos (alphabetically speaking...) but what I'd really like to tell you about is the Service Dept. I've been an Audi owner since 1996 and have been professionally repairing them since 1999. Prior to coming aboard at LeSueur I was a tech at Perri's German Auto. I am an ASE Certified Master Technician- and I'm not the only one here. Our Service Mgr. Doug Dwyer, can also claim ASE Master status. And my fellow tech, Jack Paonessa, has worked at LeSueur for over 12 years.

As one of the few... the proud... the AZAudi 5 year members, I'm pleased to be associated with LeSueur Car Company- and I'm sure Joshua is pleased that LeSueur has stepped up to sponsor the site. Look for AZAudi member service specials, tech tips, and more to come.

The Audi S5’s 4.2 liter V8 engine that produces 354 horsepower is more than adequate to lead the coupe segment with BMW’s 335i coupe and Infiniti’s G37 following behind. But what does Audi have planned to rival the new 2008 BMW M3 coupe? Most would jump to the conclusion that the next Audi RS 4 with a rumored 450 horsepower engine would be the perfect competitor.

However, the RS 4 is a sedan and will be a great competitor for the M3 Sedan rather than the M3 Coupe. The answer to the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe will be Audi’s upcoming RS 5, which is expected to hit the market later next year.

While no official details have been confirmed it is rumored that Audi will most likely fit the RS 5 with the same 420 horsepower V8 engine from the RS 4. Even better, Road&Track sources are saying that Audi may even look to fellow Lamborghini for the 5.2 liter V10 engine that produces 500 horsepower in the Gallardo. That should definitely leave the M3 in the dust.

Whatever the case, Audi will fit the RS 5 with Quattro all-wheel-drive and most likely offer big arse Brembo brakes. The body will take on a much more aggressive look than the S5 along with a sportier interior.

We expect some word on the Audi RS 5 at the Geneva Motor Show, but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s pushed back until Frankfurt in September next year.

Our friends over at CarMagazine have caught the Audi RS6 doing high-speed testing at the Nurburgring. The Audi RS6 is expected to be powered by a 5.2 liter V10 engine that produces 530 horsepower, well over BMW M5’s 500 horses and Mercedes E63 estate’s 514 horsepower.

The Audi RS6 Avant will have ability to do 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 155mph. The car is made fully by Audi’s Quattro division and, according to CarMagazine, should cost somewhere around £67,000.