Jörg Bensinger’s discovery of the Volkswagen Iltis military vehicle’s shocking performance when tested in the snow caused Audi’s chassis engineer to propose a high-performance four-wheel-drive car in 1977 which an Audi 80 variant was developed in co-operation with Walter Treser, Director of Pre-Development. The Audi Quattro was launched at the Geneva motor show in 1980 as a luxurious, high-performance road car and not as an off-road vehicle.” Audi stated.
The word Quattro is an Italian word for “four”. The name has also been used by Audi to refer to the Quattro four-wheel-drive system or any four-wheel-drive version of an Audi model. The original Quattro model is also commonly referred to as the Ur-Quattro – the “Ur-” (German for “primordial”, “original”, or “first of its kind”) is an augmentative prefix. The idea of such a car came from the Audi engineer Jörg Bensinger.
The Audi Quattro is best known for its use of a four-wheel-drive system. The car won consecutive competitions and to commemorate the success of the original vehicle, all subsequent Audi production automobiles with this four-wheel-drive system were badged with the trademark Quattro with a lower case “q” letter.
It is not a hidden fact that the Audi Quattro shared most of its parts and platforms with the Coupé version of the Audi 80. The Quattro was internally designated Typ 85, which was the same production code the Quattro versions of the Audi Coupé came with. Its characteristic flared wheel arches were styled by Martin Smith. The car had independent front and rear suspension. The Audi Quattro faced some serious rivalry from the likes of Porsche 911 SC, Jaguar XJ-S, Lotus Elite, Opel Monza, BMW 6 Series, and Mercedes 280CE. Quattro production ended in 1991 with a total of 11,452 units built and sold globally with some significant enhancements, mainly the 1985 facelift which saw the addition of a 20 valve engine and new dash. A Torsen differential replaced the manual locking diff in 1987.
The Quattro Interior Design
See also, 2010 Audi Q7: Here Are The Amazing Features You Need to Know
This German-built beauty had its interior well crafted and polished No slipping off these seats, very easy to see out of and get on with. The dynamics may have dated a little, but the interior comfortable refinement, as well as its performance, made the £14,500 price tag very good value for money.
The Quattro had a cassette player which was the technology trending at that time with three lever buttons each on either side of the instrument binnacle and they take care of almost everything else. Standard with the Audi Quattro was electric windows and central locking. The diff lock levers were between the seats. These provisions were put in place to be used in snow or muddy environment.
The Quattro has a good driving position with much cabin space and the seats flat by modern standards. The ‘turbo’ label in the center of its large steering wheel instead of the Quattro logo is an instant surprise once you are on board the vehicle and this can only be explained by Audi who made it so. The boot is a fiddle to use as it’s a little pop-up flap at the back rather than a tailgate incorporating the rear window, at 390 liters, there’s plenty of space in there.
The Engine of the Quattro
Read also, 2022 Audi Q5 Sportback: Here’s Amazing Features You Need to Know
Under the hood of the Audi Quattro lies a 2.1-liter 5cyl turbo engine that came from the Audi 200 executive saloon. To further boost the engine performance, an additional 30bhp was added to its existing 170 bhp by the fitment of an intercooler and computerized ignition. Allowing the turbo to run at 0.85bar instead of 0.75 mounted longways in the engine bay. Running the gearbox output shaft to the final drive differential on the back axle became very easy. The Audi 200 also donated its driveshafts and disc brakes, while the rack and pinion steering was carried over from the regular coupe. At 1,260kg, the generously proportioned Quattro was lighter than a Toyota GR Yaris is today.
Read more on belmadeng.com