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I’ve previously done deep dives on the Coupe GT, and in particular the 1987.5 ‘Special Build’ models:
1987 Audi Coupe GT Special Build
1986-7 were transitional years at Audi though, as the B3 model was introduced and the company seemed to just throw the parts bin at random models. My ’86 GT, for example, is not a Special Build or a Commemorative Design model, yet it has a digital dashboard. The same is true of today’s 1987; it is not a Special Build, but has one of Audi’s indiscriminately placed digidash clusters. For good measure, and to make things extra hard, it’s also got a body-color rear spoiler, which was a signature of the Special Build and Commemorative Design cars, but not offered on standard GTs. Yet a peek under the hood reveals the 110 horsepower 2.2-liter KX inline-five. Let’s take a look:
Like yesterday’s GTI, the similarly Giugiaro-styled Audi Coupe GT added a touch of upscale Italian design to relatively pedestrian underpinnings. However, there was more of the rally-bred all-wheel drive Quattro DNA in the Coupe GT than its corporate cousin. Nearly everything apart from the door handles in the B2 was overbuilt; massive driveshafts, bigger brakes and heavier duty suspension, and a robust engine meant that in any form these entry level Audis have stood the test of time pretty well. While in Europe there were several different variants of the Coupe in 4 or 5 cylinder and with all-wheel drive, in the U.S. we only got one at any time. Starting with a 2.1 inline-5, the front-drive only GTs worked their way up to the last of the run 2.3 NG motored cars. With 4-wheel disc brakes, special exterior and interior treatments, a unique digital dashboard and 130 horsepower, these lighter “Special Build†GTs were a performance match for U.S. spec Quattros, and are almost as rare. This black example sports some modifications but looks quite clean overall:
