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Tag: 4000S

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Audi’s Other Front Drivers: 1985 5000S Avant and 4000S

Audi’s Other Front Drivers: 1985 5000S Avant and 4000S

Published September 13, 2015 by Carter

You’d be forgiven for thinking, based solely on my 1980s Audi coverage, that there was only one front drive model available during those times – the Coupe GT. True enough, the 2-door is my favorite of the front drive Audis from that time, but in fact Audi produced many two wheel drive cars right up to the 2000s. Few remember, for example, that there was a front drive A8 available briefly with a smaller 3.7 motor. A few generations earlier, though, and it was a different large Audi that was initially available in front drive only – the 5000, before it was a quattro, was powered only by the leading wheels. Indeed, even its famous appearance in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was, while a Turbo model, still front drive only. And while it’s been the quattro versions of both the Coupe and 4000 that were more popularly remembered, both the 5000S and 4000S enjoyed a popular base and were good cars in their own right. Today we have two of these forgotten and forlorn Audis to take a look at:

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Squint-worthy Survivor: 1985 Audi 4000S quattro

Squint-worthy Survivor: 1985 Audi 4000S quattro

Published March 16, 2015 by Carter

I had a serious amount of nostalgia when I came across this listing; if finding 1980s Audis has become somewhat rare these days, finding ones in good nick has become even more so. But in this case the nostalgia stems from this particular model in this particular configuration; an Alpine White with Brazil Brown sport cloth 1985 4000S quattro. The reason why is that it’s about as close to the first car I owned as you can come. I had this car in this configuration, but a 1986 “CS” model. Outside of the “C” on the rear, the only other change was the addition of the third brake light at the base of the rear window. I didn’t start out looking for an Audi at all, and to be honest when I was 18 the B2 was virtually unknown to me. I tried – and failed – to buy a decent 2002 tii; an exercise that ultimately led a car-selling friend of my father’s to take me under his wing. He claimed he’d find the perfect car for me, and shortly thereafter I found myself paying for a 4000CS quattro without any real knowledge of it. It had about the same mileage as the car shown here, and generally was in good shape. Over the next few years, it would carry me on many adventures; long highway cruises to see friends, trips to the mountains to ski, my first track event, countless drives sideways through the snow – it became as much as friend as a vehicle. Despite that, the day came when I had to move on; owning both a Coupe GT and the 4000, I chose the former as the car to keep and the 4000CS quattro drove away. I’ve often dreamed of finding another in the shape mine left me in. And though it requires quite a bit of squinting due to the unreasonably small photos in this listing, I think this car just about fits the mold:

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Seeing Red: Audi 4000 quattro Roundup

Published January 18, 2015 by Carter

The Audi 4000 quattro was like a Sherpa to thousands of European car enthusiasts; a steadfast winter standby with slick styling and Rally-bred sure-footedness. On paper, looking back today the 4000 was probably a bit dull; nearly 2,900 lbs of brick-on-brick design with a measly 115 horsepower motivation. But numbers don’t tell the whole story of the B2 Audi, because in any configuration it’s a great handling car. The quattro, however, had some special features that would have been headline items for any sports sedan until very recently; four wheel independent suspension with a large front sway bar and four wheel disc brakes. Couple that with the first all-wheel drive system fitted to a small car, sprinkle some luxury items in and cut the price of the exotic Quattro in half, and it didn’t matter that it wasn’t particularly fast. What the 4000 quattro was, though, was one solid all-around performer. The subtle changes from the front-drive sedan resulted in a car that felt more grown-up and refined, yet still pushed you to do silly Hoonigan things. 4000 quattro owners that I’ve talked to almost always have the same proud story; the time that they managed to get their 4000 quattro stuck. Normally, that would be a cause for embarrassment, but such was the grip of the plow-through-anything small sedan that it became a badge of honor when you outdid the car’s twin-locking differentials. The secret, of course, was just to make sure all four wheels were in the air! But because of this type of sillyness inducing competence amongst dropping residual value and a second or third tier of ownership that didn’t always repair or maintain the cars, few are left in good condition. However, I managed to scratch together a trio of three-quarters of the U.S. bound production years, all in the fetching shade of Tornado Red. We’ll start with the end of the run:

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1986 Audi 4000S

Published December 5, 2014 by Carter

Seeing a front wheel drive Audi 4000S is like running across an old high school photo of a group of friends. You’ve stayed in touch with the high school quarterback E30; he’s more popular than ever even if you find that baffling. The class president W201 is also still in your circle; undervalued and not as appreciated, but still probably the smartest option. But the Audi 4000S was like Judd Nelson’s character in The Breakfast Club; different than the others but popular in his own way. Of course, what’s Judd Nelson been up to lately? Exactly. I have no idea, either. The Audi 4000 front drive model was the bread and butter of Audi’s sales in the 1980s, but like the rest of the lineup they’ve virtually disappeared from the landscape. Back in the 1990s, I bought one in great shape for $300 – probably the explanation for why they’re going extinct. Unfortunately, as much of an Audi fan as I am, I can’t say that I helped the cause. I bought that whole car just for the fender, and then proceeded to take it apart. I’m a bit ashamed to say so now, because looking back it was really a nice car. It was Sapphire Blue with blue velour interior and a rare-to-see 5-speed. The 4000 wouldn’t light any fires under you if you were looking for a M3, but it was actually a really solid performer overall. Almost 20 years after I bought that car, one in nearly equal shape has popped up just down the road from me. Time for redemption?

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1984 Audi 4000S Quattro

Published August 8, 2014 by Carter

While the Quattro stole all of the headlines for Audi, the reality is that it was an expensive vehicle at the time – very expensive. As a halo car for Audi, the purchase price of the Quattro was around $35,000 in 1983 – more money that most of the competition that was, at least on paper, faster. Remember, a 1983 Porsche 911 coupe would have only set you back around $32,000 at the time. It was, then, the Audi R8 of its day, and like the R8 it had a limited market. Audi’s solution to the problem was to take all of the underpinnings – virtually unchanged – and pop them into the more pedestrian 80 platform. Marked as the 4000S quattro in the U.S., it developed as a legend in its own right, with a carved-from-granite drivetrain that seemed unbreakable and great handling. True, at the best part of 2800 pounds but with only 115 horsepower, it won no drag races, but the versatile small sedan took the Audi fanbase to new levels. It was, in many respects, the Audi S4 of its day. The interior and exterior received substantial upgrades for the 1985 model year, making the first year model a one-year stand that has many fans. They’re rare cars to see today, especially in great condition:

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