The Type 44 Audi was on its way out of production (in the West, at least) in 1991, but it went out with a bang. The big news was finally the release of the 20V Turbo motor into the lineup for the US market. A development of the motor utilized in the Sport Quattro and then the RR Quattro in Europe and later S2, Audi also popped the 3B turbocharged inline-5 package in the 200. As an added bonus, it was available in both sedan form and the innovative Avant wagon. Producing 217 horsepower and a bit more torque, the 200 20V was capable of 0-60 runs in the mid-6 second range if you were quick with your shifts. But this wasn’t a bracket racer – the 200 was a luxury car through and through, with a well-appointed cabin full of the things you’d expect – Zebrano wood trim, electric powered and heated leather seats front and rear, and a high-quality Bose stereo. Unusual for a luxury car of the time, but underscoring the German’s feelings towards driving, were the number of driver-oriented items. The dashboard was full of gauges, and unlike the V8 and 200 Turbo, the 20V was manual only. Next to the shift lever was the manual rear differential lock, though as with all the second-generation quattro drivetrains, the electronic lock disengaged at 15 m.p.h. automatically. The center differential was a Torsen unit capable of varying power as well. And the brakes were unconventional floating-rotor designs, intended to help haul the heavy 200 down from triple-digit Autobahn speed with ease. Unlike the normal 200, the fenders on the 20V were flared slightly to accommodate BBS forged wheels, 15×7.5″ all around and shared with the ’91-up V8 quattro. It sounded like a recipe for success and was a well-regarded car when new even if the unconventional manual/turbo-5 setup lacked some grunt compared to the V8s of the day. Truth be told, though, “success” in Audi’s sales numbers in the early 90s was relative; somewhere around 1,200 or so of these 20Vs were sold in the US. This one looks pretty slick, so let’s take a peek:
