The Audi Type 44, while no doubt a smart looking aerodynamic sedan, was rather a tame thing – especially in U.S. guise. With about 160 horsepower and well over 3,000 lbs to push around, they were great on the highway but lacked serious motivation. That was until the 1991 introduction of the new turbocharged version of the double overhead cam 20 valve version of the venerable inline-5 was coupled with some flares, some crazy floating rotor brakes and some of the best BBS wheels to be fit to an Audi. Available as a wagon and riding alongside the newly launched V8 quattro with the first automatic all-wheel drive, Audi had two trump cards over their European competitors and were set to take off – yet, they were nearly pulled from the market by parent Volkswagen around the same time due to extraordinarily slow sales in the wake of the unintended acceleration debacle. Coupled with fictitious claims about their reliability spread by many who never owned them, most of the enthusiast community stayed away from the fast Audis; but the few who bought them sure loved them. In the case of the 200 20V Avant, less than 200 were sold in the United States – and those that were sold here were loved and used well. Such is the case with today’s 200 20V – mileage that would scare off all but the diehard Audi fans but an overall condition any enthusiast would appreciate. Take a look at this rare-to-see Bamboo Metallic Avant:
