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Contrary to popular belief, most of the elements of the Quattro were not pioneering. It was not the first production car with all four wheel driven – that distinction goes to the Jensen FF, which beat the Audi to market with a luxury 4WD GT by a full 15 years. It was not the first car to introduce turbo technology, as many manufacturers had been playing with forced induction for some time. Notably, some of the team that developed the Quattro came from the halls of Porsche, having worked on projects like the 924 Turbo previously. Even the signature box flares were borrowed from the Group 5 cars that raced in the 1970s. But the Quattro was the first to put all of these elements together and set the blueprint for what would become a fairly standard hot package going forward. The Ford Escort Cosworth, Lancia Delta Integrale, Subaru Impreza 22B, and Golf Rallye are but a few of the many that copied Audi’s trendsetter. And while some that followed were dynamically better than the Audi, it still has a mystique somehow greater than the both the sum of its parts and its inherently flawed design:
Virtually every week we feature some of the best and most memorable tuner cars in the German sphere in this time slot. Yet, while it’s rare to see the exact same configuration, it’s fairly predictable what will appear – AMG, Alpina, Hartge and Ruf. Sure, occasionally we’ll get a neat Brabus or something else rare, but infrequently do we get to take an in-depth look at an Audi. There are some notable tuners for the off beat brand, especially as its popularity has blossomed over the past decade. But older cars? Well, not only are they hard to find, but clean modded examples are moreso. It is interesting given that the C4 was such a popular and strong platform, but what was built around it was not a single tuning firm but rather a community of unique one-offs, now avidly supported by the internet fora and the next generation of electronic fuel injection modifications. They’ve managed to take the original S cars to the next level. Recently, it was an original S4 that set the world speed record for a sedan, besting 242 m.p.h. from a custom build. Others have developed monster power levels of their own, such as this impressive example that is claimed to churn out 500 wheel horse power:
The “Honorable Mention” post from last week seemed to be a popular choice, so I’m back this week with another selection of cars we didn’t get a chance to get to. We’ve got one from each major manufacturer this time around which makes for an interesting and diverse group. Which is the one that deserved a better look this time around?
The word “melange” comes from the French word for a ‘group of diverse elements’. That’s not a sexy description, nor does it evoke images of some exotic race track or picturesque mountain range. However, I think it does sum up the S8 really well. It is a car which combines all-weather practicality, a healthy dose of sport, one of the best looking large sedan shapes ever penned, and of course it doesn’t hurt that it has 360 horsepower on tap to help motivate it. But you could also interpret the diverse elements as the building blocks of the S8 and its heavy incorporation of aluminum to keep weight down. Visually, the S8 looked like a massive car. But as just a tick over 4,000 lbs, it was no heavier in reality than the V8 quattro had been over a decade earlier despite the increased luxury, options, power and size. Diverse elements could also describe the colors of the U.S. bound S8 range, as nearly every color was unique to the specific model years the D2 was available. Some did carry over, but part of my joy in clicking on S8 links is to see just what shade the example appears in. Today’s is one of the more infrequently chosen 2001-only colors. Arguably, while the S8 is anything but beige, the color’s name – Melange Metallic – suits the multi-roll S8 well.
I’ve got to admit that I have a pretty big soft spot in my heart for the B7 Avant, and without a doubt my favorite is the one with one of the longest names Audi ever blessed a car with – the A4 2.0T quattro Avant S-Line Titanium Package. It’s not quite as bad as some of the recent BMW number/letter/word designations (I’m looking at you, X5 xDrive35d M Sport) but it’s pretty ridiculously long. Luckily, to make up for that, it is ridiculously good looking too, as well as capable and tunable. In fact, I’d wager that the 2.0T is long-term a much better ownership proposition and practically as fast when compared to the S4. Of course, I do have one complaint – the interior. S-Line cars came only with black interiors – which is another reason that today’s car is all the more interesting. At first glance, it appears to be just another grey colored A4 Avant. But get closer, and the details make the package pretty special. Underneath, this A4 has been thoroughly revised by noted race specialist tuner STaSIS, who through their “Touring Package” upped the power of the 2.0T by 25% to 245 horsepower with even more torque. Rolling on bigger unique wheels, the Touring kit also upgraded the suspension to STaSIS coilovers and hid S4-spec larger brakes. Along with some badging, the kit was a staggering $9,000 addition to your already expensive A4. But a neat package it makes, and this one is certainly interesting:
