The Quattro remains one of the few attainable halo vehicles from the 1980s. Consider the others; BMW M1s are on the verge of being million dollar cars while most of the rest of the M line appreciates rapidly. For Mercedes-Benz, there were no real “Halo” models for the 1980s in the U.S., but clean and original examples of their flagship models or indeed some of the rare AMG pieces are big business. Porsche has several, with the 930 and good examples of just about every other rear engined example rapidly increasing in value. What’s left? The Quattro should certainly be considered amongst those cars, for one. As a revolutionary piece of engineering, the Quattro firmly placed Audi on the map as a serious contender in the European and North American markets. The were legendary even before they officially raced, as one of the stage cars notoriously outpaced all of the race cars in its first unofficial appearance at a rally. The rest set the stage for the legend; the Quattro amassed 23 WRC victories and two World Championship titles before Audi moved towards road racing with the demise of Group B. Today, despite the top-tier reputation and recognition that it finally deserves, the Quattro remains an affordable option for classic German motoring:
Tag: Quattro
I find options on cars very interesting, especially when they’re options that aren’t often selected. Every once and a while, I’ll sit down and build a car on Audi, BMW or Volkswagen’s configuration tool, all the while trying to figure out what will be the options that 20 years from now someone will pine after, or just even smile to see. Today’s S4 is a great example of just that; indeed, if you look at the window sticker, you’ll note that only two options were selected. One was the 10 Compact Disc trunk mounted changer; it was an option my 1993 V8 quattro had and in retrospect I can’t believe they got away with charging $800 for it – I’m reminded of the scene from The Wedding Singer. But that’s not the option I’m really interested in; no, what I find unique about this car is that it was specified to the no charge 15×7.5 Speedline-made option wheels with all-season tires. For a time, Audi even touted that its 15″ option wheels offered better ride quality than the competition’s huge 16″ rolling gear. It was a rarely selected option, and it’s even more rare to find the car still rolling on those wheels 21 years later:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1993 Audi S4 on eBay
1 CommentThe Audi S8 is a very special car; a combination of sport and luxury that some of its rivals have managed to exceed in performance, but not necessarily execution. Certainly, newer BMW, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz super-luxury sedans are much faster. Even Audi’s own new S8 and S6 are significantly quicker than the D2, with the best part of twice the power the 4.2 40 valve V8 originally offered. But the package of the S8 is what is so compelling. It’s a great looking car, with hardly an angle where it looks out of proportion. The presence it exudes is massive; it’s no Rolls Royce, but it’s a far cry from any Lexus. By 2003, the last year of the D2 S8 for the United States, there were only a few options on the S8; generally, you just had to choose what shade you’d want. And for the U.S. market, it’s hard for me to feel there is any better color combination for the S8 than the understated Avus Silver Pearl Effect with the not understated at all Oxblood interior. When you see one it what is effectively new condition, it’s amazingly stunning: