quattro – Pulpaddict

This Amazing 1986 Audi Quattro Racer Build Has Many Secrets to Hide

Originally built in the 1980s to compete in the Dakar rally, this 1986 Audi Quattro is essentially a Ranger Rover underneath.

Audi has enjoyed tremendous success in the world of motorsports over its illustrious history, racking up its fair share of wins in the world of rally racing, in particular. Thus, we’re simply used to seeing classic Audi machines blasting across all sorts of surfaces at high speed, putting their iconic Quattro systems to good use. But while it may look semi-normal at first glance, this 1986 Audi Quattro racer build up for grabs at Aguttes is anything but underneath its inspired skin.

Rather, while it’s registered as a 1986 Audi in France, where it currently resides, this vehicle is about as highly modified as they come, and it also utilizes a host of Ranger Rover components underneath. It’s reportedly one of the first prototypes assembled by Franco de Paoli, an Italian gentleman driver who was no stranger to the Dakar rally, nor the act of modifying Ranger Rovers for serious off-road racing events.

That’s precisely why Paoli chose a Ranger Rover chassis for his 1986 Audi Quattro build, though he went a bit further than that. Rather than just stuffing the frame underneath an old Audi, he also retained the SUV’s suspension setup – albeit heavily modified at this point – as well as its 3.5-liter V8 and gearbox.

From there, things get much more conventional, as this Audi touts a 106-gallon fuel tank to help it make it through the grueling Dakar rally, along with fiberglass and Kevlar bodywork. Regardless, its entries in the 1986 and 1987 installments of that particular event didn’t go as planned, with both ending in consecutive DNFs.

Regardless, this cool piece of rallying history is now up for auction with an estimated selling price of somewhere around $160,000 to $270,000. It has received a cosmetic restoration that returned it to its originally Dakar specification, yet it also needs a mechanical refresh as well. However, for anyone looking to have a little fun off the pavement, we can’t imagine a cooler – or more unique – way to do precisely that.

Photos: Aguttes

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Bolt-In Goodness: 1982 Audi Quattro Suspension Retrofit

1982 Audi Quattro

The upgrade Mike Burroughs is doing on his Audi UR-Quattro should be a piece of cake compared to his last project.

Over the past two years, Mike Burroughs from StanceWorks has been getting loads of attention for his wicked Honda-swapped Ferrari. Now, he’s working on a new project, and it’s of a considerably less heretical nature. The goal of his latest build is to create the ultimate street version of the Audi UR-Quattro, and he’s off to a fantastic start. In his latest video, we get to learn about his plans for the suspension, and why he decided to go the route he did.

While Burroughs is a master fabricator, he isn’t an Audi expert, so he turned to one of his buddies that it is —Brian Scotto from Hoonigan — for some help. Scotto has a love affair with the Four Rings, and since he’s also a well-known parts hoarder, he also had the complete running gear from a Quattro Coupe on hand. As Burroughs explains, though it’s more refined than the stock hardware, given the family history, it’ll bolt right into his 1982 model.

But while this swap will require far less fabrication than the Mount Everest-level required to marry Maranello’s bodywork with the mighty K24 engine, it’s still a big job. And the first step is taking everything apart. That’s what we see in this video, and if you’re like me, getting to watch teardown without having to get your hands dirty or draw blood is like getting into a hot tub after some time on the slopes. By which I mean awesome.

For the most part, everything goes smoothly. That said, Burroughs did encounter a few issues. One seems to be the result of some previous wrenching, as an improperly oriented bolt meant the brake caliper had to come off to undo the shock. The control arm bushings are also fuzed in place, and even hitting them with a torch didn’t help loosen things up, so he ordered a special tool to pop them. The bearings in the steering knuckles proved even more stubborn, and even with heat and 10,000 pounds of force from his hydraulic press, they remained seated. So their removal will be covered in another episode.

At this point, Burroughs is faced with a choice. The hubs are a unique 4×108 pattern, and while he’s considering drilling them out, the easier path would just be to upgrade to the five-lug S2 units and call it good. That tactic would line up with the rest of the build, as one of the reasons he’s doing this swap is part availability. For example, the stock suspension integrates the knuckle and strut into one unit, which would make it tough to swap to coilovers.

But what would you do here? Is there a good reason to drill out the hubs? Or is the five-lug swap a no-brainer? Hit me up and let me know!

Image Source: YouTube

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A Rare 1982 Audi Ur Quattro is Found in Scotland after almost 30 Years

1982 Audi Ur Quattro

After Almost 30 Years, this Alpine White Audi Ur Quattro from 1982 is Found and Rescued from a Scottish Garage

Just last month, a 1982 Audi Ur Quattro got to see the sun after being locked away in a Scottish garage since 1994. Featured on Jonny Smith’s The Late Brake Show was Jason and his late brother’s Ur Quattro, which was stored in his garage for reasons unknown, and then left untouched for 28 years. That is, until Smith came along to show the world an incredibly rare and rally bred beauty.

Having sat in a windowless garage for nearly three decades, the interior was a tad dusty, but intact, colorful and bright – just like it would have been in 1982. No sun damage or bleaching, no rodent damage, and very little water and mold damage – despite being so close to Scottish shores. The only evidence the car had even seen the light of day beforehand was a few retro packs of cigarettes and an air freshener.

After phoning a friend who had access to a trove of classic Audi knowledge, he was able to find out that the car was hand-built by a team of Audi workers in July of 1982 – before mass production took affect for the company. It also happened to be only one of 70 right hand drive models sold in the United Kingdom, making for the Alpine white Quattro with matching Fuch wheels the stuff of legends.

1982 Audi Ur Quattro

A Rich and Capable History

What makes the Ur Quattro that Smith stumbled upon so special wasn’t just the origin story, but what came of the result. For instance, the Quattro was inspired by Volkswagen’s very capable but fairly unknown Iltis – an off-roader that was used by the German military. Audi, knowing that the Iltis could quite literally go anywhere but was slower than molasses on a winter day, decided to take what made the Iltis so successful and make it prettier and faster. And thus, the Ur Quattro was born.

Once the Quattro was introduced into professional rallying, though, the world of rally was forever changed. Anyone who is into rally knows the Audi Quattro – and how much of an impact the permanent 4WD system had on competing manufacturers.

1982 Audi Ur Quattro

While Smith didn’t take the precious Audi home, he did try valiantly to try and start the famous 2.2 liter five-cylinder up. Despite fresh oil, cleaning up the distributor points, sprucing up the plugs and hooking it up to a bigger battery, the Quattro needed more attention that Smith could give it. Shortly after Smith’s visit in Scotland, the one of a kind car went up for auction and was sold for £20,250. To check out the listing and more photos of the incredible car, click here.

To view the original video, check out some retro wrappers and newspapers found in the garage and what Jason’s brother traded in to get the Audi, watch the video below.

Kristen Finley

Cars were always a central part of Kristen’s life. It all started with passing tools to her colorfully cursing sailor of a father while he was underneath Chevy Novas from the 1970s. Eventually she was promoted from Tool Monkey to Apprentice – auto mechanics were her first love. Having graduated from California State University, Monterey Bay in 2020 and married a successful mechanic, she spend most of her days reading, writing and talking about what she loves most: cars.

Audi Urbansphere Concept is a Futuristic Vision For Urban Travel

Audi Urbansphere concept vehicle gets Audi’s PPE electric vehicle platform and charging (up to 270kW fast) capability.

Earlier in February, the Head of Audi Design Marc Lichte discussed the gorgeous Audi Skysphere concept. The car draws inspiration from the controversial and mysterious Horch 853. Even though Audi Skysphere is quite an eye-catching grand tourer concept, we were impatiently waiting for Audi’s take on a futuristic utility vehicle, since crossovers and SUVs are the most popular body types in the market. The wait is over as the Ingolstadt brand recently unveiled the all-new Audi Urbansphere concept.

Audi Urbansphere is the final installment of Audi’s next-generation concept cars. The Sphere concepts showcase how the Ingolstadt brand’s electric architecture will underpin its autonomous offerings in the future. The utility vehicle gets Level 4 autonomous driving features and is the largest Audi concept. For context, the Urbansphere is 500 mm longer than the Q7 SUV, which is the biggest product in Audi’s portfolio.

The powertrain of the Audi Urbansphere gets a dual electric motor setup. The EV’s 120 kWh battery pack can deliver 466 miles of range (WLTP) and also churns out 400 HP of maximum power and around 509 lb-ft of peak torque. Audi’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) vehicle architecture underpins the all-new Urbansphere concept. The vehicle rides on 24-inch wheels and comes complete with adaptive air suspension and rear-axle steering.

Urbansphere

“Audi Light Canvas” is an LED digital light surface that dominates the front end of the Urbansphere instead of a traditional grille.

Even with its imposing dimensions, Audi claims that it designed the new concept car for applications in megacities. In an official press release, the company also reveals that Audi is targeting the Chinese market with its Urbansphere concept. For the uninitiated, China happens to be the world’s largest electric vehicle market.

With the help of a “co-creation” approach, the teams at Audi’s design studios in Beijing were able to finalize the design of the Audi Urbansphere while accounting for the needs of customers across Beijing. Chairman of the Board Management at Audi AG, Markus Duesmann, shared his thoughts on the new Urbansphere concept. “To make e-mobility even more attractive, we think about it holistically and from the customer’s needs,” says Markus.

Image Source: Audi

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ABT Sportsline’s AUDI RS7-R Sportback is a 740 HP Mild Hybrid

This 740 HP Audi RS7-R Sportback ABT can accelerate from 0 to 124 MPH in just 10.2 seconds.

ABT Sportsline knows how to push the envelope and assemble an exciting high-performance machine. We discussed the Tactical Green Audi RS6 Avant, which puts out 700 HP and 650 lb-ft of torque, earlier this month. More recently, the popular YouTube channel Auditography offered an in-depth and cinematic look at the extremely specced out 740 HP RS7-R Sportback ABT.

The company will only produce 125 examples of the high-performance RS7-R Sportback ABT. The car is a 2022 model and flaunts a beautiful Sand beige metallic paint job. The limited-edition RS7-R Sportback also gets a full ABT aerodynamic body kit which includes a wide range of carbon fiber add-ons.

These include the prominent diffuser that dominates the rear end of this 2022 RS7-R. The carbon fiber aero body kit also includes a new front splitter, canards, roof spoiler, and side skirts. The car rides on 22-inch HR High Performance ABT rims that sport a black finish. Continental SportContact 6 tires envelop the dark wheels, which offer a striking contrast to this stunning paint job.

RS7-R Sportback

This 2022 Audi RS7-R Sportback ABT also gets carbon fiber mirrors and a quad-tip ABT stainless steel exhaust.

Each tip is 102 mm wide, and the exhaust produces an intoxicating racket. Even more impressive is that the power comes from an electrified mill. Under the hood of this RS7-R Sportback ABT, we find a 4-liter twin-turbo mild-hybrid powerplant. The V8 motor produces 740 HP of maximum power and 679 lb-ft of peak torque.

Power is obviously sent to all four corners. The RS7-R Sportback ABT can accelerate to 62 MPH from a complete standstill in 3.1 seconds. Furthermore, the car can also achieve a top speed of 199 mph. The interior also gets ABT Sportline treatment, and we find ABT badging adorning the seats and the shifter of this RS7-R. Throughout the video, we are greeted by amazing shots as the Audi RS7-R ABT tears across the roads of Forggensee, Germany.

Image Source: Auditography

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