1984 Audi Sport Quattro

In 1982, the World Rally Championship introduced Group B (modified sports cars) racing, meaning contenders now had three classes from which to choose, Group N (standard production cars), Group A (modified production cars), and Group B. The Group B category gave Audi the opportunity to compete with its new Quattro all-wheel-drive system, which had made its debut in the Audi 80-based Quattro Coupe in 1980. FIA Group B homologation rules dictated that only 200 road-going examples of each car were to be built and sold to the public. For Audi and many other automakers, this was easily accomplished, which made for intensely competitive racing.

For the first few years, Audi competed with what was essentially a Group 4 Quattro. Engineers in Ingolstadt, Germany worked on creating a different model, which is now called the Sport Quattro. Nevertheless, the Ur-Quattro ('original Quattro' to German enthusiasts) competed magnificently due, in part, to its permanent all-wheel-drive system. The car was hindered, however, by its heavy monocoque chassis, balance issues due to its longitudinally mounted engine, and its long wheelbase. Audi tasked its engineers with resolving these concerns and the work was done in secret. The result of their efforts was a vehicle that had been shorted by 12.6 inches between the B- and C- pillars. The steel monocoque was built off-site by Baur and featured numerous GRP and carbon-Kevlar panels to help reduce weight. The race version of the Audi shared little with serial production Audis. Power came from a downsized 2,133 cubic centimeter, five-cylinder alloy-block engine that had four valves per cylinder and fitted with a turbocharger that produced around 450 brake horsepower in competition tune. The large KKK-K27 turbocharger rated at 17 psi meant that the car's engine displacement actually required reduction in order to comply with FIA regulations. Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in just 4.8 seconds. At all four corners were AP four-piston racing brakes that had been ventilated and slotted, as developed for the Porsche 917.

The Audi Sport Quattro was piloted by some of the world's top drivers including Stig Blomqvist, Hannu Mikkola, Michèle Mouton, and Walter Röhrl. With their help, Audi dominated the WRC through the 1984 season. The last win for the Sport Quattro was earned by Stig Blomqvist and Björn Cederberg, who raced one in early November 1984, at the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire in Africa, where the team also claimed the manufacturers' title.

In total, Audi built just 214 Sport Quattros, most of which were sold to select customers via specialized dealers. The road-going cars produced 302 brake horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque. They rode on nine-inch wide Ronal alloy wheels and had a selectable ABS system.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019