The Audi Quattro Coupé landed on US shores in the early 1980s. At the time, American auto enthusiasts saw the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive sports car as highly exotic. US car buyers kicked the tires, but few signed on the bottom line.
Audi sold only 238 Quattro Coupés here in 1983. But we can now see its overlooked charms in the fine example offered on eBay.
The gorgeous black 1983 Audi Quattro currently offered by Wisconsin-based Throttlestop is a well-preserved two-owner car. The survivor displays 52,167 miles on the clock. However, it’s lived a good life and shows just minor rust on the lower portion of the rear hatch. Goodyear Eagle GT+4 tires recently replaced the original Goodyear NCTs.
The Quattro’s vividly striped wine-and-gray seat insets flow over a thin zebra-like pattern. Solid wine upholstery covers the ample bolsters and unique open front headrests.
The dashboard proudly displays driveline indicators, along with a differential lock for the trickiest road conditions. Even the stock Audi cassette deck head unit remains intact. Original Flashdance cassette tapes can be had on eBay for about five bucks. What a feeling.
Um, What’s a Ur-Quattro?
Audi Quattros picked up the “Ur-Quattro” nickname somewhere along the line. However, Audi never marketed the car as such. “Ur” means original in German.
Before the Quattro Coupé’s arrival, the mighty AMC Eagle was the only full-time four-wheel-drive passenger vehicle on the market. But, of course, the Audi Quattro Coupe and AMC Eagle are very different vehicles.
Back in the day, MotorWeek called the 1983 Quattro “an exotic with a difference from West Germany.” The car-review show added, “It’s a car made for European rally driving and fat American bank accounts.”
The standard , front-wheel drive Audi Coupe retailed for approximately $12,000, while the Quattro went for nearly three times the price. Throttlestop is asking $50k.
The Quattro’s 2.1-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine cranks out 155 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. While relatively tame by today’s standards, the sum of the parts—full-time four-wheel-drive, five-speed manual transaxle, and fully independent suspension—delivers a thrilling ride.
John Davis of MotorWeek said:
It’s so willing that you immediately think you’re a lot better driver than you actually are.
A Classic Rally Car for the Street
With the Quattro Coupé, Audi laid out a roadmap for other manufacturers to follow. Here’s the formula: Take a relatively inexpensive base model and stuff it with high-performance technology. Boom, you have an instant rally legend.
Mitsubishi followed a similar path with the Lancer and Lancer Evolution. In addition, Subaru used the same all-wheel-drive script for the Impreza and WRX STi.
When compared to the Evo and STi AWD systems, the first Ur-Quattro’s 4WD system is primitive. The early Quattro’s full-time 4WD system’s center differential transmits an equal amount of power to the front and rear wheels. The rear-wheel locker is the only accommodation for the slipperiest surfaces. For the 1987 model, Audi upgraded the system with a Torsen (torque-sensing) center differential.
Quattro Coupé production ran from 1980 through 1991. Although it never was a smashing success in America, the Quattro became a dominant force in the World Rally Championship (WRC). Audi only needed to sell enough to ensure homologation.
Thank goodness for that, because 40 years later, rally-minded enthusiasts yearning to own a limited-production Audi racing legend just need to click the Buy-It-Now button.
