1983-1985 Audi quattro

In the past 15 years, Audi has gone from a second-tier player to a solid member of Germany's luxury car establishment, and much of that is due to the automaker's focus on premium advanced technology--a focus that can be traced back to the original quattro Coupe. That two-door fastback, which debuted at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show, introduced the automaker's pioneering on-road, performance-oriented quattro all-wheel drive system that, in racing form, would dominate the world's rally stages for much of the decade. Yet despite its legendary importance, it's only just recently that the quattro is becoming recognized and highly sought, and today, the best examples can once again command their original list price.

That price, upon the car's late-1982 U.S. introduction, was an eye-opening $35,000. Consider that figure was roughly the equivalent of 2014's $82,500, or nearly double the $19,425 ($46,000 today) cost of the 5000 Turbo flagship. The unusually complex coupe, coming from a brand with little luxury or performance cachet at that time, was priced near heavy hitters like the BMW 633CSi ($39,120), Jaguar XJ-S ($34,000) and Porsche 911 ($29,950). It's no surprise that it was a slow seller, with 525 sold here through 1983, 65 in 1984, 73 in 1985 and a solitary leftover in 1986.

The quattro Coupe has been coveted for the technology and rally performance it represented and feared for its unreliable and expensive reputation. For decades, it inspired little collector interest, but the modern popularity of Audi, and the automaker's keen use of heritage in advertising, has brought the "ur" (original) quattro into the spotlight.

Audi restoration specialists Andrew and Ken Bennett of 2Bennett Audimotive (www.2bennett.com) have been restoring and maintaining quattro Coupes since the 1990s. "In the late 1990s and early 2000s, you could buy these cars for $2,500 in rough condition, up to $7,500 for one that was pretty nice. But now the cars have migrated from original owners and people who weren't so nostalgic about them, to the second and third owners who always wanted one and were willing to deal with a supercar with innovative technology that led to idiosyncrasies that made it unreliable--they will work to make the car better. At this point, most quattros are with people who are committed to them on an emotional level, and that's when values go through the roof. For a few reasons, 1984-'85 quattros are worth 50 percent more than 1983s."

Mike Veglia is a 22-year Audi Club North America (www.audiclubna.org) member who paid $9,000 for his 1983 quattro in 2003 after conducting a nationwide search. He feels the quattro hit its lowest point of demand about 10 years ago, and its current value's rise is partially an adjustment for that previous low demand. "Many U.S. and Canadian ur quattros are now being sold to buyers in European countries (such as Germany) that are enjoying a favorable exchange rate for Euros to U.S. or Canadian dollars. This means fewer cars left in the North American market are available for an already small and rapidly dwindling pool. Every ur quattro that goes on sale now in North America is found and posted by enthusiasts on message forums--quattroworld.com, for example--and there are very few popping up."

Average Values Chart

1985: $35,000 MSRP

1995: $6,000

2005: $8,000

2010: $10,500

2014: $18,000