The tale of Quattro: the origins of an Audi legend

[BLANK_AUDIO] [MUSIC] Today you're here. You can call it [UNKNOWN] case if you want. Some say the holy grail of Audi, this is the building of Audi tradition. I am [UNKNOWN] one of two company historians here responsible for [UNKNOWN] history. Which means everything past 1945. I'm one of the few lucky persons who made their hobby a profession. So I'm lucky being here and telling about history. Long history made short, Frontantrie goes back as far as 1956, when DKW started the production in November of the DKW Munga, a small multi-purpose jeep for the German Army. Permanent positive four-wheel drive. No central [UNKNOWN] but it worked. In 1976, Volkswagen received an order from the German Army To build the more modern version of the [UNKNOWN]. Something was built that was later sold as Volkswagen [UNKNOWN]. One of the engineers from Audi had the chance to drive the [UNKNOWN] during these winter tests in Finland [UNKNOWN]. And he found it okay on icy roads and snowy roads and faster than any of our 200 turbo prototypes. It literally drove circles around [UNKNOWN] they had problem to get the power on the road. So they converted an Audi AT GTE with drive train of [UNKNOWN] with 16 inch wheels looks weird on that car. And with a turbo engine, went like hell Problem was no central differential. And this was where we installed that [UNKNOWN] and allows [UNKNOWN] to be installed inside, which [INAUDIBLE] front differential. And in the rear end, you have a central differential here in order to get differences in RPMs between front and rear axles while going on corners. Works perfectly. Okay. It called Quattro and on 3rd of March, 1980, the first Audi Quattro with these typical four head lamps and bold out fenders were standing on the Geneva Fair and the other Geneva Auto Fair. This was, of course, the way to prove that conventional layout for a production car. Suitable with minor alterations. For gaining two marked championships and rally business two drivers championship. In 1980 Audi started with a [UNKNOWN] of first attempts '81 the [UNKNOWN] in Austria was the first official race with an Audi [UNKNOWN] With a long wheel base four years later we have four championships. Amazing story. And if you look who else in the field of motor sport started hastily developing and designing four wheel driven cars there was practically no company without one. And there were some Some real crazy constructions on the way. The championships were gained with a long wheel base [UNKNOWN]. Which is as sturdy as a rock, undestroyable, really unbeatable. But two [UNKNOWN] engine, no thrust flow cylinder head limits the engine's output to approximately 360 horsepowers from these 2.1 litres. More is impossible and by the way the handling of the long wheel base around tight corners you've got to get used to that. There are pictures from Quantico Rally where they back in corners in order to get around. So the idea was we chopped 30 centimeters out, or 36 centimeters, you get the wheel base shorter. What will be, was allowed with the production of 200 cars. We then installed a four wells engine, an alloy engine which was [UNKNOWN] of a long wheel base class already. We get a better weight distribution. We get better handling, and out came the Sport Quatro. [UNKNOWN] Shell under fiberglass fenders, carbon fiber [UNKNOWN] laps. From the basic structure, you've got that metal chassis outside of [UNKNOWN]. The only metal part of the body are the doors coming from the [UNKNOWN] ATC [UNKNOWN]. So one of the cheapest parts, the cheapest parts even today This is fiberglass car [UNKNOWN] all that. Car was a masterpiece of [UNKNOWN] engineering. It was built here [UNKNOWN] this incredible, even today. It's protection version is the most protected [UNKNOWN] motor car, the most powerful with [UNKNOWN] 250 top speed is reported. When I look at the black coefficient, which is somewhere between a piano and a gothic cathedral, I doubt that. So you feel when stepping on the gas over 180, it's getting even slower. Acceleration, production car 4.9 seconds from zero to 100. In the year 85 this was impressive. Turbo of the very old school. First we have nothing, then you get a beat as if somebody hit your trunk. Off you go and hit the [UNKNOWN] twice before you hit 100. Unfortunately the ratio between track width and wheel base is a bit insane. The car tries to follow every track [UNKNOWN] have like [UNKNOWN]. Wherever there is a track rut, it goes like that. I compare it to a kind of rattlesnake. As long as you step on the throttle it's okay. And [UNKNOWN] business, the first generation [UNKNOWN] Approximate 400, 420 horse powers. Then came the Evolution. The Evolution is what we have here, the white one. This is the first ever built. Evolution means winglets, spoilers everywhere, in order to create downforce. If you look for instance at the [UNKNOWN] from the Thousand lakes. You see, the [UNKNOWN] getting up like that, and then coming down with nose first. [INAUDIBLE] but you get some air under the car. So to say, put it on the cushion. They because stable with all four directly on the ground. So it looks a bit like a fat hawk coming Uphill. I think okay, where is he going to fly now? And most down he came. Really good to glide with a balance. 20 were built of these E2s. There are lots of ready version there. Around 480, 490 horsepowers. There was a double clutch gear box. What we have today in our production cars was Way ahead of the time design. But Porsche, you could shift without any break in the power. This was Victor's [UNKNOWN] was the first time when I really didn't feel anymore comfortable in that car. I started getting anxious, because it's like being shot from a cannon. It doesn't stop. The accelerations of the best versions on gravel roads, around 2.5 seconds to 100. Brutal car. [UNKNOWN] loads of power. Wasn't the most spectacular of course, but not successful. All the great successes at Audi, with the long wheel based Quatro. This is in mind of course mostly due to the fact that the last The appearance of an Audio group [INAUDIBLE] was on Pike's Peak in 87 with [UNKNOWN]. It is what we call [INAUDIBLE] because the track was altered later on. He raced up there, I think, in something under 11 minutes on gravel road. If you have a chance to look at that film, it's incredible because even the helicopter. Respectively unable to follow him in the thin air. Probably for the 30th anniversary, there might be the off of showing that car off again. If the show, believe me. [SOUND] [MUSIC]