DIRTY DEEDS

THE SPORT QUATTRO WAS AUDI’S ULTIMATE RALLY CAR AND THE TT RS IS ITS SPIRITUAL SUCCESSOR

- SCOTT NEWMAN

THE HIGHLY-TUNED five-cylinder barks in a steady rhythm, each successive prod of the throttle raising the revs ever higher. Each engine note question is swiftly answered by a crisp pop from the exhaust in a highly combustive game of call-and-response. A man in a brightly coloured vest holds out his hand and extends a finger at a time: “uno…due…tre…quattro…” His hand drops, as does the clutch, all four wheels sending rooster tails of earth into the sky.

It was here that Audi changed the face of rallying. While its rear-wheel drive rivals scrambled and slithered away from the start line the quattro surged; imagine asking any motorsport team if they’d like a five-second head start at the beginning of each race? Add that up over a 15-20 stage rally and you can see why all-wheel drive quickly became the technology of choice for loose surface competition.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing. Despite Audi’s enormous technological advantage, the strain of the associated power and weight took its toll and unreliability allowed the 1981 and 1982 WRC titles to fall to lighter, nimbler and, crucially, more reliable two-wheel drive opposition. However, as the Group B regulations took hold and sent power outputs soaring Audi’s advantage only grew culminating in back-to-back titles for Hannu Mikkola in 1983 (see pg. 86) and Stig Blomqvist in 1984.