As a motoring enthusiast, what's your go-to on-screen car moment? While a timely revisit to the car chase scenes in Ronin nears the top of my list, I have been known to skirt a deadline, typing the name "Walter Röhrl" into my YouTube search bar. Questionable accompanying soundtrack aside, the video that tops the search list reveals one of the greatest racing drivers of all time manhandling his Group B Audi Sport Quattro S1 through a timed rally stage. Despite a parting sea of supporters playing a deadly game of dare, trying to touch the car as it powered past, the footage regularly cuts to the German driver's blue Adidas driving shoes as his feet perform a delicate dance across all three pedals. This sequence of left-foot braking and simultaneous command of the throttle to ensure the car's turbocharged engine remained within its optimal power band through regular frantic manual gearshifts remains one of the most spectacular pieces of driving ever filmed.
Röhrl joined the Audi Sport team in 1984, four years after this Ingolstadt-based manufacturer had rewritten the rule book of what was possible in its racing cars and the road-going models on which these were based.
At a shared Volkswagen Group testing facility in Scandinavia in 1977, Audi engineers noted the impressive levels of all-weather traction achieved by a VW Iltis military vehicle. Quickly realising the potential of the unit's all-wheel-drive system, they fitted it to a turbocharged inline-five-cylinder Audi 80 sedan. Unveiled at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show, the Audi Ur-Quattro would herald a new era of performance possibilities for both its maker and the broader automotive landscape. Forty years later, by 2020, the brand had not only sold more than 11 million vehicles fitted with quattro technology, but had evolved this surefooted system to feature in several of its all-electric e-tron products.
2022 AUDI E-TRON GT QUATTRO
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Toyota Fortuner
Considered by many as the quintessential adventure SUV, the Fortuner is about as strong a used buying proposition as you can get in this segment. We take you through the things to look out for and list two rivals for comparison.
MIND THE HURDLE
With a repaired car and a point to prove, Alex Shahini returned for Round 3 of the Toyota GR Cup at Zwartkops Raceway to achieve a career-best finish
KING OF KILLARNEY
For four decades, Denis Joubert was directly involved with the creation, development and ongoing success of Cape Town's international motorsport venue, Killarney. Having just celebrated his 90th birthday, we talk to the man whose contribution to South Africa's motor-racing heritage is priceless....
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As 4WD SUVS and double cabs grow in popularity, more first-time buyers face the challenge of selecting a vehicle with a drivetrain that best meets their requirements. We explain the key differences between the all-wheel drivetrains available
Kia Picanto 1.0 LX MT
Kia's ever-popular budget hatch has recently received a range of exterior and interior updates - we test the entry-level variant to see if it remains a force to be reckoned with in this highly competitive segment
Super C
The fastest and most technologically advanced flagship C-Class to date, AMG's C63 S has evolved into an electrified uber-sedan. Has this mighty model forsaken some character in pursuing this status? We strapped our test equipment to the new shooting star.
Bentley's Brutes
A break in proceedings during an exclusive preview of the fourth-generation Bentley Continental GT afforded us an opportunity to sample the stately yet hair-raising Bentayga S
RUNNING UP THAT HILL
Now in its 14th year, the Simola Hillclimb continues to combine adrenaline-fuelled competition with showcasing some of the most appealing classics out there in a heady mix that keeps local petrolheads coming...
BAND OF BROTHERS
Complete with rugged bakkie-based underpinnings that encourage off-the-beaten-track venturing, largely proven powertrains that afford maximum range and towing capability, and brand names with enviable respective reputations for reliability, adventure SUVs remain the favourite of thousands of South Africans.
TWELVE OF THE BEST
Ferrari keeps things suitably old-school with its V12-engined 12Cilindri GT
