Background
When group B was banned with effect from the end of the 1986 season Audi like most of the manufacturers were left with a difficult decision as to which car to base their competition future on. Audi decided on the huge and heavy Audi 200 T Quattro, which compared to the other cars they had homologated under Group A rules such as the 80 Quattro, the 90 Quattro and even the Coupe Quattro was a surprise to say the least. Even its drivers declared "T" stood for Taxi, not Turbo! But the secret behind their choice was the fact that out of all the cars mentioned only the 200 had a turbo charged engine and it is much easier to tune a turbo charged engine than a naturally aspirated.
The Audi 200 achieved homologation in time for the 1987 Monte Carlo Rally, with an official 238BHP which had increased to a rumoured 270BHP by the time of the Safari Rally. This extra power surely helped the big car take the top two positions and in so doing so become the first four wheel drive car ever to win the Safari! That is what the history books say, but in reality it was not until the last day and mechanical failures for the Ford Sierra Cosworths and Toyota Supras that the big Audis looked competitive.
On the Acropolis Rally Audi made a big publicity event to mark Hannu Mikkola's 100th WRC start and in fact Mikkola secured a hard fought podium finish, but disappointingly it was by virtue of holding off the charging front wheel drive Renault 11 Turbo and Golf GTIs rather than taking the challenge to the leading four wheel drive Lancia Integrales.
By the time the WRC circus reached the 1000 lakes, the Audi works team consisted of just one driver, Hannu Mikkola. Unfortunately their event lasted just one and a half stages as a crash on the second stage marked the end of Hannu’s event and Audi’s participation in the World Rally Championship.
This Car
Began life as an original left-hand road car imported from Norway and converted to a Group A spec rally car in 2011 by AM Cars Motorsport, based on the 1987 Monte Carlo car driven by Walter Rohrl. This car has competed in many shows such as Race Retro, Donnington Park Historic, Castle Combe Rally Show, Audi Driver International, 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, it was filmed by Audi UK at 2014 FOS for the Audi youtube channel.
Technical
Engine : Five-cylinder, 2.1ltr, in-line, longitudinally mounted in the front of the car, four valves per cylinder, 240 bhp
Induction : Fuel Injected, Turbocharged
