Background
The Quattro rally car was homologated on the 1st January 1981 and unfortunately its debut in the World Rally Championship was a mixed affair, with both cars retiring. At the point of his retirement Hannu Mikkola had a lead of over six minutes, demonstrating that it was only a matter of time before the wins would come. Highlights of the year for Audi were Michèle Mouton’s win on the San Remo Rally, which secured her place in the record books as the first woman to win a round of the World Rally Championship, followed by the utter dominance of Hannu Mikkola on the RAC rally, when he brought home the Quattro 21 minutes ahead of the 1981 World Champion Ari Vatanen’s Ford Escort.
1983 saw the Quattro modified to Group B regulations, with the first incarnation being the A1 launched in January. The ‘A’ designation stood for Aluminium, which replaced iron as the metal used in the construction of the cylinder block. The A2 followed shortly afterwards and saw the engine capacity reduced from 2,144 cc to 2,109cc, which meant that the Quattro could compete in the up to 3 ltr class (after the turbo factoring was taken into account) and so benefit from a reduction of 140kgs in minimum car weight.
1984 saw the introduction of the Sport Quattro or S1 as it is known which was a shortened version of the A2. The reduction in wheelbase improved the handling of the car, as did the wings and the repositioning of the oil cooler to the boot. The S1 also benefitted from a 20 valve cylinder head, increased compression and an early form of anti-lag, which together increased the horsepower and improved the drivability, whilst the introduction of Kevlar body panels reduced the weight.
This Car
This particular Audi S1 is faithful recreation of a HB liveried Group B rally car that took almost five years to complete.
Technical Specification
Engine: 2100cc, 5 cylinders, 20v, DOHC,
Induction: Turbo Charged, Fuel Injected
Transmission: Four Wheel Drive, Six Speed
Power output: 550 hp