Audi Quattro buyer's guide

"Fire up the Quattro!" became a much-loved catchphrase as the time-travelling, 1980s-set cop drama Ashes to Ashes dominated the TV schedules back in 2008-2010. The show's huge popularity had an interesting range of consequences, among them a renewed interest in the music and fashions of a (sometimes unfairly maligned) decade.

Of most interest to us here, though, is the vehicle chosen as the perfect runabout for the series' brash, swaggering chief cop, DCI Gene Hunt. Yes, Hunt cruised the mean streets of early '80s London in… an Audi Quattro.

Very cool and (thanks to its legendary four-wheel-drive format) fearsomely good in a chase, the Quattro was the perfect choice for such a swashbuckling sleuth.

Back in the 21st Century, the show's popularity also meant a fresh wave of interest in the Quattro. Of course, it had been revered by many ever since its legendary heroics on the rally stages in the 1980s. But the new TV role brought it to the attention of a much larger, younger audience.

Nowadays, if you're looking to acquire a used Quattro and relive those 80s glory days, you'll need at least £30,000 handy. And you'll need some left over to protect this hugely valuable investment with some suitable modern classic car insurance.

We're definitely not going to discourage you, though, as a Quattro makes a hugely exciting and (all being well) a fairly manageable used buy.

Here's why – and what to look out for.

The Quattro: beginnings

As we'll see shortly in our brief look back at its rallying career, the Audi Quattro achieved great things through its use of four-wheel drive.

Right up until the car launched at the start of the 1980s, that layout was mostly the preserve of agricultural and military vehicles, who needed the extra grip that 4WD provided when going off-road.

So from where, if anywhere, did the Quattro get its revolutionary notion of allowing all four wheels to drive a road-going car? Well, the Jensen FF, the 4WD partner car to the seminal Interceptor, might seem an obvious ancestor.

That car was an early trailblazer in providing all-wheel drive on a road car, back in the late 1960s. As the 1970s dawned, Japanese makers Subaru took up the baton, providing 4WD, as either standard or an option, on their road cars.

In fact, the Quattro's ancestry can be traced to something a bit more rough and ready. Remember that, from the mid-1960s onwards, Audi was under the wing of the larger Volkswagen Group. And, since 1978 Volkswagen had been producing the Iltis, a rugged 4x4 vehicle for the German military.

The Iltis, in fact, had pipped the equally capable but more expensive Mercedes G-Wagen as the German army's mud-plugger of choice during the late 1970s and 1980s.

Then, right at the end of the 1970s, a team of Audi development engineers were conducting some cold-weather testing of the second-generation Audi 80.

And they noticed something interesting.

They had brought along a VW Iltis to the tests, and were struck by how this somewhat chunky and unwieldy vehicle was able to keep up with the more powerful front-wheel-drive Audis on the test's icy roads. This produced a lightbulb moment: that four-wheel drive could be an effective tool not just for labouring across ploughed fields or boggy marshland.

It could also provide out-of-the-ordinary levels of grip and performance on normal road surfaces.

The notion of a 4x4 Audi road car was born, and championed by the then Audi’s legendary chief Ferdinand Piëch. It's Piëch, incidentally, who is credited with growing the German marque into a viable premium competitor to the existing power duo of Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

And it's in large part thanks to the enormous prestige generated by the Quattro that he got there.

4WD for the 1980s: A neat engineering solution

Back to the 4WD car project, though.

A prototype was quickly worked up using an Audi 80 – and this is where the ingenuity of the Audi engineering team shone through. After all, most four-wheel drive systems doing the rounds in the late 1970s and early 1980s were bulky, cumbersome units that typically needed a separate transfer box to send power to the extra axle.

Subaru, always leaders at the 4x4 game, had a somewhat more elegant arrangement in its tough roadgoing cars of the time, such as the Leone or GL. The Japanese marque used a front-mounted boxer engine and transaxle arrangement, which allowed the drive to be transferred to the rear wheels without the need for the transfer box.

Over in Ingolstadt, however, Audi's engineers had alighted on a still neater solution.

Essentially – and excuse us while we get technical here – they had developed a hollow transmission output shaft to send power back to the rear axle (Audi's range was largely front-engine, front-wheel drive at the time). An outer shaft drove the rear wheels – but, cleverly, there was also an inner shaft rotating inside this one, and sending power back to the front axle. Back in the gearbox, a differential allowed both front and rear axles to turn at different velocities.

Result? A simple – and, crucially for the Quattro's future rallying prowess – a relatively lightweight way to send power down to all four wheels.

So much for the brilliant engineering – but what style of car would give this system its debut?

Well, Audi had already been working on a coupé-styled, two-door version of their 80 saloon, which – by the early 1980s – was starting to make modest inroads in the compact executive class thus far dominated by the BMW 3 Series. It was this new coupé style which was chosen to accommodate the new 4WD technology.

British designer Martin Smith, who would later go on to help create Ford's famous 'Kinetic Design' look of the late 2000s, had considerable input into the car's look.

Indeed, it was Smith who gave the Quattro its distinctive flared wheel arches, which helped to give it that uniquely aggressive, purposeful look.

Bringing the Quattro to market

Appropriately for a car that seems the embodiment of a decade, the Quattro came to market in late 1980. It had, under the bonnet, a 2144cc, 10-valve, five-cylinder overhead camshaft engine, complete with both turbocharger and intercooler.

That sophisticated unit put out around 197hp. It could launch the car from a standing start to 62 miles per hour in a shade over 7 seconds, and on to a top speed of around 137mph.

Yes, this was a car that was both superbly planted on the road, and impressively powerful.

The stability lent by that four-wheel-drive system encouraged drivers to put that willing engine through its paces, and Quattro owners to this day will enjoy working the car hard. That said, don't assume the 4WD system will get you out of every scrape – and invest in some specialist modern classic car insurance to help pay for any damage you may end up suffering!

The engine was later upgraded, in 1988, to a 2226cc displacement. The following year saw the arrival of a twin-cam 20-valve engine, with a catalytic converter as an option, and top speed climbing to 143 mph.

These three evolutions of the Quattro are known as WR (2144cc 10-valve), MB (2226cc 10-valve) and RR (2266cc 20-valve).

The Quattro had an 11-year run as a production car, with 11,452 cars built from 1980 to 1991. And the car saw relatively few changes throughout that time. However, there were some small amendments along the way.

For example, the interior got a refresh in 1984, with a new dashboard layout and changes to the look of both the steering wheel and centre console. Elsewhere, while early cars made do with an analogue instrument display, things went digital for the 1983 model year.

That year was a high-water mark for the introduction of digital displays – it also saw the introduction of the Austin Maestro, with its electronic engine management system, digital displays, and voice synthesis warning system.

On the outside, you'll notice relatively few differences between a 1980 Quattro and a 1991 runout car.

One obvious change was to the grille and headlights. Early models featured a flat front grille flanked by two pairs of square headlights, corresponding to low and high beam on each side. This design was tweaked in 1983: the Quattro now had a pair of single-lens headlights.

Another change came in 1985, when new cars (now often known as 'facelift' Quattros) got a new sloping grille and headlights.

Elsewhere, you can look at the bootlid to check which generation of engine – WR, MB, or RR – your Quattro has under the bonnet.

WR cars had a vinyl 'quattro' decal, or sometimes a 'brushed aluminium'-effect plastic badge.

The MB car got a chrome plated 'Audi', plus the now iconic Audi rings and 'quattro' emblem.

The last and most potent Quattro, the RR, just got chrome-plated 'Audi rings' – oddly hiding its greater performance under more sober clothing.

A legendary rallying career

The Quattro's unique mix of wedge-heavy 1980s styling and highly unusual 4WD drivetrain already had heads turning at the beginning of the 1980s. What really catapulted the car towards legend status, however, were its heroics in rallying as the decade progressed.

Remember that the early and mid 1980s were the heyday of Group B rallying. This short-lived (1982-86) and incredibly exciting discipline spawned some of the fastest and most powerful rally cars ever made – such as the Opel Manta 400, Ford RS2000 and, yes, the Audi Quattro S1.

As well as plenty of thrills, the Group B era also produced several major accidents, and it was this that soon saw it phased out. That said, it remains fondly remembered to this day. For many fans, this was rallying at its rawest and most exciting.

And the bold, brash Quattro was right at the heart of it (something in which, we're sure, the flamboyant DCI Gene Hunt revelled). Capitalising on new ruling that allowed 4WD cars to compete, the Quattro found considerable success in the early and mid 1980s, and also became a poster-car for a generation of automotive thrill seekers.

Yes, that drivetrain may have been on the heavy side but, coupled to a five-cylinder turbocharged engine with 200 bhp on tap, the result was a car with copious amounts of both grip and grunt.

A few select drivers are most closely associated with the Quattro's time at the top. Walter Röhrl won rallies at Monte Carlo (1984) and Sanremo (1985) behind the wheel of the Audi.

Finn Hannu Mikkola and the inspirational Michèle Mouton piloted the car to overall victory in the 1982 World Rally Championship; two years later, the car did it again, with drivers including Röhrl, Mikkola, Mouton and Stig Blomqvist behind the wheel.

We discussed Mouton's brilliant career in more detail, by the way, in our feature on the best female rally drivers of all time.

Buying a used Quattro: what to look for

Bodywork

When it comes to the outer shell of a used Quattro, we should point out that facelift cars, from 1985 onwards, are quite likely to have weathered the years better than their early '80s predecessors. That's because Audi started galvanising the Quattro's body shell from 1985 onwards.

Given this, if you're looking at a pre-'85 car, be sure to check the usual areas where bodywork can decay. Have a good look over doors, wheel arches and sills for any rust. That said, the galvanised later cars won’t be immune from rust either – just slightly less at risk. So check these areas on later cars, too!

Elsewhere, the boot lid went from metal to plastic in 1987. That means that later Quattros won't be showing rust around this area – but, conversely, will need some specialist repair work if there is any damage. We would advise against any seriously involved restoration projects unless you have some decent fabrication skills. This is because replacement panels are not readily available, so owners tend to either repair damaged panels, or fabricate their own replacements.

This could be quite a job so, unless you have the expertise (and some decent modern classic car insurance to cover your project), we'd advise walking away from any Quattros showing significant external damage.

Engine and running gear

The Quattro's five-cylinder, overhead cam engine was quite advanced for its time: and it has proven itself to be a fairly reliable long-term proposition. Quattro engines tend to get a little noisy and smoky as time goes on, rather than giving out all of a sudden.

The general wisdom seems to be that the first, 'WR' engine can manage around 150,000 miles before needing an overhaul. The later 'MB' and 'RR' units should plough through around 200,000 miles if you're lucky. If the engine is emitting smoke, you’re probably looking at a failed turbocharger, with oil leaking out beyond the seals.

Under the bonnet itself, beware of a damaged exhaust manifold. This can happen because the engine is canted at an angle, which means that the right-hand mount takes more of the weight and can collapse. You can source a new manifold from Audi Tradition, but they won't come particularly cheap.

That's before you've factored in the labour involved in dismantling the engine bay to reach the part – typically a day's worth of work. To avoid this unwanted expense, listen out for a particular clacking noise in the turbocharger region, a sure sign of a broken manifold.

Interior

The supply (or lack thereof) of genuine original parts can make classic car ownership tricky at times. Often, the manufacturers simply won't be manufacturing original parts anymore, leaving would-be restorers facing an uphill task to source the right parts that will give their car the authenticity it needs.

Finding the correct parts can be a time-consuming business – and, particularly when they need to be made to order, an expensive one. That's on top of the other bits of budgeting you have to do with a classic car – such as, for example, keeping your modern classic car insurance up to date each year.

When it comes to the Quattro's interior, this difficulty is definitely in evidence. It's quite difficult to get hold of genuine replacement parts for the car, and interior fixtures seem particularly vulnerable here.

Quattro interiors got posher as the '80s wore on. So, for example, while early cars got a cloth interior, from 1989 onwards part-leather upholstery was standard. However, it's quite a challenge finding the materials now, and as a result used Quattros have often been reupholstered in non-standard leather – or fitted with seats from the car's more pedestrian, 2WD Coupé sibling.

If this is the case in the car you're buying, check carefully in the fine print of your modern classic car insurance to see whether aftermarket replacements or modifications will affect your ability to claim.

Some fairly crucial parts such as the bonnet, wings, electric window motors and ABS sensors are no longer commercially manufactured by Audi, so you will need to head to a parts specialist to get hold of replacements. Luckily, the excellent Quattro Corner in Birmingham should be able to help you with many of the replacement parts you'll need.

And remember to budget accordingly, as there may be some careful (and expensive) craftsmanship involved. Make sure you provide your modern classic car insurance provider with a thorough account of the state of the car, and of any work which will be required.

Final thoughts

The Audi Quattro seems to have cemented its iconic status at least three times. First, it emerged onto an otherwise fairly safe and solid early '80s motoring landscape as something completely different. Here was a chunky, futuristic-looking coupé that employed driving technology more commonly seen on farm and military vehicles.

Then there were those wonderful exploits on the rallying stage, which meant that, by the middle of the decade, a Quattro rivalled a Sierra RS Cosworth as the fast car of choice for every red-blooded young driver.

Then, decades later, the Quattro got a chance to remind us how brilliant (and what a product of its time) it was, when it starred in a hugely popular TV crime caper.

These days, a used Quattro most certainly won't come cheap and may well require many hours of patient research to get the right replacement parts. But we think, given that inimitable heritage – and the amount of heads it will turn, and the fact that it will provide some of the most fun you can have in a sub-£100,000 car, depending on the model you buy – it will be well worth it.

Once you get hold of your Quattro – or, in fact, while you're looking around for a good one – we'd most definitely recommend joining the Quattro Owners Club. This UK-wide club is for owners and admirers of this iconic car, and members will be able to help with any technical or parts-sourcing questions you may have.

They also organise regular meets, where you will be treated to the unique sight of a string of Quattros belting it down a B-road. There's a busy, friendly online discussion forum, too.

The Quattro: a prime candidate for modern classic car insurance

If ever a motor needed some modern classic car insurance behind it, it was the Audi Quattro.

For one thing, it's a revered and now hugely valuable car which will always need some strong protection behind it to keep it looking – and driving – the way it should. For another, as we have seen, a used Quattro is likely to need certain restoration and maintenance tasks from time to time, and finding the right parts and specialists won’t always be easy.

Giving customers that all-important choice of which specialist repairer to use could be crucial when it comes to a special car like this. And this choice of repairer is just one of the benefits we're happy to offer with our modern classic car insurance policies.

You can see a full list of the benefits on our classic car insurance homepage.

Why not contact us today to start protecting your Quattro?