quattro 20V

STORY

Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1980, the Audi Quattro (the "Ur-Quattro") was the first road car to combine a turbocharged engine with permanent four-wheel drive. Its longitudinally mounted 2,144 cc turbocharged inline-five produced about 200 PS, and its lightweight permanent quattro system proved that all-wheel drive could deliver traction and performance rather than merely off-road ability.

In competition the Quattro was transformative. Audi won the World Rally Championship manufacturers' title in 1982, and Hannu Mikkola took the drivers' crown in 1983, ushering in the Group B era and forcing every rival to adopt four-wheel drive. The unmistakable warble of its five-cylinder engine, produced by the 1-2-4-5-3 firing order, became a signature Audi sound. Beyond the track, the Quattro established all-wheel drive as a defining Audi trait and remains the brand's most influential single model.