The Rad Audi Of The ’80s That Became A Cult Classic – SlashGear

Total worldwide Quattro production was only 11,452 units, with a scant 644 of those being sold in the United States. A big part of the reason for the Quattro’s lackluster sales was the steep sticker price of approximately $35,000 which is the equivalent of $105,000 in today’s dollars.

What the Quattro lacked in sales, it made up for by filling Audi’s trophy case. It turns out that Audi was cleverly positioned to take advantage of a recent rule change that allowed four-wheel-drive cars to participate in the World Rally Championship (WRC). For several years, Audi enjoyed a first-mover advantage and dominated most of the competition. The Quattro racked up 23 WRC wins during the 1980s, as well as setting multiple records at the prestigious Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado during that same period. By the late-1980s, Audi’s competition developed their own four-wheel drive cars and no two-wheel drive car has won a WRC championship since.

Nowadays, Audi uses the badge ‘quattro’ (note the shift to lowercase “q”) on all its vehicles with permanent four-wheel-drive, such as its R8 supercar. But if you’re nostalgic for the original 1980s trendsetter, the website classic.com lists an average sales price of $73,447 for vintage examples over the past 12 months. For buyers whose wallet is a little thinner, higher mileage, driver quality examples can be found for approximately half that amount. But considering just how many of these OG Quattros are coming out of the United Kingdom, you had better get used to driving from the right-hand side.