This is a 1984 Audi 80 Quattro that left the factory with just 134 bhp sent to all four wheels via Audi’s now legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system. A series of modifications have now been applied, bringing the power up to an eye-watering 652 bhp.
Of course, the car has a lot more than just an aftermarket turbo kit from eBay fitted. It’s now powered by a fully-forged and turbocharged Audi S2 5-cylinder engine which is mated to a B5 Audi RS4 6-speed manual gearbox sending power to all four wheels.
Fast Facts – An Audi 80 Quattro Sleeper
- This 1984 Audi 80 Quattro, originally offering just 134 bhp, has been heavily modified to produce 652 bhp. It features a turbocharged and fully-forged Audi S2 5-cylinder engine paired with a B5 Audi RS4 6-speed manual gearbox, delivering power to all four wheels through the Quattro all-wheel drive system.
- The Audi 80, produced over five generations from 1966 to 1996, competed with compact executive cars from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The third generation, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, introduced the Audi 80 Quattro in 1983, which shared its all-wheel drive system with the Ur-Quattro but lacked a turbocharger, offering reasonable performance for its time.
- The modified Audi 80 Quattro, built by Paul’s Classic Car Restorations in England, cost approximately £40,000 – £50,000 ($52,784 – $65,660 USD). It now offers 550 bhp per tonne, rivaling the power-to-weight ratio of a Pagani Zonda, and features upgraded brakes, suspension, wheels, and tires.
- This highly modified Audi 80 Quattro is now up for auction at Classic Car Auctions, set to cross the block on September 28th in England. The build and its impressive performance are featured in an episode of Living Life Fast, where the owner details its transformation and capabilities.
The Audi 80 Quattro
The Audi 80 was produced across five major generations starting in 1966 and ceasing in 1996. It was developed as a compact executive car to compete with similar offerings from BMW and Mercedes-Benz in Germany and across Europe.
The Audi 80 series was modified and sold as the Audi 4000 in the United States. The period advertising made a point of extolling the virtues of the Quattro all-wheel drive system as it was so unusual on the market back then. Image courtesy of Audi AG.
The first generation of the Audi 80 was based on the DKW F102 but it had a different engine and a series of other changes to make it unique.
The second generation was the B1, over a million of these would be sold in two-door and four-door sedan variants. The B1 had a far more modern design, improved engines, and much improved suspension and handling.
The third generation Audi 80 would debut in 1978 with a new body styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign. Both two and four-door versions would be made available, but perhaps the most interesting variant would appear in 1983, when the car was given a version of the all-wheel drive system used in the Audi Er-Quattro.
The one key difference between the Audi 80 Quattro and the Audi Ur-Quattro was the lack of a turbocharger on the 80. Despite this omission, performance was respectable by the standards of the time thanks to the improved grip – particularly in slippery, wet, and snowy conditions.
The B2 would then be followed by the far more curvy B3 model in 1986, the B4 in 1991, and then replaced by the Audi A4 B5 in 1996.
As the old saying goes “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” Audi used their incredible success in the World Rally Championship extensively in their advertising. Image courtesy of Audi AG.
The Audi 80 Quattro Sleeper Shown Here
The car you see here has been completely transformed by the team at Paul’s Classic Car Restorations in Mansfield, England. It was built for the shop’s owner, and estimates for its total cost range from £40,000 – £50,000, or approximately $52,784 – $65,660 USD.
As noted higher up, the car is now fitted with a fully-forged and turbocharged Audi S2 5-cylinder engine producing a tested 652 bhp. Power is sent back through a B5 Audi RS4 6-speed manual gearbox to all four wheels. This transmission was chosen as it was known to be able to handle both the horsepower and torque, as the original transmission would have likely blown itself to pieces on the first hard launch.
As you might expect, both the brakes and suspension have been upgraded to handle the performance, though the listing doesn’t delve into any details on this, it does explain that the details are in the car’s history file. The wheels and tires have also been upgraded – one of the only outward signs that the car isn’t stock.
It’s said to be producing 550 bhp per tonne, giving it a power to weight ratio on par with a Pagani Zonda. Not bad for a four-door car that was made back in 1983. If you’d like to see more of the car, and see it in action, you’ll find an episode of Living Life Fast embedded below that includes the owner discussing the build and its performance.
Above Video: This episode of Living Life Fast is all about the unusual Audi 80 sleeper shown in this article. The car is now for sale, with a price guide of £40,000 – £50,000, or approximately $52,784 – $65,660 USD.
The owner is now offering it for sale on Classic Car Auctions, and it’ll be crossing the auction block on the 28th of September in England. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Classic Car Auctions
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
