What's the news?
As if the AXA Classic Car Show wasn't appealing enough already (Bugatti! Ferrari! Aston Martin! Oh my!) Audi Ireland has confirmed that it will be bringing along some of its legendary Quattro models to the event at the RDS this coming weekend. And when we mean legendary, we really, really mean it.
The ur-Quattro surely needs no introduction by now? The original 1981 square-shaped coupe with its then-revolutionary four-wheel-drive system and 200hp turbo engine revolutionised both rallying and fast road cars. It's still one of the most significant cars of all time.
But there was a greater Quattro. Designed, or possibly crafted by maniacs, to take on the purpose-built Group B rally cars of the mid-eighties, the 1985 Sport Quattro S1 was a true beast of a rally car. Shorter than the standard car, packing a 550hp punch and a winner both of rallies and the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. Some years ago, we saw the great Michelle Mouton fire one of these up the hill at there Goodwood Festival of Speed - the only car quicker that day was a Williams F1 car...
And lastly but certainly not least, the 1995 RS2 Avant. Based on a humber Audi 80, but fettled by Porsche and packing a development of the original Quattro five-pot turbo engine, here was the original hot estate, a car that could carry the weekly shopping, but carry it sideways at mind-bending speeds. 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds was amazingly fast in 1995. It still is, come to think of it...
Christian Gussen, Managing Director at Audi Ireland said: "The Audi Sport range is renowned world-wide and has grown in strength over the last decade, leading us to our second-generation Audi R8, the fastest and most powerful commercial sports car that we have ever produced. The opening of Audi Sport in Audi Centre Ballsbridge last year, follows increasing demand for Audi's high-performance sports cars and demonstrates our commitment to the range. We're delighted to welcome three of our most iconic cars to the National Car Show and give customers the opportunity to experience the origins of Audi Sport and quattro."