Dr Ferdinand Piech saw the Audi V8 as the next rung on the ladder to world dominance. But is it good enough to impress Will Beaumont on a typically wet day in Wales?
The Audi Quattro was by no means the first four-wheel-drive road car, but prior to this they were exotic curiosities or (slightly) sanitised off-roaders. The UR-quattro was something different. Previously, the performance car was largely defined by an even number of cylinders, usually naturally aspirated and rear-driven. The Audi Quattro stripped all that away with a warbling five-pot and a turbocharged surge that brought white-knuckle wastegate-whistle adrenalin to a relatively mass-market executive coupé – one that looks like it’s been pounding the weights in the gym. The sheer brutality of designer Martin Smith’s vision is still staggering. Remember – the Quattro was launched when the condom-beaked MGB was still on sale.
Lurking in the shadows of the poster children of the Group A generation of DTM cars – the Mercedes 190 E and E30 BMW M3 – the Audi V8 quattro DTM is easily forgotten.
Being obsessed with DTM and IMSA racing, it’s no surprise Nick Flom would wind up in something a bit fruity on the road, although his carbon-clad RS3 daily driver is actually more at home on the track…
Chevrolet’s first mid-engined Corvette C8 has landed in the UK, so we’ve put on a little welcoming committee from two of Europe’s biggest hitters: Audi’s R8 RWD Type 4S and Porsche’s Cayman GTS 982.
All-wheel-drive technology has defined the Audi brand for more than four decades, so it’s a moment to savour when the latest model to wear the famed quattro badge meets its formidable forebear.
Kevin Newman and Rich Briggs-Price have a wonderful collection of extremely desirable cars, but it is this Auto Union 1000 SP that remains closest to Kevin's heart.
Visit the Audi website today and you’ll be faced with more options than a Woolies pic ‘n’ mix. There are 16 cars to choose from, and that’s before you discover the sub-models. You can’t just buy a new Audi A3, you must decide whether you want the A3 Sportback, A3 Sportback TFSI e, A3 saloon, S3 saloon, S3 Sportback, RS3 Sportback or RS3 saloon. And you thought the choice of flying saucers or strawberry pencils was taxing.
The Golf R might have become the default for tunable, tractable high-performance daily drivers, but Phil Griffiths’s 390hp track-ready S3 show machine makes a good case for the alternatives
With Playboy bunnies all over and a chrome pink finish, you might be forgiven for thinking that this wide-body A5 is a case of style-over-substance. But you’ll soon change your mind if you come up alongside Sophie Skinner on the dragstrip…
As we edge closer to the 2030 ban on pure combustion engine cars, car makers will be filling out their ranges with pure electric vehicles to fit every niche
Not content with offering SUVs of all sizes, Audi is now launching different silhouettes, BMW and Mercedes-Benz-style, with a goal of offering both regular SUV and more dynamic looking Coupé variants, too.
