As a younger viewer this is way before my time, and Harry always makes it both informative and fun to see cars that I never got to experience. Great way to spend 20 minutes on a Sunday afternoon!
Hey Floris, I’m an old dude now, so this is my era. I always wonder how “youth” see such cars; old, basic and for the old fogeys.... or just as legendary? The preservation of such cars and their future maintenance depends on the younger generation. I just wonder if this trickles down in today’s digital age?
@@Jay-Kay-Em As a member of today's youth, I would say definitely! There's of course the majority of people I know who are into cars who are great fans of modern supercars (and let's be honest, who isn't amazed by what is possible today in terms of power, sleek design, and technology), but a few others are really into the 'boxy' design of cars from the 80s as well as 90s. I myself am a huge fan of the E30 (and E36, and E38), as well as older Volvo's such as the 240 and 740.
@@Jay-Kay-Em I'm 20 to give you some context but since I've been getting into cars over these last few years I've always lusted after a quattro, I really love 80s cars. I hope that when I'm older and wealthier I'll be able to afford an RR quattro as a second car. I just hope they haven't inflated in price too much by then but I'm sure they will.
@@Jay-Kay-Em I'm mid 20s, and used to never really be interested in anything that came out before I was 'in' to cars (merc slr kind of era), but the more people make content about 'old' cars, the more that changes -- younger people just need content to learn about old stuff so it's not forgotten -- Clarkson era TG with e-types/eagle speedster and xk120s made me loves those, Harry with his early defender content, movies roles for old AMs (db6 obviously, and increasingly old AM vantages). My dream garage would now contain as much from before my era as during it.
You don't know what you missed. Those rally car races back then were so "heart stopping"! Make you feel like you skipped a beat just watching it on tv.
Ah, one of the best cars I ever owned! I had it for 11 years and sold it with 160k miles on the clock. I loved the way it sounded, it used to make the house windows rattle when it pulled up outside :-) I drove it everywhere from the Lake District down to the Aosta Valley in Italy. It was equally at home cruising down the Autoroute or winding its way up a narrow mountain road. The reliability was ledgendary, having previously owned a Triumph and a Vauxhall I was not used to not going to the dealer for spares every week. Over the time I owned it, depreciation was less than £3k! If I had known how much it would have been worth now I would have kept hold of it. Ah happy memories!
Today's magazines look thicker,until you add up all the pages dedicated to adverts and stupid things (looking at you top gear) I would love a big stash of 70's and 80's motor magazines to be able to flick through.
I remember driving up the M11 to Cambridge in my 1.1L Fiesta one summers evening in '83. There was not so much traffic on the roads back then, I caught a glimpse of red in the rear view mirror someway off in the distance. Next thing I knew this beautiful red 20v quattro coupe came past thundering past and disappeared over the horizon in a blink of an eye! Thanks for another great video Harry!
I like his relaxed way of reviewing this car and you still can feel how much he likes the Audi. I'm old enough to have seen these cars when they were new. Thank god.
Great car - the usability, even today; the character. Great insight, commentary, driving expertise and driving impressions of the original quattro. Lovely to re-visit this important car. Many thanks Harry. Cheers.
One of the all-time greatest cars. The fact that this one is the gamechanger car with the rallying credit to show for it, this is the one to go for. Thank you for this video, Harry.
Pls. allow me a little correction: the 4WD 'VW' badged 'Iltis' where the Audi engineers Jörg Bensinger & Walter Treser got the idea for Quattro from was developed by themselves at Audi Ingolstadt and German serial production was at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt too (Iltishalle). VW had absolutely nothing to do with it except the VW badge. The VW Iltis even had an (DKW) = Audi predecessor named 'DKW Munga' which was the starting point of Iltis development (Iltis body = based on Munga 8 body). My father was Audi development engineer at the time and he brought numerous Iltis prototypes home. Audi even had a 4WD SUV prototype ready in the 80s - but VW didnt allow its production. Same story with the Audi 4cyl. motorcycle of the 80s and the Audi 50 which was taken from Audi by VW just to produce it as 'Polo'. Hence we dont like VW here around the Audi plant....
I've subscribed to the channel for a long time and seeing Harry's drive of both quattro cars and his enjoyment of these cars unmistakably more than many of his drives. I just love seeing the pleasure so transparently on his face. Living the dream vicariously!
The Quattro.....mechanical all wheel drive is amazing. I had a VW Syncro, which shared the same AWD and engine, non turbo, only 120 hp, but a five speed close ratio manual, and crossing route 17 over the Santa Cruz mountain was a blast. Low curb weight, low ground clearance, and 6800rpm redline? Nobody could could pass me. Unless they drove a Porsche and had nerve
And VW adopted four wheel drive with the Syncro viscous coupling in 1984 on the T3 Transporter range, and car range, with mechanical adaptive four wheel drive. Between Audi and VW they changed the worlds perception of 4 wheel drive. Great piece to camera Harry.
I had a 5cyl FWD Coupe GT in the late 80s. I remember how well it drove. How quick it was. How comfy it was. But what I remember most was how slick the gearchange was. Still the best manual car I've driven to date. I've never driven a quattro or a turbo quattro. I can only imagine how great they were back in the day.
I remember one day going to college in Exeter and saw my first one on the road, stopped me in my tracks and of course, it was red which for me is the classic colour for the early ones. Our Family were Saab people back then and had the first Turbo in Devon in the classic black with red interior but we kept thinking about the quattro.
Me too Andy. I was just a nipper when the Quattro was introduced, but I remember watching them charging through the forest stages and Pikes Peak on television with my dad. I was in love with that wonderful 5 cylinder warble and I always wanted him to buy one, but I guess they were a wee bit expensive for a Cortina owner working as a butcher to buy at the time. Later on in life, I dated a woman for a while who owned a 20v model in a lovely metallic gold colour with brown velour interior. I've long since forgotten her name, but I remember the car like I drove it yesterday. I'm not saying it was the prime reason for dating her, but it certainly helped. It was glorious, and a joyous car to drive. I miss it.
1985 Lombard RAC Rally stage, 12-43pm at night, in the bitterly cold, snow covered Rhigos forest, above Hirwaen in the South Wales valley's. Remember it as if it was yesterday.
BY FAR the best piston head channel on YT. Here I am watching a 20 min video about a 40 year old car I already forgot about and totally enjoying it. Salomondrin , Shmee, and all those rich f###ers...eat your heart out, this is the real deal and what we want!
When I was young my parents has an Audi 100 5E with mechanical injection. The sounds that thing made was glorious and one time we went on holidays to Spain the exhaust broke making it sound like a tank. I also remember the fan kicking in when the engine got hot, that thing itself made a massive sound as well.
My family's physician had one from the mid 80s to the early 90s. He lived in the same street, so I often saw the car on my way home from Kindegarten. The looks, the sound - my love for it never faded.
I remember them all too well. Fabulous cars. There was complete white out over Britain one winter, with snow closing down even London. Audi ran a full page ad in all the broadsheets that was just a photo of the quattro in a snow filled landscape with the headline: ‘Today there’s only one performance car in Britain’. ☺️
Great video thanks. I saw these for the first time at Rally GB in 1983, when I was visiting the UK from Australia. Ever since it was always a dream car of mine. I was lucky enough to find a very lovely original silver RHD UR quattro in Australia 2 years ago at a reasonable price, which I bought. There are only a handful of them in Oz. I agree with everything Harry says. 5 cylinder engine/turbo soundtrack like no other car.
I've never wanted anything as much as I wanted my Dad to get an Audi Quattro when I was a kid. What a car. If I could mainline that 5-cylinder warble, I would!
This video took me back to when I had a paper round, there was a house I delivered to, owner had a Quattro, and I'd sometimes hear him hoof it off up the road, and the noise was blood-curdling! That paper boy promised himself he'd own one one day. Sadly, I can't even afford the garage to keep one in, let alone the car, but its still nice to hear that off-kilter sound bringing some long-forgotten memories flooding back, cheers, Harry.
2:09 As I remember it it was Audi themselves who got 4x4 rules change 1979? The story goes the motion was left right up until the end of a meeting as everyone was getting ready to leave so no one really questioned it and assuming it was to do with the military 4x4 Jeep style vehicle.
1981 or so I was waiting for the school bus on the A488 between Knighton and Clun when I heard some loud cars. As they dipped down into the New Invention I saw they were all rally cars enroute between stages. However, one of them looked and SOUNDED totally different and it stuck with me. Years later I found a 1987 coupe quattro and finally my dream was complete. I used to stand at the front door when my wife would pull away just to hear it. We took it all over Europe before we moved to the USA. My most favorite car ever, Saab 95 Aero and Opel Manta close behind. Thanks for the wonderful review Harry.
Great video Harry!! fired up my 84 urq today , first time since xmas and off into irish countryside for 2.5 hrs of 80's 5cylinder excess!! Milltek exhaust 3kplus revs = happy days ... very hard to believe it 40 years??
I remember one of these sitting outside a house in the country for almost 20 years. I went back 5 years ago and it was gone and of course, that makes me wish I had tried to buy it right away. I bet they become a collectors piece.
It is not "U R quattro", but rather Ur, a word basically meaning "original". The origin of q uattro. The VW was called "Iltis". On 5 cylinders in line, the Mercedes 300D models (starting in 1974) had a 5 cylinder diesel pre-dating the Audi 5 cylinders. Thanks for another really cool video!
I went to an Audi trackday at Curborough many years ago. A car had got stuck on a grass bank approaching track entrance. Another car got stuck trying to help, then my friend (show off) tried to pull them both out in a Discovery and got stuck. To the rescue came a Audi 100 quattro estate who pulled all three out was so funny to watch
Bought one new, last of the 10v with digital dash loved every second of it and Harry's right in the wet it was amazing you could overtake anything. Sadly had it stolen on a business trip to Manchester, .... hated that town ever since!
Reference to 20 value in 1990 I remember it like it was only yesterday, it was 30 blooming years ago! Where does time go. Another vid where Harry’s smile tells the story.
Loved this car since its intception and thru its Group B days. Before the Evo and WRX perfected AWD the Quattro lay the groundwork. The racing and production car world has benefitted greatly.
My childhood right there.....i had the joy of watching many a rally stage with my dad as a kid and watching the quattro come blaring through the woodland....turbo and waste gate chattering away and the part throttle pops and bangs then the thrumb of the 5 cylinder ripping off into the distance! Them were the days.
You’ve done it again Harry ! Excellent start to finish and to be honest apart from solid red , this is the best colour combo. My mate had a non turbo coupe in Metallic Brown and a brown tartan interior . It was honestly stunning.
Back in the early 80s my mate was a VAG mechanic. We knew how good the quattro was, but being in our early twenties could never afford the insurance. We hated the middle aged balding blokes that could buy, insure and drive them. Now I'm a middle aged balding bloke myself, that engine noise still has a special place in my memory. Thanks for the video. No worries about the lack of interior shots, Audis of that era were spartan to say the least. I had an Audi 80 LS as my first car and it didn't even come with a radio...
That would be a great review. Also an 80S BMW like the E12 M535i, E28 M5 or Alpina B9 3.5. These older greats make the best episodes and the ones I find myself watching many times over and enjoying each view. A HG playlist while cooking dinner is a great pastime. The Diablo review to date is my most viewed at well over 30+ times.
Add the Peugeot T16 hommalogation special that is the rarest and most raw of the bunch AND the last WRC Group B Champion before Group B was cancele While we are at it add my darling RUF mark. CTR (Any of them), SCR, any of the modern turbo models or the glorious RGTs including the 997 RGT-8 with no belts, all gear driven and a dry sump V8 a kin to the BMW S65 in the E92 but much higher quality materials for internals, crank case, BdV and flat plane crank etc.
" that baldy bloke In his 60's sitting in it" Who does a car review better than 99% of the entire internet. Gives us the backstory,technical points and a real world driving review. Sorry to blow your own trumpet ,but Harry once you review a car I feel I know all about it without ever sitting in one.👍
Thanks for kind comments! But isn't that what a proper car review should be? I should tell you the back story as well as what's like to drive. That's the aim anyway..
The reason I like these videos is because of Harry absolutely geeking out about them. It almost makes me want to drive these old audi's more than any supercar...
Nice tribute to quattro. In 1990 I tested an A4 quattro on a morning with a fresh fall of snow. The car had all-season tires but felt completely secure throwing up two huge rooster tails from the rear like a ralley car. That car saved my life with 4-wheel traction a few times in bad weather and and allowed me to drive from Winnipeg to Toronto, 2200 km, in 25 hours. Twice.
at least you can put the accelerator down from time to time- with all these 400-600-800hp cars you are too fast for every road in first gear...and then they even change gear for you... if you are not on a track your GT86 is plenty-- and if you were actually on a track the GT86 is still the same fun- gut a bit slower
@@olik136 so true,i got a cl600 and i cant put the footdown i think 200-300 hp is the sweet spot where you can use and hear the engine. a nice raspy v6 is probably the most enjoyable engine i had but i did like the clk430 it was the shit for overtaking it squirted you out
@@olik136 There is an element of truth in this. I have an M5 and the roads are almost always slightly damp at this time of the year in the UK. I can't even put my foot down in 4th unless I'm already going far too fast. Although my car is stupidly quick in some situations, I don't think I can cover ground any faster than I used to do in my Impreza STI, which had half the power.
I remember when my brother had an Audi Coupe 2.2 GT (5 cylinder) in the late eighties, we all loved that car especially it's unique engine sound we used to pretend it was a Quattro purely because of it's sound, lol.
Brings back memories of C580WVN my first car. Twas ONLY a 2.2 non turbo Audi Coupe but it sounded pretty much the same and drove beautifully. So beautifully that for 6 months, I drove from Mitcham to BT Martlesham Heath EVERY DAY to work and back. That's how enjoyable, reliable, easy and economical she was. First and best car I have owned by far.
Great video once again Harry! :-) One note, you pronounce the car as U. R. quattro, but it's actually ur-quattrro as far as I know. Ur is a prefix in german for original, or something primeval. For example the german line: "Dieser Witz ist wirklich schon uralt!" translates to: "That joke is really ancient!" So the ur-quattro is the "original/pirmeval/first ever quattro" or something similar. Pronounciation is difficult to explain, but the best way I can describe it is that the U is roughly the same tone as the double o in hoover. I'm dutch so it's not that easy to translate German into English hahaha.
This is my dream car. I know it's never gonna happen. I know I'll never truly be able to afford one. I've only ever seen 1 Quattro in my life and it was at a Cars and Coffee in Chester back in 2016. I nearly cried. I never sat in it, never touched it, never heard it's engine. But I just looked at it. People say never meet your heroes. I say screw that. I'd love to own one one day. Hell I'd love to even sit in one. I just know that day will never come. This and your Sport Quattro video are wonderful reviews, thank you so much for making them. I can only dream of having one, but watching these videos makes them seem more real and does help ease the pain. Looking forward to some more content :)
Great review, great car. Regardless of performance I’d love to see manufacturers use velour for seats again - very comfy and easier to keep clean than today’s fabrics.
I loved the Quattro when it was introduced, i remember i was a great rally fan back then, boy did this car show them all who was boss! The 80's was a great time for cars, just so much going on.
I had a 1981 fwd Coupe that I bought from a co-worker in late '82. He was going through a divorce and I got it for just bailing him out of his lease (about $4k less than the book value). For three years this was my ride between LA and Mammoth Mt. at least twice a month during their then lengthy ski season. While it was fwd and running all-season tires, never once did I have to put the chains on it (lucked out at CHP checkpoints - one time I lied and told them it was all-wheel drive). An absolutely fantastic car and I can only imagine how much better the Quattro was!
Audi brought a handful of Quattros to the '86 Olympics in Calgary. Stories of red Quattros blistering the highway so fast that the police has no choice but to let them go, as they had NO chance of catching them on the icy roads...
My first car was an 80 CC -85 bought in 91, since then several Audis been in my possession including an S6 C6. Still I'm longing for one of these (esp a black 20V with tan interior).
I always lusted after an Ur Quattro. I saw them when marshaling cars for the Lombard rally in the early 80s. My 04 plateV8 S4 may be miles removed from the Ur Quattro, but it's the best car I've owned and still enjoying it after 10 years. 20mph in 6th is just easy. Go when you want to go, rain or snow is irrelevant. Averaged 25mpg since I got her but quite enjoy reducing that when I can
The closest I came to the coupe Quattro was a 82 Coupe in the same Helios Blue with brown leather. I worked at a VW and Audi repair shop and we serviced a fellows 83 Coupe Quattro. It was his daily driver and he had over 100K miles on the clock. At the time this was 1989 and we begged him to let the turbo idle down before shutting off the engine. He was going through turbo’s every 15-20K! I had the privilege of working on his car. Man I drooled over that car! What a machine.
Hi Harry, my 82 rhd ur Quattro was a great vehicle and thank you for the reminders from this video. The build quality was rather agricultural but purposeful, nothing like my 91 M5, but still one of my all time favourite cars. I also had an S2 Quattro turbo, another great vehicle, especially when chip tuned properly. The ur Quattro had a Hitachi Ecu and was the fore runner of motronic by Bosch, I believe. Thank you for all of your videos, you, Chris H and Henry C are the best on the Internet, period. Hi from BC Canada !
Loved this video, the quattro was the most heavily thumbed page of my 1981 Observers Book of Cars! I remember watching one storm up a snow covered side side street in Sheffield in the early '90s' like it was on a winch... what a car. GET IN THE QUATTRO!!
Detailed appraisal as ever thanks. Love the 4 headlight version and those Reddy/green velour seats are groovy... always warm in winter (jumper/shirt combo matches well). Those headrests are a good 8 inch behind drivers head to facilitate a small whiplash insurance claim. I know they are period and correct, but I much prefer the later wheels which are more convex and have a deeper rim or the 5 spoke with a similar deep rim. Car is mint though and very sharp. Think this car was the first car to have its nomenclature on the rear sidescreen - hence guilty for being the catalyst for Koni, Agip and Rizla Racing copy-cattery in the 80s culminating in the vertical strip of product buffoonery on front wing in the naughties 🤔
13:00 I'm old enough to remember this tv commercial or a similar variant of it when I was a little nipper at Junior school of the new Audi Quattro. Amazing to see again. I've never owned or driven one but one of the homes a few street blocks from me has a Quattro 2.8 V6 from the mid 1990s just sitting in his front garden slowly rotting in the elements, not covered up or maintained. Such a shame as even thru the dirt, grime and dust - I can see the raw beauty of these classic cars just waiting for a owner to bring them to life.
I remember being about 6 years old and my dad took me to ian skellys vw & audi dealer in liverpool to see the quattro when it came out, god it was beautiful.
Kenny Dalglish had a 1983 quattro in Amazon Blue from Skellys on Edge Lane. It is featured in the 1984 TV Series Scully with him at the wheel. th-cam.com/video/REMfIKDpimY/w-d-xo.html
Sir Harry, What a treat, has to be my favourite Audi of all time, with its looks, quattro, turbo 5 pot, sheer perfection. Now I wish Audi would stick a 5 pot in the current slightly dull A5.
After careful consideration, at about 5 secs into the vid, I decided I want one..
...very good lol.
Snap...I used to have a E reg 2.8i Capri which I thought was great but this wins hands down.
Hahaha, I was trawling the web at 10 seconds. Epic cars 😎
Holy shit it's Niels! What a small world TH-cam is. Shopping for something to replace the Fiesta(s) I see 😉
Niels Heusinkveld sane here 😄
As a younger viewer this is way before my time, and Harry always makes it both informative and fun to see cars that I never got to experience. Great way to spend 20 minutes on a Sunday afternoon!
Hey Floris, I’m an old dude now, so this is my era. I always wonder how “youth” see such cars; old, basic and for the old fogeys.... or just as legendary? The preservation of such cars and their future maintenance depends on the younger generation. I just wonder if this trickles down in today’s digital age?
@@Jay-Kay-Em As a member of today's youth, I would say definitely! There's of course the majority of people I know who are into cars who are great fans of modern supercars (and let's be honest, who isn't amazed by what is possible today in terms of power, sleek design, and technology), but a few others are really into the 'boxy' design of cars from the 80s as well as 90s. I myself am a huge fan of the E30 (and E36, and E38), as well as older Volvo's such as the 240 and 740.
@@Jay-Kay-Em I'm 20 to give you some context but since I've been getting into cars over these last few years I've always lusted after a quattro, I really love 80s cars. I hope that when I'm older and wealthier I'll be able to afford an RR quattro as a second car. I just hope they haven't inflated in price too much by then but I'm sure they will.
@@Jay-Kay-Em I'm mid 20s, and used to never really be interested in anything that came out before I was 'in' to cars (merc slr kind of era), but the more people make content about 'old' cars, the more that changes -- younger people just need content to learn about old stuff so it's not forgotten -- Clarkson era TG with e-types/eagle speedster and xk120s made me loves those, Harry with his early defender content, movies roles for old AMs (db6 obviously, and increasingly old AM vantages). My dream garage would now contain as much from before my era as during it.
You don't know what you missed. Those rally car races back then were so "heart stopping"! Make you feel like you skipped a beat just watching it on tv.
Ah, one of the best cars I ever owned! I had it for 11 years and sold it with 160k miles on the clock. I loved the way it sounded, it used to make the house windows rattle when it pulled up outside :-) I drove it everywhere from the Lake District down to the Aosta Valley in Italy. It was equally at home cruising down the Autoroute or winding its way up a narrow mountain road. The reliability was ledgendary, having previously owned a Triumph and a Vauxhall I was not used to not going to the dealer for spares every week. Over the time I owned it, depreciation was less than £3k! If I had known how much it would have been worth now I would have kept hold of it. Ah happy memories!
I followed a red Ur a couple of weeks ago on the A130 in Essex. I was in my R8 and I was still dribbling at the sight of it. Stunning cars.
Ah my favourite road where everyone totally observes the speed limit ;)
Aaaaahhhh the eighties. When magazines looked like newspapers and 4 seat cars weighed 1200kg's!
Today's magazines look thicker,until you add up all the pages dedicated to adverts and stupid things (looking at you top gear)
I would love a big stash of 70's and 80's motor magazines to be able to flick through.
yup the eighties indeed, that was before bowie had that black baldy bass player,say no more
Absolutely...!
Yes now having to add more hp to car because there getting so porky
I remember driving up the M11 to Cambridge in my 1.1L Fiesta one summers evening in '83. There was not so much traffic on the roads back then, I caught a glimpse of red in the rear view mirror someway off in the distance. Next thing I knew this beautiful red 20v quattro coupe came past thundering past and disappeared over the horizon in a blink of an eye! Thanks
for another great video Harry!
2:40 ya can't ignore that 037 on the magazine cover Harry - we all remember spotting one in your garage during the Diablo review.
I've been watching TH-cam car reviewers for the last 10 years and this the best content I have come across. Very smartly done!
I like his relaxed way of reviewing this car and you still can feel how much he likes the Audi.
I'm old enough to have seen these cars when they were new. Thank god.
I saw one of these in Glasgow in rally livery shooting flames 🔥 out the exhaust!!sold from that moment.
Love the ten valve, they sound like the 80's to me.
I miss my old Coupe GT something fierce - love that sound...VR6 is close...but never quite what the 10v or 20v 5cyls made
Great car - the usability, even today; the character. Great insight, commentary, driving expertise and driving impressions of the original quattro. Lovely to re-visit this important car. Many thanks Harry. Cheers.
One of the all-time greatest cars. The fact that this one is the gamechanger car with the rallying credit to show for it, this is the one to go for.
Thank you for this video, Harry.
Pls. allow me a little correction: the 4WD 'VW' badged 'Iltis' where the Audi engineers Jörg Bensinger & Walter Treser got the idea for Quattro from was developed by themselves at Audi Ingolstadt and German serial production was at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt too (Iltishalle). VW had absolutely nothing to do with it except the VW badge. The VW Iltis even had an (DKW) = Audi predecessor named 'DKW Munga' which was the starting point of Iltis development (Iltis body = based on Munga 8 body). My father was Audi development engineer at the time and he brought numerous Iltis prototypes home. Audi even had a 4WD SUV prototype ready in the 80s - but VW didnt allow its production. Same story with the Audi 4cyl. motorcycle of the 80s and the Audi 50 which was taken from Audi by VW just to produce it as 'Polo'. Hence we dont like VW here around the Audi plant....
One of the best cars ever created. I’ve been in a 10 valve quattro in The Scottish highlands a few years ago what a car !
carl lynch
I’m not sure you can say one of the best cars ever created.
@@hoonaticbloggs5402 Why can't he?
I've subscribed to the channel for a long time and seeing Harry's drive of both quattro cars and his enjoyment of these cars unmistakably more than many of his drives. I just love seeing the pleasure so transparently on his face. Living the dream vicariously!
The Quattro.....mechanical all wheel drive is amazing. I had a VW Syncro, which shared the same AWD and engine, non turbo, only 120 hp, but a five speed close ratio manual, and crossing route 17 over the Santa Cruz mountain was a blast. Low curb weight, low ground clearance, and 6800rpm redline? Nobody could could pass me. Unless they drove a Porsche and had nerve
And VW adopted four wheel drive with the Syncro viscous coupling in 1984 on the T3 Transporter range, and car range, with mechanical adaptive four wheel drive. Between Audi and VW they changed the worlds perception of 4 wheel drive. Great piece to camera Harry.
I had a 5cyl FWD Coupe GT in the late 80s. I remember how well it drove. How quick it was. How comfy it was. But what I remember most was how slick the gearchange was. Still the best manual car I've driven to date. I've never driven a quattro or a turbo quattro. I can only imagine how great they were back in the day.
Always loved the 5-cylinder thrum of that engine...
I remember one day going to college in Exeter and saw my first one on the road, stopped me in my tracks and of course, it was red which for me is the classic colour for the early ones. Our Family were Saab people back then and had the first Turbo in Devon in the classic black with red interior but we kept thinking about the quattro.
Quattro screaming through a forest stage = my childhood.
Me too Andy. I was just a nipper when the Quattro was introduced, but I remember watching them charging through the forest stages and Pikes Peak on television with my dad. I was in love with that wonderful 5 cylinder warble and I always wanted him to buy one, but I guess they were a wee bit expensive for a Cortina owner working as a butcher to buy at the time. Later on in life, I dated a woman for a while who owned a 20v model in a lovely metallic gold colour with brown velour interior. I've long since forgotten her name, but I remember the car like I drove it yesterday. I'm not saying it was the prime reason for dating her, but it certainly helped. It was glorious, and a joyous car to drive. I miss it.
Wales RAC night stages-awesome.
Mine too Andy! And I was lucky enough to sell them new! I say sell them, they really did just sell themselves! Lombard RAC Rally rings bells.
Toyota celica top down arcade rally game. 100 pesetas per run in the lobby of a costa brava hotel.
1985 Lombard RAC Rally stage, 12-43pm at night, in the bitterly cold, snow covered Rhigos forest, above Hirwaen in the South Wales valley's.
Remember it as if it was yesterday.
BY FAR the best piston head channel on YT.
Here I am watching a 20 min video about a 40 year old car I already forgot about and totally enjoying it.
Salomondrin , Shmee, and all those rich f###ers...eat your heart out, this is the real deal and what we want!
Exactly! Well said
Sunny Sunday afternoon, Harrys Garage, perfect!
Nice whiskey or glass of wine on the side....
Perfect. A new Harry’s garage video .
When I was young my parents has an Audi 100 5E with mechanical injection. The sounds that thing made was glorious and one time we went on holidays to Spain the exhaust broke making it sound like a tank. I also remember the fan kicking in when the engine got hot, that thing itself made a massive sound as well.
Harry has a natural gift for concise informative communication...excellent as always
My neighbour bought one in 1987. I was nine, and it changed my world. I now own an a3 quattro because of it
social jog on punk
My family's physician had one from the mid 80s to the early 90s. He lived in the same street, so I often saw the car on my way home from Kindegarten.
The looks, the sound - my love for it never faded.
I remember them all too well. Fabulous cars. There was complete white out over Britain one winter, with snow closing down even London. Audi ran a full page ad in all the broadsheets that was just a photo of the quattro in a snow filled landscape with the headline: ‘Today there’s only one performance car in Britain’. ☺️
Great video thanks. I saw these for the first time at Rally GB in 1983, when I was visiting the UK from Australia. Ever since it was always a dream car of mine. I was lucky enough to find a very lovely original silver RHD UR quattro in Australia 2 years ago at a reasonable price, which I bought. There are only a handful of them in Oz. I agree with everything Harry says. 5 cylinder engine/turbo soundtrack like no other car.
40 years? Woah! I would still love one. Excellent as ever Harry. Thanks very much.
I've never wanted anything as much as I wanted my Dad to get an Audi Quattro when I was a kid. What a car. If I could mainline that 5-cylinder warble, I would!
This video took me back to when I had a paper round, there was a house I delivered to, owner had a Quattro, and I'd sometimes hear him hoof it off up the road, and the noise was blood-curdling!
That paper boy promised himself he'd own one one day. Sadly, I can't even afford the garage to keep one in, let alone the car, but its still nice to hear that off-kilter sound bringing some long-forgotten memories flooding back, cheers, Harry.
2:09 As I remember it it was Audi themselves who got 4x4 rules change 1979? The story goes the motion was left right up until the end of a meeting as everyone was getting ready to leave so no one really questioned it and assuming it was to do with the military 4x4 Jeep style vehicle.
You are correct.
Best car I ever owned, I should never have sold it. Seats were comfy, engine a dream and handled like nothing else on the road.
One of my all time favourite cars! Great review.
1981 or so I was waiting for the school bus on the A488 between Knighton and Clun when I heard some loud cars. As they dipped down into the New Invention I saw they were all rally cars enroute between stages. However, one of them looked and SOUNDED totally different and it stuck with me. Years later I found a 1987 coupe quattro and finally my dream was complete. I used to stand at the front door when my wife would pull away just to hear it. We took it all over Europe before we moved to the USA. My most favorite car ever, Saab 95 Aero and Opel Manta close behind.
Thanks for the wonderful review Harry.
What a killer sound that 5cyl makes!
3:06 Ad on the left of the page: "The first real breakthrough in squash racket grips in the history of the game. Soft Touch."
Hey Harry you bought the blue one,congratulations,this car deserve immortality in your hands
The Silverstone Auctions car with the nasty number plates was a 1986 model.
People are hating on me for being 14, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE older cars like these. The looks, the simplicity... Everything about them is perfect.
They are awesome reliable no nonsense cars.
Great video Harry!! fired up my 84 urq today , first time since xmas and off into irish countryside for 2.5 hrs of 80's 5cylinder excess!! Milltek exhaust 3kplus revs = happy days ... very hard to believe it 40 years??
I remember one of these sitting outside a house in the country for almost 20 years. I went back 5 years ago and it was gone and of course, that makes me wish I had tried to buy it right away. I bet they become a collectors piece.
It is not "U R quattro", but rather Ur, a word basically meaning "original". The origin of q uattro. The VW was called "Iltis". On 5 cylinders in line, the Mercedes 300D models (starting in 1974) had a 5 cylinder diesel pre-dating the Audi 5 cylinders. Thanks for another really cool video!
I went to an Audi trackday at Curborough many years ago. A car had got stuck on a grass bank approaching track entrance. Another car got stuck trying to help, then my friend (show off) tried to pull them both out in a Discovery and got stuck. To the rescue came a Audi 100 quattro estate who pulled all three out was so funny to watch
9:50 did Harry say "my sport quattro"? Good choice!
He didn't steal it, he adopted it! :p (I'm kidding, of course.)
Bought one new, last of the 10v with digital dash loved every second of it and Harry's right in the wet it was amazing you could overtake anything. Sadly had it stolen on a business trip to Manchester, .... hated that town ever since!
Well done Harry. Thanks for bringing these classics to the forefront.
Reference to 20 value in 1990 I remember it like it was only yesterday, it was 30 blooming years ago! Where does time go. Another vid where Harry’s smile tells the story.
Those have aged so well. Still looks great. Nice one H
I'm loving these Sunday night Harry's garage videos. Perfect way to end the week.
God I love Harry’s Garage sooo much - sod off floods and Coronavirus 😉
Me too, Harry's reviews are always very informative well researched and comforting to listen too.
I love those boxy cars so much, I would daily a Quattro if I had one
Walter Galindo
Rust
Not comparable but if you like a boxy car with a 5 cylinder then a Volvo T-5 could do the trick... Or maybe not!
Enjoyed it. Remember being in school and seeing this in 1985. I remembered the 7.1 0-60 from back then. Much appreciated Harry’s garage.
Loved this car since its intception and thru its Group B days. Before the Evo and WRX perfected AWD the Quattro lay the groundwork. The racing and production car world has benefitted greatly.
My childhood right there.....i had the joy of watching many a rally stage with my dad as a kid and watching the quattro come blaring through the woodland....turbo and waste gate chattering away and the part throttle pops and bangs then the thrumb of the 5 cylinder ripping off into the distance! Them were the days.
Who else liked before even watching, because it’s Harry and an original Quattro?
You’ve done it again Harry ! Excellent start to finish and to be honest apart from solid red , this is the best colour combo. My mate had a non turbo coupe in Metallic Brown and a brown tartan interior . It was honestly stunning.
Back in the early 80s my mate was a VAG mechanic. We knew how good the quattro was, but being in our early twenties could never afford the insurance.
We hated the middle aged balding blokes that could buy, insure and drive them. Now I'm a middle aged balding bloke myself, that engine noise still has a special place in my memory.
Thanks for the video.
No worries about the lack of interior shots, Audis of that era were spartan to say the least. I had an Audi 80 LS as my first car and it didn't even come with a radio...
I had the Matchbox Superkings rally Audio Quattro and loved it :)
Harry, if you can find one please do a review of the Golf Rallye. I owned one for 8 years and wish I had kept it.
That would be a great review. Also an 80S BMW like the E12 M535i, E28 M5 or Alpina B9 3.5. These older greats make the best episodes and the ones I find myself watching many times over and enjoying each view. A HG playlist while cooking dinner is a great pastime. The Diablo review to date is my most viewed at well over 30+ times.
Add the Peugeot T16 hommalogation special that is the rarest and most raw of the bunch AND the last WRC Group B Champion before Group B was cancele
While we are at it add my darling RUF mark. CTR (Any of them), SCR, any of the modern turbo models or the glorious RGTs including the 997 RGT-8 with no belts, all gear driven and a dry sump V8 a kin to the BMW S65 in the E92 but much higher quality materials for internals, crank case, BdV and flat plane crank etc.
You can see how much Harry loves doing these reviews😀
" that baldy bloke In his 60's sitting in it"
Who does a car review better than 99% of the entire internet.
Gives us the backstory,technical points and a real world driving review.
Sorry to blow your own trumpet ,but Harry once you review a car I feel I know all about it without ever sitting in one.👍
Thanks for kind comments! But isn't that what a proper car review should be? I should tell you the back story as well as what's like to drive. That's the aim anyway..
The reason I like these videos is because of Harry absolutely geeking out about them. It almost makes me want to drive these old audi's more than any supercar...
Such a wonderful reviewer, calm, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable
Nice tribute to quattro. In 1990 I tested an A4 quattro on a morning with a fresh fall of snow. The car had all-season tires but felt completely secure throwing up two huge rooster tails from the rear like a ralley car. That car saved my life with 4-wheel traction a few times in bad weather and and allowed me to drive from Winnipeg to Toronto, 2200 km, in 25 hours. Twice.
Goodlooking youngtimer, classic straight lines. Great color choice. Rare too, can't even remember seeing one on the road alas
"200 hp doesn't get you anywhere these days" me crying in a corner with my GT86
at least you can put the accelerator down from time to time- with all these 400-600-800hp cars you are too fast for every road in first gear...and then they even change gear for you... if you are not on a track your GT86 is plenty-- and if you were actually on a track the GT86 is still the same fun- gut a bit slower
@@olik136 so true,i got a cl600 and i cant put the footdown i think 200-300 hp is the sweet spot where you can use and hear the engine. a nice raspy v6 is probably the most enjoyable engine i had but i did like the clk430 it was the shit for overtaking it squirted you out
@@olik136 There is an element of truth in this. I have an M5 and the roads are almost always slightly damp at this time of the year in the UK. I can't even put my foot down in 4th unless I'm already going far too fast. Although my car is stupidly quick in some situations, I don't think I can cover ground any faster than I used to do in my Impreza STI, which had half the power.
Just fix that torque dip, and the 86 is perfect for the road. The steering is sublime.
@@joshuarosen6242 4wd ❤️
I remember when my brother had an Audi Coupe 2.2 GT (5 cylinder) in the late eighties, we all loved that car especially it's unique engine sound we used to pretend it was a Quattro purely because of it's sound, lol.
Brings back memories of C580WVN my first car. Twas ONLY a 2.2 non turbo Audi Coupe but it sounded pretty much the same and drove beautifully. So beautifully that for 6 months, I drove from Mitcham to BT Martlesham Heath EVERY DAY to work and back. That's how enjoyable, reliable, easy and economical she was. First and best car I have owned by far.
Great video once again Harry! :-)
One note, you pronounce the car as U. R. quattro, but it's actually ur-quattrro as far as I know.
Ur is a prefix in german for original, or something primeval.
For example the german line: "Dieser Witz ist wirklich schon uralt!" translates to: "That joke is really ancient!"
So the ur-quattro is the "original/pirmeval/first ever quattro" or something similar.
Pronounciation is difficult to explain, but the best way I can describe it is that the U is roughly the same tone as the double o in hoover.
I'm dutch so it's not that easy to translate German into English hahaha.
The “oooo errrr” Quattro, in name and expression 😄✌️
Primordial :-)
Urknall!
Aram L. After Ur, the oldest known city, yes?
Pronounce "oorr" with a rolling R. Ur-quattro is a collector's term to qualify very old or first ever. Cheers for noting that point 👏
This is my dream car. I know it's never gonna happen. I know I'll never truly be able to afford one. I've only ever seen 1 Quattro in my life and it was at a Cars and Coffee in Chester back in 2016. I nearly cried. I never sat in it, never touched it, never heard it's engine. But I just looked at it. People say never meet your heroes. I say screw that. I'd love to own one one day. Hell I'd love to even sit in one. I just know that day will never come. This and your Sport Quattro video are wonderful reviews, thank you so much for making them. I can only dream of having one, but watching these videos makes them seem more real and does help ease the pain. Looking forward to some more content :)
Great review, great car. Regardless of performance I’d love to see manufacturers use velour for seats again - very comfy and easier to keep clean than today’s fabrics.
now they are going to use recycled plastic.
👍👍...I loved the ones with pin stripes that Audi used in the 80ties. Very comfy and tasteful.
I loved the Quattro when it was introduced, i remember i was a great rally fan back then, boy did this car show them all who was boss! The 80's was a great time for cars, just so much going on.
Harry, you are spoiling us - what a treat, thanks.
Five cylinder cars sound so cool! I feel there should be more love for this.
th-cam.com/video/BkFcpGfKJZQ/w-d-xo.html
I own a five cylinder Sprinter van, couldn't love it more.
I couldn't get a quatrro so got a turbo 5 Volvo
Jay Artz I have one too and love both ;) V70 R, dream car.
Timeless cars on a timeless channel presented by a timeless man, Harry.
The first car I fell in love with. Many years later I’m lucky enough to teach Automotive Disign
I'm still working on mine, I will keep watching videos like these to tide me over until it's finished.
Love watching these vlogs,A lot better than Top Gear old and new.
I had a 1981 fwd Coupe that I bought from a co-worker in late '82. He was going through a divorce and I got it for just bailing him out of his lease (about $4k less than the book value). For three years this was my ride between LA and Mammoth Mt. at least twice a month during their then lengthy ski season. While it was fwd and running all-season tires, never once did I have to put the chains on it (lucked out at CHP checkpoints - one time I lied and told them it was all-wheel drive). An absolutely fantastic car and I can only imagine how much better the Quattro was!
Superb video, Harry. Packed with information and I loved all the archive footage too - must have been a bit of a mission to source all of it.
Beautiful car. Love the silver 20v in the video. Always been a dream car of mine. Even now.
Audi brought a handful of Quattros to the '86 Olympics in Calgary. Stories of red Quattros blistering the highway so fast that the police has no choice but to let them go, as they had NO chance of catching them on the icy roads...
To my mind, still the best looking, best sounding car ever made.
My first car was an 80 CC -85 bought in 91, since then several Audis been in my possession including an S6 C6. Still I'm longing for one of these (esp a black 20V with tan interior).
I always lusted after an Ur Quattro. I saw them when marshaling cars for the Lombard rally in the early 80s.
My 04 plateV8 S4 may be miles removed from the Ur Quattro, but it's the best car I've owned and still enjoying it after 10 years. 20mph in 6th is just easy. Go when you want to go, rain or snow is irrelevant.
Averaged 25mpg since I got her but quite enjoy reducing that when I can
The closest I came to the coupe Quattro was a 82 Coupe in the same Helios Blue with brown leather. I worked at a VW and Audi repair shop and we serviced a fellows 83 Coupe Quattro. It was his daily driver and he had over 100K miles on the clock. At the time this was 1989 and we begged him to let the turbo idle down before shutting off the engine. He was going through turbo’s every 15-20K! I had the privilege of working on his car. Man I drooled over that car! What a machine.
Hi Harry, my 82 rhd ur Quattro was a great vehicle and thank you for the reminders from this video. The build quality was rather agricultural but purposeful, nothing like my 91 M5, but still one of my all time favourite cars. I also had an S2 Quattro turbo, another great vehicle, especially when chip tuned properly. The ur Quattro had a Hitachi Ecu and was the fore runner of motronic by Bosch, I believe. Thank you for all of your videos, you, Chris H and Henry C are the best on the Internet, period. Hi from BC Canada !
Loving the fact the videos seem to be coming thick and fast. Keep up the great work.
You know what else is coming thick and fast?
Loved this video, the quattro was the most heavily thumbed page of my 1981 Observers Book of Cars! I remember watching one storm up a snow covered side side street in Sheffield in the early '90s' like it was on a winch... what a car. GET IN THE QUATTRO!!
Applause for the upgraded editing of your videos! Whether if it's you or someone else, great job!
Detailed appraisal as ever thanks. Love the 4 headlight version and those Reddy/green velour seats are groovy... always warm in winter (jumper/shirt combo matches well). Those headrests are a good 8 inch behind drivers head to facilitate a small whiplash insurance claim. I know they are period and correct, but I much prefer the later wheels which are more convex and have a deeper rim or the 5 spoke with a similar deep rim. Car is mint though and very sharp. Think this car was the first car to have its nomenclature on the rear sidescreen - hence guilty for being the catalyst for Koni, Agip and Rizla Racing copy-cattery in the 80s culminating in the vertical strip of product buffoonery on front wing in the naughties 🤔
Loving the nostalgia glaze across Harry’s eyes!
As an S4 owner, I always thought of the engine placement as a reverse version of the 9-11, and now Harry just gave my opinion even more credibility.
13:00 I'm old enough to remember this tv commercial or a similar variant of it when I was a little nipper at Junior school of the new Audi Quattro. Amazing to see again. I've never owned or driven one but one of the homes a few street blocks from me has a Quattro 2.8 V6 from the mid 1990s just sitting in his front garden slowly rotting in the elements, not covered up or maintained. Such a shame as even thru the dirt, grime and dust - I can see the raw beauty of these classic cars just waiting for a owner to bring them to life.
I had a Lhasa Green ‘84 for a number of years, and to this day, it’s the best car I’ve ever owned. Never should have let it go.
I remember being about 6 years old and my dad took me to ian skellys vw & audi dealer in liverpool to see the quattro when it came out, god it was beautiful.
Kenny Dalglish had a 1983 quattro in Amazon Blue from Skellys on Edge Lane. It is featured in the 1984 TV Series Scully with him at the wheel. th-cam.com/video/REMfIKDpimY/w-d-xo.html
Sir Harry, What a treat, has to be my favourite Audi of all time, with its looks, quattro, turbo 5 pot, sheer perfection. Now I wish Audi would stick a 5 pot in the current slightly dull A5.
I own a 1988 Audi 100 2.2 (KU engine) and i agree on the sound. The K-jetronic does give the best sound