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The Audi Sport quattro S1

The short quattro is a legend in the history of rallying.
Rally racing ascended to new heights in the 1984 season. The competitors exploited the very liberal regulations at that time in Group B to enter mid-engine cars that were pure race cars with only a visual resemblance to production models. Audi also considered a similar concept. A prototype was developed but then put back on ice. Audis new weapon was the Sport quattro with a wheelbase of just 2,224 millimeters (87.56 in) an attempt to make the near-series front-engine concept lighter and more maneuverable by shortening it drastically by 300 millimeters (11.81 in). The short quattro raced from May in parallel with the Rally quattro A2, but took time to build up some momentum. Blomqvist had to wait until the penultimate race in the Ivory Coast for the first win. Audi needed to turn up the heat. July 1, 1985 was the date of the homologation of the final stage in its evolution, the S1. The aluminum five-cylinder engine with 20 valves officially developed 350 kW (476 hp) and 480 Nm (354.03 lb-ft) of torque; with a charge-air circulation system that kept the turbo engine constantly under boost, the actual figure was probably in excess of 370 kW (over 500 hp), at around 8,000 rpm. In the middle ratio the 1,090 kilogram (2,403.04 lb) S1 shot from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 3.1 seconds, and to 200 km/h (124.27 mph) in 11.8 seconds. There were various differential locks to choose from for the quattro powertrain multi-plate, Torsen and conventional. In the

last race of the season, the British RAC Rally, Walter Rhrl used a dual-clutch transmission that was actuated pneumatically a precursor of todays S tronic. The chassis comprised a tubular space frame paneled with sheet steel and plastic; to optimize the weight distribution the radiator, fan, battery and alternator were at the rear. Large wings generated downforce on fast sections of the course. Walter Rhrl meticulously dialed in the S1 over a period of weeks in Liguria. At the San Remo Rally in October, he won 29 of the 45 stages and crossed the finish line as the winner with a lead of 6:29 minutes. The powder keg days of Group B were already numbered, however. The final blow came in spring 1986 when several spectators and participants were killed in accidents in World Championship races in Portugal and Corsica. Audi withdrew from the series, and FISA, the world governing body, approved the changeover to the near-series Group A rules. A new mid-engine car from Ingolstadt was never raced.

Source: DVD quattro Highlights 2010 | Status: 03/2010