Remembering the Audi Quattro S1 E2, the Most Iconic Group B Rally Car

The story of the Audi Quattro began in 1977 when Audi engineer Jorg Bensinger proposed the idea of a high-performance car with AWD.

The German company used an Audi 80 as a test mule and introduced the production model in 1980. Restricted to a two-door body style, the Quattro was powered by a 2.1-liter five-cylinder engine.

Audi launched a rally-spec version of Quattro the same year. The car proved competitive from day one and brought Audi its first manufacturers' championship in 1982.

Over the next couple of years, Hannu Mikkola and Stig Blomqvist turned the Quattro into a dominant force, winning head-to-head WRC championships.

However, the Group B class became a more difficult challenge in 1985, when Peugeot and Lancia started rolling out mid-engined silhouette versions of the 205 and Delta, respectively.

With the Quattro outclassed by the Peugeot 205 T16, Audi began working on a more extreme version of its rally car.

Developed in a rather short space of time, the Quattro S1 E2 was a notable departure from its predecessor.

It was not only based on a shorter wheelbase version of the coupe, but it also featured some wild aerodynamics. In fact, the S1 was the first rally car that used wings and splitters for downforce rather than balance.

Compared to its A1 and A2 predecessors, the S1 also gained a central differential, while output increased to around 500 horsepower.

Tipping the scales at only 1,090 kg (2,403 pounds), the Quattro S1 needed only three seconds to reach 60 mph (97 kph) from a standing start, quicker than supercars like the Ferrari 288 GTO and the Porsche 959.

Unfortunately, the S1 didn't get to see too much action in the WRC circuit. The car was raced in only four events in late 1985, winning Rallye Sanremo with Walter Rohrl behind the wheel, but contributed to Audi's second-place finish in the standings.

In 1986, Audi retired from WRC after only three stages, leaving the S1 with just one victory in the series.

But that wasn't the end of the line for the winged racer. Following the demise of Group B, Audi took the S1 hillclimbing at Pikes Peak. With Michele Mouton and Bobby Unser having already won the event in earlier versions of the Quattro, Rohrl gave Audi its third consecutive win with a specially prepped E2.

The German driver also set a new record, beating the previous benchmark by a whopping 22 seconds.

While it wasn't as successful as the 1982-to-1984 Quattro, the S1 set a new performance benchmark for the German company, one that soldiered on for more than a decade, until Audi started rolling out modern RS-badged vehicles.

And even though it didn't get to beat the Peugeot 205 T16, the S1 was a crowd favorite during its short life on the WRC circuit.

More than 30 years later and the Quattro S1 E2 remains the poster child of the rally scene and Audi's turbocharged inline-five engine. And as you may know, the latter is still alive in the RS3 hot-hatchback.

If you want to check it out on the go, here are five glorious minutes of the Pikes Peak-spec Quattro E2 at RallyLegend 2021. Crank up the volume knob for pure five-cylinder awesomeness.