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This Audi Changed the Motorsport History Forever and It's a Rare Find on the Streets

Audi was not the first carmaker that made the all-wheel drive cars that were not SUVs, but it was the first who was able to push them on the market and revolutionize racing with the Quattro, demolishing the competition on the rally stages.
1983 Audi UR-quattro 9 photos
Photo: 911r/Bring a Trailer
1983 Audi UR-quattro1983 Audi UR-quattro1983 Audi UR-quattro1983 Audi UR-quattro1983 Audi UR-quattro1983 Audi UR-quattro1983 Audi UR-quattro1983 Audi UR-quattro
Back in 1981, at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi introduced the UR-quattro, a new version of the Coupe launched in 1980. It featured an inline-five, turbocharged engine, and an all-wheel drive system with two locking differentials.

The U.S. customers were not very interested in these new technologies. In 1983, Audi sent less than 700 units of the UR-quattro on American soil, and the vehicle you see here is one of them. It is up for grabs on the Bring a Trailer website, and you should consider it if you'd like to have a truly classic car with enough performance to stand out in the crowd.

The model offered for auction by the 911r seller is a 1983 model and features the 2.1-liter powerplant that developed around 170 ponies when new. On the outside, the car has a set of correct-era 15" Ronal, five-lug, light-alloy wheels. Also, worth mentioning that the four-rings stickers from the doors are all-original. They were part of a decal package offered by Audi. Finally, a small spoiler sat on top of the trunk lid at the back. Yes, make no mistake: that's a trunk lid and opened without the rear window, which was fixed.

Inside, the cloth upholstery might need a bit of work, in my opinion. That Mocha fabric with zebra-pattern matches the same design from the door cards and the rear bench. For the driver, the carmaker installed a four-spoke steering wheel with the "turbo" lettering in the middle of the four-ring badge. A set of VDO dials and gauges displayed the speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, and pressure boost in the instrument cluster.

On the lower side of the center stack, a set of additional gauges showed the coolant temperature, the boost level, and the oil pressure. A unique feature of the UR-quattro was the knob for the center and rear locking differentials.

This vehicle came fitted with power windows and a manual sunroof, among other features and amenities. The AC unit was refilled in 2020. The seller said that other maintenance works were done on the vehicle, including replacing the hood struts, an upgrade to the turbocharger, rebuilds of the CV axles, bleeding the clutch, and others. Yes, this is a three-pedal car with a five-speed manual gearbox.

By the time of writing, there are six days left for the auction, which will end on December 20, and it has already got some attention for this Audi. Since the car shows only 63k original miles on the clock, it might reach a six-figure price. The last-ever UR-quattro built was sold in July for a staggering 230,000 price in the UK. This one is hard to believe that it will go that high. At least not this year.
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About the author: Tudor Serban
Tudor Serban profile photo

Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all.
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