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Virtual World Premiere From an Alternate Universe: the 2008 Audi Coupé Quattro

As a kid, I was amazed by the hurricane-like motorsport career of the 1980 Audi Coupé Quattro and its clean, straightforward design. Since the eighties, many new and impressive Audi coupés came around, but I still miss the distinctive personality of the Ur-Quattro – as the Germans call it. I think it is about time for a tribute to this beauty.
Audi Ur-Quattro Bis 6 photos
Photo: Alex Sincan
Audi Coupe QuattroAudi Ur-Quattro BisAudi Ur-Quattro BisAudi Ur-Quattro BisAudi Quattro Concept, Sport Quattro
Three important names have to be mentioned regarding the Ur-Quattro's styling: Hartmut Warkuss, chief of the design at Audi, together with Gerhard Pfefferle, head of exterior design, and Martin Smith, responsible of interior design.

The perfectly balanced proportions and clearly sculpted volumes doubled by a not too aggressive dynamic suggestion might make you think of Giugiaro (see the VW Golf Mk1, BMW M1, and De Lorean DMC-12, for instance), yet it is not the case here.

Sticking to the facts, Audi replaced the Ur Quattro with the sporty versions of the Audi Coupé/B3 technical platform. Well, the magic was pretty much gone. Later, the Audi Quattro Concept (see it in our gallery together with a red Sport Quattro) was presented in 2010, and it made me feel like “yep, they know they have to do something about the Coupé Quattro’s heritage.”

Unfortunately, this really spectacular thing never went into series production. The managers from Ingolstadt were probably happy enough with the commercial success of the A5 (launched in 2007), a premium grand turismo kind of coupé.

No doubt, many of the brand’s fans regret that the Ingolstadt management decided not to extend the line of the Audi Coupé Quattro. This decision was probably determined, among others, by the cancellation of the notorious Group B in rallying – for the same reason, Ingolstadt also decided to ax the prototypes of a mid-engined rally car.

We are not managers at Audi, so we can spend some effort to draw an Ur-Quattro succesor, just for the sake of doing it. You know, something with a confident and dynamic look, light and sporty-suggestive proportions, no obviously agressive attitude, and a strong personal expression? I think it should have looked like the rendering you can see here.
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