Nothing says “bold elegance” like this iconic 1985 tornado red Audi Quattro

A stunning 1985 Audi Quattro with a previous life in the UK was recently bought by. sold Collect cars for nearly $ 69,000 (AUD 93,000). It was presented as “mechanically strong” with everything working including the LCD dashboard, air conditioning and power windows. But the most noticeable thing about it is that it appears to be in great condition on both the outside and the inside. with minimal wear and tear and no known body damage.

It would have been a shame if it hadn’t, because the powerful version of the Tornado Red Quattro is actually a cult model. If you remember two British crime series that were very popular at the time this model was created (Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes), the “DCI Gene Hunt” character was known for his Tornado Red Ur-Quattro.

Many cars claim to be legendary, but few really are. The Ur-Quattro is definitely one of them. It’s hard to believe that the later motorsport icon began as an off-road vehicle for the Bundeswehr.

In 1976, the VW Iltis showed impressive performance on challenging terrain compared to front-wheel drive vehicles, and so the idea of ​​developing an Audi car with all-wheel drive was born. The Italian-inspired name was a perfect match for the then strong character of this innovative model.

The original Quattro was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1980 and remained in production for over a decade until 1991. In 2020 Audi celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Quattro as well as another milestone – the all-wheel drive technology installed in more than 10.5 million Audi vehicles.

In the first half of this decade, the Quattro also became widely known as the first all-wheel drive world rally car and no fewer than 23 victories in the world rally championship. At the end of the 1980s, the focus was more on touring car racing, with the Audi Quattro winning the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) and the TransAm series.