Audi's Original Quattro Has Just Joined The Restomod Party

The result is a car that makes nearly triple the power of the original. The ABT Ur-Quattro now makes nearly the same horsepower as the abovementioned super wagon, with a little over half the engine displacement and three fewer cylinders.

Audi launched the Quattro in 1980. The car's all-wheel-drive system gave it its name, and the car was a revolution on four wheels. The Quattro was quickly turned to rally duty, where it almost immediately became a champion.

In 1984, Audi introduced the Sport Quattro. Like a Lancia Delta Integrale or Subaru WRX, this was a homologation special, intended for Group B Rally. It was much shorter than the standard car, with much wider arches. These are the cars that would dominate the WRC for much of the decade.

For Abt head Hans-Jürgen Abt, the original Quattro was an icon. "When I took over the tuning department at ABT from my father at the end of the 1980s, the original quattro from the showroom was my dowry, so to speak." He added Sport Quattro fenders and grille to his example, ultimately inspiring this new restoration project, which he calls "our interpretation of a true icon."

Abt's Ur-Quattro doesn't get the short wheelbase of the Sport Quattro, but it definitely takes a lot from that car. Like carbon-Kevlar widebody fenders, a Sport Quattro-style grille, and the massive rear wing. There are other body changes, including a vented hood, and, of course, it has those wonderful white wheels.

The original Audis came from the factory with a 2.1-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine, and later cars pushed that to 2.2. Those cars made 197 horsepower, with Sport Quattros starting with 302 hp in road form and estimates putting the rally cars somewhere north of 500.

This car uses a 2.5-liter five-cylinder. Abt described the engine as "modern technology", so we assume that it's the 2.5-liter engine from an RS3. It makes 530 hp, which is plenty in a car this size.

Abt has added modern tech to the car, like ABS. It also has what he calls an "invisible roll cage." The entire cabin has been reworked by Abt Original, a customization arm that typically works its magic on other, more standard Audi models.

Because each chassis is original, they can be registered as a classic car in Germany, Abt said. The company also said it sold out almost instantly. Revealed like a secret project at a special event, Abt said that within three hours, all 25 were spoken for. He had so much demand that he agreed to make five more.

“The Ur-quattro was the first car in my heart back then and has never completely disappeared from there. This retro version has rekindled my love,” said Abt.