Audi quattro: a new concept thirty years later

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show Audio is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the debut of the quattro, presented in 1980 at the Geneva Motor Show, with the launch of a new quattro concept.

The new show car that a futuristic interpretation of the original quattro is powered by a 408 hp five-cylinder turbocharged engine and fitted with the latest generation of quattro permanent all-wheel drive.

The Audi quattro concept is based on the Audi RS 5, one of the brand’s sportiest production vehicles, and represents the systematic further development of a production coupé using high-performance technology.

For the quattro concept engineers have shortened the wheelbase by 150 millimeters and lowered the roofline by around 40 millimeters, when compared with the RS 5. The body of the two-seater has suffered many modifications and is built primarily in aluminium, with the hood, the rear hatch and other components made of carbon.

The engine fitted on the quattro concept has its roots in another Audi sports car TT RS. The longitudinal FSI turbo produces 300 kW (408 hp) and accelerates the car from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in only 3.9 seconds, with power being distributed through a six-speed manual transmission.

Featuring on the quattro concept is the latest generation of the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. The most important innovation is the compact and lightweight crown-gear center differential, which is able to vary the distribution of power between the front and rear axles over a broad range. This enables the quattro drive system to react within milliseconds.