What a classic model! The Quattro prototype was a test car for the series and was later raced on the field for many years as a rally model. In 2011, the R3 became the victim of a fire. In fact, it was the first Quattro in history. A talented and tireless Swiss man brought it back to life.
Even those who love electric cars will inevitably be attracted to this Audi Quattro. It's been 43 years since this perfect all-wheel-drive model was born. It looks so glamorous and unforgettable to drive. Of course, new owners don't have as much demand for it as the previous owners. At that time, Audi AG's test and rally drivers did their best to constantly challenge the performance limits of this car.
There are many crazy legends about the Quattro prototype: the four-wheel-drive model first introduced in the autumn of 1978 became a test model of the series, and then transformed into a rally car. After seven years of hard work, it was gloriously retired. Between 1986 and 2011, it was in private collections until it later unfortunately became the victim of a serious fire.
After the fire, only a charred body remained. Even the steel plate of the body was seriously warped, and the overall condition was very bad. The Matter cage was almost burned. Apart from some ugly pieces of aluminum, nothing was left. It has to be said that it takes a lot of courage to repair this wreckage. Because to repair it into a glorious vehicle, it definitely requires extraordinary patience, the talent of Holmes, and the courage and courage of a cliff diver.
Soon, this charred Audi frame appeared in the studio of Daniel Bachmann, who has a reputation as a Quattro restoration expert. In fact, Bachmann and his team did live up to expectations, and after some effort, they faithfully and perfectly restored R3. Michelle Morton had driven the Quattro to win the 1982 Acropolis Rally. The cheerful French lady nearly won the world championship in the car, but the horrific change of car at the Rally in Côte d'Ivoire in the autumn led to her disqualification, which is another story.
The pinnacle of automotive repair
For Daniel Bachmann and his colleague Kevin Fury, the renovation of the R3 project was enormous and arduous. "It's a mechanical mount everest," says Bachmann, although as a Swiss he prefers to express his views lightly. First of all, some archaeological work is essential. Although the safety cage has melted into aluminum blocks, as the archaeological work progresses, the figure of R3 gradually becomes clear in his mind.
Amazing! Caused a huge stir! These are the words of praise for this car that year. In fact, it was the first Quattro in the B2 series to win an award in a rally. Vehicles with license plate number IN-NJ 40s also visited ams's editorial team. In 1980, it appeared in a 6-page history of technology written by Kraus pit Baker.
R3 was lonely at the beginning of his career. After its introduction, it was used as a test vehicle in Audi's mass production development: in January 1979, the Audi A3 was introduced – the A means "Allrad" (all-wheel drive), when it was tested in northern Finland. Test racer Harald Demus did what he could to push the performance limits of the A3. Audi AG's goal is clear: they want to write a new chapter in the history of the car with this all-wheel drive model.
The Audi wasn't making any money at the time, but two years later, the A3 wasn't dumped in a scrap yard, but was converted into a very attractive rally car. The A3 was transformed into R3. The power of the five-cylinder engine has been well improved: to 320 hp, instead of the 200 hp in mass production, the engine is front-mounted. The recently deceased rally star Hannu Mikola once said with great excitement: "I realised that if you want to win, you have to drive a Quattro to compete. ”
Short career as a world champion
R3 has only competed in rally at the World Championships once. At the Corsica Rally, Micora withdrew from the race in 1981 due to engine problems. After that, however, the R3 didn't disappear. By the end of 1984, it was used as a test car, including as a test car for two-time world champion Walter Rohr, who moved to Ingolstadt that year.
When this Audi A3/ R3 was sold, its mileage was 106 000 km. Its flat tires were placed for years in a private collection of Germans. Who would have thought that 20 years later, the car would be back to life.
Daniel Bachmann was occupied for three and a half years by the largest and most complex program of his life. Countless parts have to be rebuilt. "We collected a variety of different parts from 20 colleagues from 11 countries," the restorer recalls: "Of course, we also had a lot of setbacks during this time, for example, the transmission, and we even thought about giving up." ”
Luckily, I ended up with an original gearbox. Bachmann's hall contains a large number of old Audi parts, and it is because of these parts that he has been able to successfully repair. These components include the front spoiler, fender and gearbox on the 1981 Quattro. An old partner of Audi's sports department helped him with the engine: Heinz Lehmann from Liechtenstein managed to get a injection system from Pierburg for a five-cylinder turbocharger. Although this part often has problems, there is no choice because it can be restored to the maximum extent possible.
There were also some problems with the seats, and the body shell had to be rebuilt. Fortunately, most of the original material has been preserved. The dashboard is based on old photos. Even more thankfully, a large archive by Rally photographer Reinhardt Klein has been preserved.
Three experts from Audi Sport, project manager Walter Trezer, mechanic Peter Franz and test racer Harald Demoot all supported Bachmann in providing very professional and valuable advice even in the face of the toughest problems. The trio even went to Bachmann's studio in Switzerland, where after all these years they still shine with their superb expertise and vast historical knowledge.
Of course, the cost of completing the R3 project is not low, but the huge effort to preserve the original appearance of this car is worth it. Last summer, everything was ready. The R3 finally got permission to get back on the road, but had to be very careful when driving. All the stickers were carefully pasted to their original locations, and even the license plates of the 1981 Corsica Rally were riveted.
The five-cylinder engine roars rather imposingly, and you can hear the chirping of the vent valve, and Daniel Bachmann has this to say about the huge restoration plan: "I really want to bring the Quattro prototype back to life. I'm just a kind freak. ”