A blast from the past has inspired Audi to look to the future with the quattro concept; a new high-performance design study debuting at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. It commemorates 30 years of quattro all-wheel-drive and specifically pays homage to the revered Sport quattro of 1984.
Taking the V8-powered RS 5 Coupe as its basis, but configured to evoke the spirit of the 306hp legend, the new study combines an inline five-cylinder turbocharged engine developing 408hp with a lightweight body, a shortened wheelbase and latest-generation quattro drive.
Audi engineers shortened the wheelbase by 150mm and lowered the roofline by around 40mm compared to the four-seat RS 5.
Like its Eighties predecessor, the 2010 show car is now also a two-seater. The heavily modified body is made primarily of aluminum, with the hood, rear hatch and other components made of carbon.
The low weight of the superstructure leads to significant secondary effects in other components of the vehicle, such as the transmission, the chassis and the brake system. As a result, the Audi quattro concept weighs just 1300kg, almost exactly the same as the original Sport quattro.
In another move that benefits the vehicle's weight, the eight-cylinder engine from the production model has been replaced under the hood by a turbocharged, inline five-cylinder engine that can trace its roots back to another Audi sports car - the TT RS.
In the Audi quattro concept, the longitudinal FSI turbo produces 408hp and powers the car from 0-62mph in only 3.9 seconds. Torque is distributed as needed via a six-speed manual transmission.
The Audi quattro concept uses the latest evolutionary stage of the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system to deliver its power to the road. The key innovation, the crown-gear center differential, is compact, lightweight, and can vary the distribution of power between the front and rear axles over a broad range, enabling the quattro drive system to react within milliseconds to coax the maximum of fun and safety out of every last bit of torque.
Although the genes of the elegant Audi A5 and RS 5 Coupes are impossible to overlook in the quattro Concept, the appearance of the show car is far more aggressive and extroverted. Even the obvious differences between the base model and the evolution are more dramatic than between the Ur-quattro and the Sport quattro.
In contrast to Sport quattro, the Audi designers also shortened the rear overhang by a total of 200mm to maintain the harmony of the basic proportions. Roof height was reduced by 40mm for this same reason.
The low roof also reduces the height of the greenhouse and thus lowers the vehicle's visual centre of gravity. The muscular C-pillar is clearly an homage to the design of the Ur-quattro. As with that model, the trademark four rings can be found at the transition to the side of the vehicle, but in this case they are stamped into the sheet metal. Together with the large center-locking, 20-inch wheels in a 7-twin-spoke design, the lines make for extremely dynamic and powerful proportions when viewed from the side.
The wheel wells in the arched fenders are prominently flared - another excerpt from the design language of the Sport quattro. The same applies to the distinctive air outlet on the right side of the hood, which allows the five-cylinder engine to breathe more freely.
A significant feature of the front end is the stark single-frame grille. The elimination of the chrome frame lends it a functional and technical character. Large, upright air intakes at the corners of the bumper underscore the performance of the power plant.
The top of the grille merges into the flat strips of the headlight modules with their clear glass covers. All light units use ultra-efficient LED technology. The LED elements change their appearance between a horizontal and a vertical arrangement and thus change the character of the front end of the vehicle depending on the lighting function activated.
The strongly molded front skirt includes integrated carbon elements. This lightweight, yet extremely strong material is also used for the rear hatch and the bonnet, which are unpainted on the inside in order to use the visual quality of the material as a design element. The large spoiler integrated into the rear hatch is also made of carbon and extends automatically as needed and can be adjusted for maximum downforce.