Audi Quattro Gr.B Mittelmotor

Extra information

Mid-engine Phantom
 
In 1985 Audi tested a special quattro® prototype in the Austrian Styria. Even those who were not familiar with the Audi car range were able to idetify the small, completely white Audi with its rear spoiler and its sideways air scoops, located at the height of the small back windows, right before the rear wheels, as a prototype straight away. Unfortunately some press photografers got the prototype infront of their lense, which created a panic among the Audi crew and led to the instant termination of the test drive. Grainy black-and-white images of an Austrian magazine appeared in specialized magazines and everyone was able to see what the Ingolstadt-based company had planned.

 

It was clearly recognizable that the pictured prototype was not a new passenger car for paying customers but a rally car, probably built for the back-then current racing series Group B. The prototype primarly featured old compenments. Espacially the car body resembled the known rally sportscars. New was the position of the engine straight behind both front seats; known as the mid-engine-concept. Due to a better maneuverability in sharp corners Audi expected a higher competitiveness.

 

Which successes the car would have achieved, if paparazzi did not photographed it, remains unclear. But espacially the uncertainty revives the myth around this mid-engine rally prototype; even after 35 years.