Nothing says modern luxury more than the four intertwined rings of one of Germany's most popular automakers, Audi. Today it is a prestigious division of the Volkswagen Group and one of the most sought-after brands among young people looking for luxury cars.
Audi designs are eminently unique and competitive. In the automotive industry, they are considered bestsellers. But there are other models too - so rare that you might not even have known they existed.
1.1914 Audi 14/35 Type C "Alpine Victor"
Don't let the name fool you: this is not the company we currently know, but the original pre-war version. The car was designed and built by August Horch, who managed to create the world's first racing Audi.
Alpine Victor had a 35 hp engine. with., which led the car to victory in the treacherous Austrian Alpine rally. Gold was won for three years in a row, from 1912 to 1914. This original company stopped making cars at the start of the war and only started up again in 1965.
2.1923 Audi Type E
Released in 1923, the classic 55-horsepower roadster running at 90 km / h was a step forward in luxury people had never seen before. During production, 350 units were created. Even now, the influence of this original car on its modern counterparts can be seen.
3.168 Audi 80 Variant
If you saw this box structure parked on the street, you probably would not, since there is nothing special about it. "Variants" were produced from 1967 to 1969, impressing with neither the power (79 hp) nor the standard design of the three-door station wagon. The cars are quite large, handle like a boat on ice, and look rather boring, but inside everything is imbued with the high class and elegance that you get only with Audi cars.
These vans were produced in hundreds, but were included in our list due to the fact that, according to expert estimates and vehicle registration, today there are no more than ten of them in the world. This makes every survivor a rare and valuable find.
4.180 Group S Rally Prototype
Such a machine does not exist, the photographs are not real, and all this is a lie. Well, in 1980, Audi really wanted you to think that way. The Group S prototype was an insane experiment that German engineers worked on in secret, trying to create a well-balanced 1,000 hp rally car. with.
The car was kept secret for many years, from the beginning of development to "underground" test drives with the legendary Walter Röhrl, before it was discovered by the public. It was indeed intended to be used in Le Mans races, but, unfortunately, the pot-bellied compact car was never able to pick up speed comparable to its larger racing counterparts. Many of the models were destroyed during the development process, with the last one remaining in Audi's bins.
5.187 Audi Sport Quattro S1
Now recognized as one of the pioneers of motorsport at the end of the 20th century, the 1987 Sport Quattro S1 was an insane science experiment created by Ingolstadt craftsmen for rally racing. He could move incredibly fast for his time: the run from 0 to 100 km / h took less than five seconds, and the speed reached 260 km / h.
The power generated by the 2, 1-liter inline 5-cylinder turbo engine rated at 306 hp / 350 Nm was evenly transmitted to all four wheels by means of Audi's patented special Quattro system - permanent all-wheel drive with three differentials.
The interior was equipped with dedicated Recaro racing seats, the overall weight was reduced by 300 kg, and a couple of tens of centimeters were cut from the wheelbase for more agile handling. Like most of the production cars on our list, this Sport Quattro was part of a limited production run, with only 223 track adaptations coming off the assembly line.
6.2001 Audi TT 2.7T B5 RS
The Audi TT Coupe is a small sports car based on the VW Golf platform. It is popular and sold in large quantities. However, this particular example is different in that it was a factory attempt to create a fast version of a supercar by putting the TT on the A4 family chassis.
This prototype Audi TT RS Mk1 used an RS4 chassis cut and placed under the TT body to accommodate a longitudinally mounted 2.7-liter V6 instead of the transverse 1.8-liter turbocharged four in production models.
Many elements of the RS4 were used, including the Quattro and Torsen systems. The 380-strong stallion accelerated to 100 km per hour in 4, 8 seconds and developed a speed of 294, 5 km / h. Unfortunately, due to various engineering and technical difficulties, it never went into mass production.
7. Audi MK1 TT Hot Pink
Another rare TT. And no, this is not a special designer paint, but a factory color invented in the 2000s. True, few of the buyers were tempted by them, which made the model a rare guest in the car market.
8.2011 Audi R8 GT V10
Audi loves to create special editions and limited editions, and the 2011 R8 GT is a prime example of this, with only 333 units ever produced. The GT was built to give the street car some racing talent. The road version, devoid of many of the functions of a true sports car, was much more fun to drive than ordinary cars and featured a powerful V10 (560 hp / 540 Nm) paired with an automated R-Tronic gearbox.
The developers have also added a driver-adjustable suspension, and the body has been refreshed with several carbon fiber elements (among them a spoiler and a trunk lid). Having reduced the total weight by 99.8 kg, the car was able to accelerate to "hundreds" in 3.3 seconds. Unfortunately, the entire batch was bought out even before they were produced, but if you're lucky, you can find one of them at the auction.
9. 2012 Audi A1 Quattro
For decades, Ingolstadt engineers have paid particular attention to the power-to-weight ratio of a vehicle. Large race cars were built with carbon fiber body panels and lightweight windshields, while smaller cars were equipped with larger engines and / or massive turbines.
This A1 Quattro was built on the same principles. Using the chassis of the smallest standard economy car, the developers with the help of their engineering magic turned the modest subcompact into a fast, agile and economical mini-monster.
This A1 variant received a 2.0L turbocharged engine delivering 252bhp. on all four wheels, has a speed of 244.6 km / h and can accelerate to "hundreds" in 5.7 seconds. Unfortunately, Audi decided to produce only 333 copies, and all were sold out ahead of time.
10. Audi Qnicorn
Is such a unicorn-style car unique? Definitely. But it was a marketing ploy. The Qnicorn was built to advertise before the launch of Q3, but it qualifies for this list because it's ultra-rare and pretty cool. Only slightly hazardous to other road users.
11. Audi 100 Coupe S
This is one of the predecessors of the modern Audi A6. The first generation appeared in 1968 under the name Audi 100 C1. Its origins are legendary. It's hard to imagine, but without him there would be no Audi today. When Volkswagen bought Auto Union in 1964, which was facing bankruptcy, it seemed that the four rings had gone down in history.
Ludwig Kraus put the 100 C1 on the wheels after work, without VW's knowledge. For the first time, the body of a car was calculated using a computer, and the model developed in secret was a huge success. This was also helped by the gap that formed at the time between the modest hardware of Opel, Ford and Mercedes and the generous standard equipment of the "hundred".
The four-door sedans, offered from March 1968, were accompanied by a longitudinally mounted inline four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive. The car had between 80 and 112 hp at its disposal, but the modest upper limit was enough for an impressive speed of 180 km / h - not weak even by today's standards.
The Audi 100 Coupe S (1.9 liters, 115 hp) was a particularly beautiful representative of the first generation. In September 1969, the model was presented at the IAA in Frankfurt, showing all the elegance and chic of the 60s.
Although it used to be a production car, few of the 30,687 built samples have survived to this day. Maintaining a well-groomed look for decades has not been easy. Many owners have lost the war against annoying rust, so today even a pretty battered Coupe S is not easy to find.
12. Green Audi RS5
In this color, the RS5 is very rare - only 10 copies have been produced in all the time, one of which is now kept in the museum as a collector's item. The inside of the car is nothing special, but such rare colors allow the owners of curiosities to make good money at auctions.
But not only collectible Audi models can be rare, but also captured cars of the second world war.