Retropower's 500 HP Turbo Quattro Sport Is Pure Vintage Perfection
This road-going Quattro Sport was created to mimic its race car brethren.
Glory Days
The Audi Quattro Sport came from humble beginnings, built on a small budget by an at-the-time little-known German automaker. However, it would go on to become a legend in both the automobile and racing world, earning more than its fair share of success on the rally circuit, taking down all of its previously dominant foes. This particular Quattro Sport is owned by a fan of those glory days and was built by Retropower to resemble its legendary racing brethren.
Photos: Retropower
Getting to Work
Back in 2011, an Audi specialist chopped 12.6 inches from the car's length to mimic what the automaker had done to its racers of the era, at which time Retropower got their hands on the project to see it through to completion. They got to work relocating the cooling system to the trunk and heavily modifying the car's rear structure, roll cage, and a spartan cabin that focuses more on safety and usability than comfort.
Photos: Retropower
>>Join the conversation about Retropower's Turbo Quattro Sport right here in the Audi World Forum!
Prodigious Power
Retropower then treated the car's 2.2-liter inline-five cylinder powerplant to a full rebuild, then gave it a custom tune, dry-sump oiling system, and other modifications that raised output to a whopping 505 horsepower at the wheels, as verified by a dyno run - more than the race cars ever made.
Photos: Retropower
>>Join the conversation about Retropower's Turbo Quattro Sport right here in the Audi World Forum!
Control Room
The driver controls and monitors all of this via a pair of racing buckets and a plethora of Spa Gauges fitted inside the custom dashboard that provides all the pertinent data. Retropower also deleted the car's steering column stalks, because there's no need to signal when you're passing someone on the race track.
Photos: Retropower
>>Join the conversation about Retropower's Turbo Quattro Sport right here in the Audi World Forum!
Subtle Hue
While all of this is a bit over the top, Retropower stopped short of applying some sort of crazy paint job or race car livery to the Quattro Sport's exterior. Instead, it gets by with a subtle gray hue dubbed Lamborghini Grigio Estoque, which fits the vintage Audi's lines perfectly, and gives no clues as to what's really going on underneath that bodywork.
Photos: Retropower
>>Join the conversation about Retropower's Turbo Quattro Sport right here in the Audi World Forum!
For help with the service of your car, check out the how to section of AudiWorld.com.