Barn find Audi Quattro sells for AU$30,000

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 24.09.2020

After 25 years of dormancy, the Group B-derived Audi sold well over its estimate

UPDATE September 9, 2020: Last week, the barn find Audi Quattro crossed the block, and exceeded all pre-auction hopes.

With a top-end estimate of AU$18,000, the winning bid for the resting Audi came in at GBP£17,205 - or AU$31,000.

For a vehicle that is in need of significant refreshing, this appears to be a bit of an outlier amidst recent global values, and possibly illlustrates the added hype and excitement that buyers get with the 'barn find' buzzword.

READ NEXT: 40 YEARS OF AUDI QUATTRO

Just a month prior, a white 1983 Audi Quattro in road-going condition was auctioned in the UK, and failed to sell with a low-end estimate of GBP£35,000 (AU$63,000).

In August too, Classic Car Auctions of the UK, sold another 1981 Audi Quattro, in running and road-going condition sold for just GBP£20,350 (AU$36,675).

In the USA, Audi Ur Quattros sold over the past 12 months vary wildly between US$20,000 (AU$28,333) to US$40,000 (AU$56,650) for outstanding examples.

US values are largely lineball with local examples observed over the past few years. Albeit far more uncommonly found in Australia's small market, Audi Ur Quattro values haven't moved significantly and are frequently sold for between AU$35,000 and $50,000.

With rising collector interest around the world for more modern and contemporary performance machines, especially that of the 80s and 90s metal, Audi's game-changing Ur Quattro still looks like an astute purchase, and may yet have it's time in the sun in the future.   

Original story: The Group B rally era holds a special place in the hearts of vintage motorsports fans; an evocative era where the cars were wild, and the driving was even wilder.

Of all the heroic racers – and subsequent homologated road cars – that were born of the era, arguably none were more pivotal than the Audi Quattro.  Images of this neglected barn find example are a far cry from the airborne fire-spitting imagery most enthusiasts would associate with the dominant Quattro, but this one offers a far cheaper starting point for someone willing to restore it to its former glory.

Coming to auction via Classic Car Auctions of the UK, the Audi Ur Quattro is estimated to fetch between AU$14,00 and $18,000.

Finished in the signature Tornado red over charcoal interior, its current custodian has owned the all-paw Audi coupe since 1993, although it has been laid up in storage since 1995.

After two and a half decades of dormancy, the vehicle will likely require significant recommissioning before turning a wheel in anger again.

It’s said to have 178,000 miles on the chassis, and its correct 2.2lt inline-five and five-speed manual gearbox, are all present and accounted for.

The interior has been taken over by spiders and mould although seems remarkably intact and free of tears or cracks to upholstery or the dash.

While the vehicle looks to be in a sad state, the car appears to be in solid condition and bears all of its hard-to-source factory components. We’d hazard to guess that it still wears its original coat of paint, and – aside from the significant mechanical recommissioning needed - should clean up well.

Just 11,452 units were produced over 11-years, making surviving examples rather rare. The Ur Quattro was also the first production car to pair all-wheel drive with a turbocharged engine, a formula that cemented its motorsports dominance in as an early adopter of four-wheel drive – and something that would later go on to hallmark the Audi performance brand as a whole.

If you’re game to take on this resto, CCA’s auction goes live on September 19: you can view the car in full here.

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