.: Simon Godfrees 1/24th Revell Audi Quattro

Since 1981, Audi stormed the rally world with its 4WD pioneering Quattro and established the reputation as King of Rally. In fact, Audi was not unbeatable. The biggest insult came when it was beaten by the rear-wheel drive Lancia 037 in 1983, this proved that a winning car also need a complete good package besides the drivetrain. Therefore it went to the drawing board again and created the mighty Quattro Sport - the most powerful rally car in history.

The 2133 c.c. all-alloy 5-cylinder unit had 4-valve head plus a big turbocharger. Maximum power in race car reached 500 hp, while the road car still managed to put out 300 hp. No wonder R&T recorded 3.6 sec for 0-60 mph and 11.8 sec for quarter mile for the race version, both were faster than Peugeot 205T16, Ford RS200 and Lancia 037.

The chassis was as conservative as the normal Quattro road car - steel monocoque was retained, front-engined configuration remained unchanged. To reduce weight and enhance nimbleness, wheelbase was shortened by a massive 12.6 inches. This led to the very strange-looking appearance - it simply looked like a Quattro coupe with the center section chopped away. Short wheelbase married with long overhangs in front and tail, what a contrast to today's design philosophy !

The body was made of mostly Kevlar, some aluminium and glass-fiber, just like other Group B cars. Also like other Group B cars, the Quattro Sport road car was very difficult to drive. It was very raw, too.

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