All-wheel-drive road cars, up until relatively recently, have been a little thin on the ground. Jensen came on the scene first with the FF, sporting Ferguson Formula AWD and Dunlop Maxaret mechanical anti-lock brakes. Jensen’s limited production capabilities (as well as being, well, British) kept it a niche player. An oddity from a company famous for producing odd cars, it was the idiot brother to the already silly Interceptor.
American Motors later presented the Eagle sedan and station wagon. Think orphaned Jeep underpinnings propping up leftover AMC Hornet sheet metal. Pontiac tried in the late 1980s to make us care about the 6000 STE AWD. BMW sees xDrive as a tool for slogging through the winter slop rather than laying down serious power, but an all-wheel-drive M3 is certainly intriguing.
No, when enthusiasts think of fast, all-wheel-drive road cars, they think of Audi. And that brings us to this, a 1990 Coupe Quattro. Which isn’t really fast, but is certainly quick and not just a little cool.
The direct descendent to the slab-sided, ass-kicking Audi ur-Quattro, the swoopy B3-body coupe landed in 1990 and vanished in 1991. Relatively rare, they are sought after for their unique look, torquey 164-horsepower 2.3-litre 20-valve inline-five engine, and glued-to-the-pavement quattro drive system. All of them had a 5-speed transmission, and all of them came fully-loaded with the regular Audi gizmos of the day. Options included a cold-weather package (almost a no-brainer), power front seats, and this car’s Pearl White Metallic paint.
In markets not here, a 20-valve turbo-powered S2 was available. Today, you could build your own S2 with factory parts and a lot of free time.
This example is interesting not just because it is has low mileage (about 87,000 kilometres) but rather because it is completely unmolested, down to the stock Audi stereo. Except for some chips and a dent, the pearlescent paint is clean and blemish free. The interior is stunning, without only very slight wear on the seat bolsters. The 20-valve-specific Speedline wheels have some peeling clearcoat and thus some corrosion, which isn’t really surprising. Under the hood is clean, but not Armor-Mauled clean. Hopefully the maintenance is up to date.
A Coupe like this would be a nice contrast to the myriad A4s clogging up every parking lot. Moreover, these coupes are fun and quick, and probably not completely nightmarish to wrench on. And you never see them with low mileage. Usually, even enthusiast-owned examples are well-worn with more than three times the rounds. While pearlescent white on gray leather is probably our least favorite color combination, the condition puts this in the solid “Yes, please!” category.
[ eBay ]