One of the 1st Group B rally cars, the Audi Quattro was already competing in WRC in the Group 4 class before FISA introduced a new category opened to cars using four-wheel drive and turbo -among other innovations- inaugurating an exciting and dangerous era in Rallying.
The only serious opponent to the Quattro during the 1st Group B years was the two wheels drive Lancia Rally 037. Maybe the Quattro had the advanced 4WD technology which gave it a clear advantage on most terrains (except on asphalt where the light weight, the rear engine and propulsion mode of the Lancia 037 were better options), but the Audi Quattro suffered some reliability issues the first years giving the title to the italian car.
Soon after, the Audi became dominant but that didn't last too long. In 1985 Peugeot and later Lancia through its new model, the Delta S4, came to shake up the leaderboard. The german car couldn't do anything more with its front engined car against road prototypes made specifically for rallying on slippery terrain.
The following Audi Quattro evolutions were built more in the Group B spirit than the original Quattro using an engine that delivered more than 500 HP. Unfortunatly this car came too late and won only 1 rally, the 1985 San Remo. After a dramatic 1986 Portugal Rally, Audi decided to withdraw from WRC before the end of the season.
Audi Quattro Rally scale models videos:
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