<< Prev Page 2 of 2 The 1983 World Rally Championship was very much a David vs Goliath fight with the svelte mid-engined Lancia 037 taking up the role of David and the much larger Audi playing the part of Goliath. The rear-wheel drive Lancia starred on tarmac, while the Quattro usually came into its own on more slippery surfaces where the all-wheel drive system provided a real edge. The A1 won in Sweden and Portugal, and the A2 scored victories in Argentina, Finland and Great Britain. Audi lost the World Championship to Lancia by just two points.
The rivalry continued into the following season which saw the A2 win the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally and also other World Championship rounds in Sweden, Portugal, Greece, New Zeeland and Argentina. Before the year was out, the Quattro A2 was replaced by the all-new and much compacter Sport Quattro. With six victories in the first eight rallies of the 1984 season, it was nevertheless instrumental in securing the World Championship for Audi and lead driver Stig Blomqvist.
Although superseded by the Sport Quattro as the weapon of choice of the works team, the 'ur-Quattro' remained very popular with privateer teams, who used them with great success in national championships. A direct descendent of the pioneering Quattro of 1981 and effectively still a Group 4 car, the Quattro A1 and A2 faired remarkably well in the ever more competitive world of Group B rallying. The 1984 World Championship would also be Audi's last in rallying. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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The 1983 World Rally Championship was very much a David vs Goliath fight with the svelte mid-engined Lancia 037 taking up the role of David and the much larger Audi playing the part of Goliath. The rear-wheel drive Lancia starred on tarmac, while the Quattro usually came into its own on more slippery surfaces where the all-wheel drive system provided a real edge. The A1 won in Sweden and Portugal, and the A2 scored victories in Argentina, Finland and Great Britain. Audi lost the World Championship to Lancia by just two points.