1985 Audi Quattro S1
Owner: Audi UK Hosted by: Richard James
Although Audi had stolen a march on its rallying opposition with the introduction of its Quattro’s four-wheel-drive system, other manufacturers were catching up. While the original Quattro had plenty of grip, it was also somewhat unwieldy to drive.
Audi’s response was the 1984 S1, which shortened the wheelbase, helping the brand to win the World Rally Championship for drivers and makes. In 1985, Audi returned with the S1 E2 that, in addition to an outrageous aero package, featured a novel air-recirculation system for the turbo, which kept it spinning at high rpm when the driver was off-throttle, thus reducing turbo lag.
Some cars even featured a very early version of the electronically controlled semi-automatic gearbox you may know from modern Audis as DSG. Although Audi wouldn’t win a WRC title with the car, in 1987 Walter Röhrl won the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in the US.
Power: 592bhp | Top speed: N/A | 0-62mph: 3.1 seconds
Richard James
Richard James is the only Savile Row tailor to have won the British Fashion Council’s Designer of the Year award. Established in 1992, it was the first of the modernising New Establishment tailors on the street and offers bespoke and made-to-measure tailoring, and seasonal ready-to-wear collections. All of its bespoke tailoring is hand-made on Savile Row.