Audi Avus quattro

Last updated
Audi Avus quattro
Audi Avus quattro (cropped).jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Audi AG
Also calledAudi Avus
Production1991 (Concept car)
Designer J Mays, Martin Smith
Body and chassis
Class Concept car
Body style 2-door coupé
Layout Mid engine,
quattro permanent four-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine 6.0 L Audi W12 (wooden mock up)
Transmission 6-speed manual
Dimensions
Length4,470 mm (176.0 in)
Width2,006 mm (79.0 in)
Curb weight 1,250 kg (2,755 lbs)
Chronology
Predecessor Audi 100S Coupe Speciale
Successor Audi Rosemeyer

The Audi Avus quattro was a concept sports car made by the German car manufacturer Audi. It was first introduced at the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show. The Avus quattro had an aluminium space frame, which helped reduce weight. This second showing of the new aluminium architecture (after the quattro Spyder a month before) paved the way for the mass-produced aluminium A8 in 1994.

Contents

Design

The bodywork on the Avus was designed by J Mays and inspired by Auto Union race cars of the 1930s, which featured unpainted aluminum bodies. The panels are made from polished 1.5 mm thick aluminum that was hand-beaten. [1]

Specifications

The Avus quattro's engine was supposed to be a 6.0 L 60-valve W12 engine producing 509 PS (374 kW; 502 hp). The car shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, however, was fitted with a precision painted dummy, crafted from wood and plastic. Reason being, that at the time, its intended powertrain was still in development; [2] Audi-made W12 engines were not available to buyers until 2001, on the 2001 Audi A8 6.0 W12 quattro. The Avus also features three lockable differentials, rear-wheel steering and a NACA-style duct mounted on the roof.

The Avus quattro is now on display at Audi's museum mobile in Ingolstadt, Germany.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi</span> German automotive manufacturer

Audi AG is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen Phaeton</span> Motor vehicle

The Volkswagen Phaeton is a full-size luxury sedan/saloon manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, described by Volkswagen as their "premium class" vehicle. Introduced at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, the Phaeton was marketed worldwide. Sales in North America ended in 2006 and global sales ended in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi A6</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi A6 is an executive car made by the German automaker Audi. Now in its fifth generation, the successor to the Audi 100 is manufactured in Neckarsulm, Germany, and is available in saloon and estate configurations, the latter marketed by Audi as the Avant. Audi's internal numbering treats the A6 as a continuation of the Audi 100 lineage, with the initial A6 designated as a member of the C4-series, followed by the C5, C6, C7, and the C8. The related Audi A7 is essentially a Sportback (liftback) version of the C7-series and C8-series A6 but is marketed under its own separate identity and model designation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi TT</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi TT is a series of 2-door production sports cars and convertibles, made by Audi from 1998 to 2023. The first two generations were assembled by Audi's Hungarian subsidiary, one of the world's biggest engine making plants, using bodyshells manufactured and painted at Audi's Ingolstadt plant and parts made entirely by the Hungarian factory for the third generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi A3</span> German subcompact executive/small family car

The Audi A3 is a subcompact executive/small family car (C-segment) manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi AG since September 1996, currently in its fourth generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi A2</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi A2 (internally designated Typ 8Z) is a lightweight compact MPV-styled supermini car, with a five-door hatchback body style and four or five seats, produced by the German manufacturer Audi from November 1999 (for the 2000 model year) to August 2005. Based on the Audi Al2 concept car first shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1997, the A2 was notable for being constructed from aluminium, which in combination with its efficient engines, made it an extremely economical car on fuel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi A8</span> Full-size luxury sedan

The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with both front- or permanent all-wheel drive—and in short- and long-wheelbase variants. The first two generations employed the Volkswagen Group D platform, with the current generation deriving from the MLB platform. After the original model's 1994 release, Audi released the second generation in late 2002, the third in late 2009, and the fourth and current iteration in 2017. Noted as the first mass-market car with an aluminium chassis, all A8 models have used this construction method co-developed with Alcoa and marketed as the Audi Space Frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi A5</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi A5 is a series of compact executive coupe cars produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi since June 2007. The A5 range additionally comprises the coupe, cabriolet, and "Sportback" version of the Audi A4 saloon and estate models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W12 engine</span> Piston engine with 12 cylinders in W configuration

A W12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where either three banks of four cylinders, or four banks of three cylinders are arranged in a W configuration around a common crankshaft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi Quattro</span> Car model

The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March. Production continued through 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi V8</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi V8 is a four-door, full-size luxury sedan, designed, manufactured and marketed by Audi in Germany from 1988 to 1993, as the company's flagship. As the first car from Audi to use a V8 engine, also was the first Audi to combine a quattro system with an automatic transmission. Early cars used 3.6-litre V8s, while later cars featured a 4.2-litre version of the engine. The Audi V8 was replaced by the Audi A8 in 1994, although the A8 was not marketed in North America until 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi S4</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi S4 is the high performance variant of Audi's compact executive car A4. The original Audi S4, built from 1991 until 1994, was a performance-oriented version of Audi's 100 saloon/sedan. All subsequent S4s since 1997 have been based on the Audi A4; and as the A4 has evolved from one generation to the next, so has the S4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi S8</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi S8 is a full-size luxury car of the Audi S models produced by the German automaker Audi AG, manufactured by Audi Sport GmbH at the Neckarsulm plant. The S8 is the mechanically-upgraded, high-performance version of the Audi A8, fitted standard with Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system, and was only offered with a short-wheelbase for the first three generations, being joined by a long-wheelbase variant option for the fourth generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi S and RS models</span> Motor vehicle

Audi S and RS models are a range of high performance versions of certain car models of the German automotive company Audi AG. These cars primarily focus on enhanced "sport" performance. Production of Audi "S" cars began in 1990 with the S2 Coupé, whilst the first "RS" car appeared four years later with the Audi RS 2 Avant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi A1</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi A1 is a supermini car launched by Audi at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Sales of the initial three-door A1 model started in Germany in August 2010, with the United Kingdom following in November 2010. A five-door version, called Sportback, was launched in November 2011, with sales starting in export markets during spring 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi Le Mans quattro</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi Le Mans quattro is a concept car, developed by German automobile manufacturer Audi, for presentation at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show, to celebrate Audi's three successive wins at the arduous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 2000, 2001, and 2002. It was the third and final concept car designed by Audi in 2003, following the Pikes Peak quattro and the Nuvolari quattro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi hybrid vehicles</span>

Audi hybrid vehicles are hybrid electric vehicles created by the German carmaker, Audi. Some vehicles listed were concept vehicles, which utilised an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, and were used for research and development (R&D) for potential future use of the technology into possible series production. Audi launched its first hybrid concept car in 1989 called the Audi Duo, and was the first European company to sell a hybrid in 1997, though only in very small numbers.

Audi Sport GmbH, formerly known as quattro GmbH, is the high-performance car manufacturing subsidiary of Audi, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi A7</span> Executive luxury five-door liftback coupé

The Audi A7 is an executive luxury five-door liftback coupé produced by Audi since 2010. Also available as a three-box, four-door saloon in China since 2021, it features a sloping roofline with a steeply raked rear window and integrated boot lid, and four frameless doors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen Group W-12 engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

Volkswagen Group have produced a number of W12 internal combustion piston engines for their Volkswagen, Audi, and Bentley marques, since 2001.

References

  1. "Concept We Forgot: 1991 Audi Avus Quattro". Motor1.com. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  2. "TG's guide to concepts: the stunning Audi Avus quattro W12". www.topgear.com. Retrieved 2018-05-23.