In my university days, I had a magazine pull-out poster of this automobile’s predecessor on my bedroom wall.
As a die-hard VW/Audi enthusiast, Hamish White’s Audi ‘Sport Quattro’ construct was simply the most effective thing I’d ever examine.
I still have that edition of Performance VW magazine in a cabinet somewhere, together with the poster. The automobile even graced Speedhunters’ pages back in 2013, courtesy of Ben and Paddy.
The automobile you see before you is Hamish’s second effort at constructing his vision of the proper short-wheelbase Audi, and it’s a completely different animal from his first construct.
“This automobile was given to me free of charge after crashing my old Quattro during testing 10 years ago,” Hamish recalls. “I used to be promoting for a brand new roof with no sunroof, but I used to be offered the complete shell of a sunroof automobile. It was too good to show down.”
Hamish’s initial plan was to repair his crashed Audi, but that turned to finish re-shelling with a brand new, soon-to-be shortened chassis. Nonetheless, as is the way in which in life, priorities modified and the unique Audi was sold to fund a house deposit.
A wife and three children followed shortly after, and although the second Audi construct process naturally slowed down, it never stopped.
Considering the outcome, I’d argue that the prolonged timeframe and more considered approach that got here with it has only benefitted the construct. A decade is an extended time to dedicate to a single project in any case…
Having began life as a 1986 Audi Coupé – the less performance-focused alternative to the Audi Ur-Quattro – Hamish proceeded to shorten the body shell by 320mm on his custom chassis jig.
What sets this construct apart is the usage of the A-pillars and roof section from an Audi 80 saloon for a steeper windscreen angle. This was a key aspect of the original Sport Quattro homologation road automobile and rally automobile, and was done to cut back glare.
The windscreen modification is one detail most Sport Quattro replicas omit, unsurprising while you consider the quantity of labor required for it to not compromise the structural rigidity of the chassis. A multi-point T45 roll cage greater than makes up for any potential strength lost within the conversion, tied in not only to the body shell but in addition to the raised front strut towers.
The roll cage can be now a part of the pickup points for the custom front subframe and the rear differential, surrounded by bespoke tubular T45 suspension arms. The rear subframe can be custom, with multiple pickup points at each axles for anti-dive/squat adjustments when tuning the handling properties.
Speaking of which, the Audi is suspended on a set of KW Competition two-way adjustable coilovers with inverted dampers. Stopping power has been seriously bulked up too, with real WRC-spec callipers in any respect 4 corners; Brembo 8-piston units on the front and AP Racing 4-piston units on the rear with 330x32mm discs throughout.
The AAN 2.2-litre five-cylinder engine mounted right up within the Audi’s nose has been freshly rebuilt with forged connecting rods and a Garrett GT28 turbocharger strapped to the side, with bespoke exhaust work resulting in 3-inch side exits from a 3.5-inch downpipe. The radiator and intercooler are also custom.
The powertrain and the automobile’s ancillaries are controlled by a MoTeC ECU and PDM wired with a bespoke harness constituted of scratch by David Rowe, one other Audi aficionado known to this side of the web. Naturally, this implies there may be also a MoTeC-focused cockpit featuring a digital display and switch panel.
Other interior highlights include a Tilton adjustable pedal box and a Sabelt steering wheel matching the ex-WRC Sabelt harnesses with titanium adjusters. These secure Hamish and his passenger into a pair of real ex-WRC Recaro bucket seats that were utilized by Peter Solberg and his co-driver Phil Hill throughout their 2004 World Rally Championship assault.
The Audi’s exterior is about as true to a Sport Quattro S1 E2 as possible, not only in shape but in addition in substance. In Hamish’s quest for weight reduction, composite materials feature heavily within the construct.
The truth is, “the only steel remaining is the ground pan, bulkhead and front chassis rails. All the things else is carbon-Kevlar body panels including the inner arches,” he says.
My three favourite touches are a part of the obsession with weight reduction, and just occur to be period-correct cool.
Throughout the Kevlar arches are a set of magnesium BBS E50 wheels. Not only are they pieced along with rare titanium bolts, however the front wheels profit from a pair of real BBS turbo fans.
Moreover, the side and rear windows have been replaced with Lexan. The raised ‘QUATTRO‘ lettering within the rear shouldn’t be only stylistic but in addition adds stiffness to the rear window and prevents flexing. Because why not enjoy each form and performance?
Being the small-mirror-obsessed weirdo that I’m, I can’t finish this highlight without mentioning the automobile’s bespoke mirrors. They’re modelled on proper Group B items, but on this case are produced in carbon fibre. The best touch? The also supply cool air into the cabin, perfect for a hot rally stage.
Ultimate Dubs 2024 was a return to form with some exceptional motors, but I even have no shame in admitting this was a ‘never meet your heroes’ moment. What a f**king phenomenal automobile.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn
mariochristou.world
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This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
