By 1990 Audi was reeling as a result of dwindling gross sales and an getting old product line. A bogus sudden acceleration scandal did not assist the model’s fame, and in consequence, US gross sales dropped by half from a excessive of 74,000 in 1985. On the time, Audi was in peril of folding in North America like Alfa Romeo and Peugeot, nevertheless it dug in and doubled down on what it does finest.
In contrast to Alfa Romeo and Peugeot, Audi had two aces up its sleeve within the type of its turbocharged inline-five-cylinder engine and Quattro all-wheel drive system. Two elements it pioneered within the 1980s with the unique Ur Quattro and the Sport Quattro S1, a brash terrier of a rally automobile. By stuffing the turbo five-cylinder and Quattro AWD within the mild-mannered 200, Audi started clawing its approach again to prominence.
In inventory kind, the 1990 Audi 200 Quattro produced 217 horsepower and 228 pound-feet of torque from its inline-five turbo. Nonetheless, the proprietor of the metallic brown sedan on this video claims it makes 480 horsepower due to some critical modifications. Calling the automobile a “grandpa on steroids,” it hits the autobahn for a top-speed run.
The five-cylinder engine grumbles to life, settling into its unmistakable idle. Coarser than the velvety smoothness of an inline-six, the inline-five has an unmistakable bear-like growl that appears without delay offended and desperate to get transferring. It wastes no time hitting the autobahn and getting up to the mark.
At 5,000 rpm and 180 kph, or about 112 mph, the Audi 200 tracks rock regular because it settles into the left lane. The inline-five has a resonance not in contrast to a Lamborghini Huracan and even an Audi R8, two automobiles with V10 engines that share the five-cylinder’s uneven pulses. Because the increase kicks in, it gathers steam, hurling towards the 7,000 rpm redline whereas abandoning all warning.
Briefly, the Audi 200 touches 240 kph, virtually 150 mph, earlier than visitors and instincts of self-preservation take over. For comparability, a brand new Audi S6, the fashionable equal of the 200, has a claimed high pace of 155 mph. However whereas the Audi S6 could also be safer and extra comfy to drive, it lacks the visceral thrill of this amped-up 200 when it is burning up the autobahn.