The Ultimate Rally Audi Is For Sale

If you know a little bit about rallying, you've probably heard about the legendary Group B days, when the regulations made for cars that were as attractive as they were dangerous.  If you've never heard of it, let me give you a quick crash-course: In the eighties, the highest echelon in rallying was Group B. In this segment, there were pretty much no limits; the goal was to be as fast as possible. This led to the creation of 700+ horsepower monsters which ran at breakneck speeds on gravel. Even worse, there were no safety regulations for spectators, which meant that a few spectacular deaths occurred throughout the years. People would sometimes stand in the middle of the road, moving away from the cars at the very last second.

After a particularly gruesome crash in 1987, Group B was cancelled, but in the few years it ran, the rules spawned some amazing vehicles, most notably the Audi Quattro S1. With this 591 horsepower racecar, Audi demonstrated the superiority of its quattro drivetrain, which is still acclaimed today.

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One of these cars is now up for sale; it was driven by Hannu Mikkola in 1982 (who used it to win the Monte Carlo Rally) and is pretty much perfect. With its turbocharged 5-cylinder engine, the S1 has 200 horsepower to play with in its current configuration (there are many more ponies available if you so desire). Power is sent to all four wheels via the quattro system. Bonhams, which will sell the car at the upcoming Goodwood auction on March 21, expect to sell it for over $400,000.