Nothing says 80s Group B like Walter Röhrl, an Audi S1 and the soundtrack from a SEGA Genesis in the background.
When you think of the Audi S1 Quattro, like the 1986 Replica we unearthed in December, one thing springs to mind: ‘that’s one hell of a rally car’. Come on, after six years of World Rally Championship, 23 Group B victories and two world championships, the S1 Quattro is a weapon known and respected by petrolheads all over the world.
But what if – WHAT IF – that five-cylinder Quattro was nothing special, and as good as any of the other Group B competitors? No better than the Ford RS200, the Lancia Delta S4 or the Renault 5 Turbo (I’ll let you argue amongst yourselves) and Audi was just lucky enough to have a seriously impressive driver behind the wheel?
Enter Walter Röhrl. Today he’s 68 years old, and can still drive LIKE THIS. On his day though, he competed in more than 75 rallies, won 420 stages, was a two-time champion (admittedly neither with Audi) until bowing out in 1987, and remains a rally legend to this day.
So I ask again, what if Röhrl– plus former champions Hannu Mikkola and Stig Blomqvist – made the car better than it actually was? Having seen how Röhrl can drive today, we were keen to remind ourselves just how good he was on his day…
I can’t imagine a torrent of angry emails are far behind either…
Source: deggis4
