Audi 90 quattro-story | English

Quattro Gruppo B

80 Quattro Gruppo A

Coupe Quattro Gruppo A

90 Quattro Gruppo A

Audi 90 quattro-story | English
90: the four-door rallying quattro Launched in 1987, the four-door Ingolstadt-built car had barely had its competition debut -- at 1987 Costa Smeralda Rally -- that everybody was talking about its possible future developments. There were widespread hopes that the new 4-valve engine would have be granted approval: at about 260 HP this engine would have enable the 90 quattro to face with way better possibilites the competition of Deltas and Celicas, especially on tarmac. In fact, the original five-cylinder engine, born out of a road-going standard version fitted with catalyzer, was placed at a disadvantage even compared to the maximum power output of the engine of the sister Group A Coupe. Besides the not negligible detail of the horsepower of the 10-valve engine, the 90 quattro carried within itself all the legacy of the Coupe quattro model that had predated it as far as transmission, platform, trim were concerned. It boasted better stiffness due to the tubular rollcage, although it was a four-door model instead of a two-door as the Coupe was. The front suspension layout instead was borrowed from the 200 quattro, the car that was officially fielded by Audi Sport in the 1987 season (the first in which the FIA World Rally Championship was reserved for Group A cars after the 1986 Group B mishaps) and also sealed off for Ingolstadt the long sought and craved for victory at the Safari, with Mikkola- Hertz at the wheel.  At the end of 1988 at the Bettega Memorial rally-show a 90 quattro chassis was entrusted to France's Bruno Saby: fitted with a 350 bhp 4-cylinder Lehmann-built engine it raised eyebrows, but it did not translate into reality as at Bologna prototypes without FIA homologation were allowed as one-offs. During the running of the 1989 Acropolis rally, Audi Sport chief Herwart Kreiner revealed that the 20V engine had not been approved. Audi Sport Europa Team then focused on the Africa regional championship, while others remained in the World Championship but focusing on rounds where endurance rather than speed was important. Rudi Stohl obtained in 1990, with the car supported by Vienna-based Schmidt Bros., the best result ever for the 90 quattro model in the World Rally Championship: an amazing second place at tough Ivory Coast Rally.  The 90 quattros @ Audi Sport Europa Team At the outset of the 1988 season, Audi Sport Europa Team, by then accustomed to claiming successes in Group A, had its Meldola, Italy premises bustling with activity to have ready the new 90 quattros meant to pick up the legacy of the previous 80 and Coupé quattros. The 90 quattro was available in Costa Smeralda and quick female driver Paola De Martini used it across the season, ending with an excellent debut in the FIA World Championship: 9th place outright in a Sanremo Rallye that boasted a very rich starting list. The following season the program included selected rounds counting towards the FIA World Rally Championship and victory in the FIA European women's standings. The FIA World Rally Championship involvement started on a high, with a couple of ninth overall places claimed at difficult rounds such as Montecarlo and Corsica.  Further appearences were outstanding performance-wise, however, those ended with DNFs: in Portugal before retiring De Martini was fighting with Georg Fischer's Audi 200 quattro, which ultimately was fourth overall. In Greece, a 1880-km marathon (608km Special Stages) that the team took on with only three service trucks, five special stages from the end, Elba-based rallywoman was sixth outright when the oil sump let go. Another possible success faded for retirement in Ivory Coast, when De Martini was third overall. Misfortune was also felt in the hunt for the European title: she finished level on points with Louise Aitken-Walker but the latter claimed the crown due to a better overall finish (5th vs 6th for De Martini).  The duel with the Scotland-based driver supported by General Motors Europe continued in 1990, when the maiden Ladies' world rally crown was at stake. De Martini often boasted a better pace than the female rival, prevailing in Portugal and Corsica. But a series of mishaps, such as the lack of arrival of the car in Argentina (due to an ailing ship!), a broken camshaft in Australia, and an early Sanremo shunt (driving in the dark at night after a broken alternator failed to provide her headlamps energy) made the success hopes go awry.  Rallying worldwide had made the team aware of the chances of the 90 quattros in gruelling rallys, especially if the staff wherewithal was crucial. After "sampling" Bandama and Zimbabwe in 1989, a program was prepared for the 1991 FIA African Championship, with local drivers such as Abe Smit and Patrice Servant, alongside Italian Aldo Riva, who debuted at the Zaire Safari and immediately got the bug of Africa-style rallying. At the end of the season Riva and Chicco Roveda claimed the Burundi Rally. A success that they managed to repeat the following season and, on top of further victories in Zimbabwe and Burundi, gave the Romagna, Italy-based driver and Roveda the title, a success that was repeated the following year in the Manufacturers and Co-drivers standings.

AUDI 90 QUATTRO ROLL OF HONOUR 

1986 Sweden Rally^
Ericsson-Hardy (S)
1986 Saarland Rallye (D)^
Ericsson-Michl (S-D)
1987 Pohjola Oulun Rally (SF)
Buri-Stenroos (SF)
1987 Winter Hallingdal Rally (N)
Danielsson-Sjoqvist (N)
1987 Lavanttaler Mitternachts (A)
Fischer-Zeltner (A)
1988 Rally Costa Smeralda *
De Martini-Gibellini (I)
1988 Rally Zlatni Piassatzi (BG)*
De Martini-Gibellini (I)
1989 Rallye di Montecarlo*
De Martini-Gibellini (I)
1989 Tour de Corse*
De Martini-Gibellini (I)
1989 Rally Costa Smeralda *
De Martini-Gibellini (I)
1989 Rallye San Marino*
De Martini-Gibellini (I)
1990 Cordiners Granite City Rally (GB)
J. McRae-Arthur (GB)
1990 Tour de Corse*
De Martini-Gibellini (I)
1991 Burundi Rally
Riva-Roveda (I)
1991 Castrol Penhalonga Rally (ZW)
Smit-Wild (ZW)
1992 Rallye du Littoral (CI)
Servant-Servant (CI)
1991 Selbas Rally (ZW)
Smit-Wild (ZW)
1992 Burundi Rally
Riva-Roveda (I)
1992 Zimbabwe Challenge
Riva-Roveda (I)
1992 Zambia Rally
Riva-Roveda (I)

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NOTICE:
^ = 1st Group A ;
* = 1st Ladies
all other results = 1st overall