Audi Quattro Rooms

As part of Audi UK’s flagship showroom in West London, just before the M4 merges into the A4 in London, Audi have dedicated an area for a range of classic and racing models from Audi’s past. Three showroom floors will have space to display 116 cars, while The Audi Quattro rooms on floors four and five are used to showcase Audi one hundred years of innovation and to celebrates 30 years of the legendary Quattro cars. Asides from the collection of cars, the level also was designed to hold corporate events, and included meeting, screening and board rooms available for hire.

When these shots were taken in June 2011 the cars on the fourth floor included 3 C1 Audi 100’s, a C3 100 saloon, a specifically made B2 80 2 door replica, a super tourer Quattro, a Wanderer cabriolet and several Quattros coupes.

The Audi 100 was an important car not just in the UK but ultimately for the survival of parent company Volkswagen, who were still making rear engined air cooled cars. Sales of Audi derived cars officially started in the UK in 1959 with a selection of Auto Union DKW cars. When the first Audi badged cars arrived in 1966, the first significant model to take sales from BMW and Mercedes was the 1969 C1 Audi 100. It used styling cues from existing Audi models but totally re-engineered with a crisply styled large modern body. The car would become Audi’s first UK volume seller and established them as a maker of quality cars.

At the time 2 door saloons were popular on the continent and also imported in small numbers into the UK. Audi’s reputation and desirability however was enhanced by the introduction of the 100 S coupe.

The Blue 4 door is a facelift LS model dating from around 1973/74. The LS signifies the smaller 1760cc engine, available in both 2 and 4 door saloon. The 2 door saloon is the 1871cc GL model and appears to date from 1971/72. The GL models also featured the coupe S model, with a similar spec to the saloon GL models but with twin carburettors and larger wheels.

The C1 100 range was the evolution of the previous DKW F102 and Audi F103 (Audi 60/72/75/80/90) ranges, but it was the first modern Audi to feature the coupe body styling – which has similar styling traits to the Aston Martin DBS of the period.

Audi designers and engineers had developed the C1 prototype in secrecy, as VW were in the process of shelving the Audi name – however upon seeing the prototype the head of VW Heinrich Nordhoff changed his mind and the Audi went into production – and subsequently noted as the car that saved Audi and opened VW into its successful venture into water cooled cars.

This Blue 4 door C1 100 LS was originally sourced from the Isle of Wight and then carefully restored to original spec.

The 1983 C3 Audi 100 was the first production car to achieve a drag co-efficiency of 0.30. This became an important marketing feature, but the aerodynamic styling also improved fuel economy and top speed. Audi’s innovation for safety had always been evident but enhanced by the introduction of the innovative Procon-ten system, which would tighten seat belts and pull the steering wheel towards the dashboard using a cable tension system in event of an accident. The far forward placed mounting of the engine would also act as a cushion in head-on collisions.

The C3 100 was released as a 4 door saloon and the 5 door Avant, the first official 100 estate model to be produced by the company.

1983 Audi 80 BTCC Replica. This is an ex-Stirling Moss replica AKAI-sponsored Audi 80 BTCC car. The B2 80 was never available in the UK as a 2 door so this is model is something of a one off on these shores. The owner had plans to actually race it but decided against it.

One of the last 150 RHD Quattros with just fifty miles on the clock.

1980 Sport Quattro

1985 Audi Sport Quattro Road going homologation special – one of 20 originally imported into the UK.

A4 Audi Quattro super tourer

1939 Auto Union Wanderer W23 convertible with body supplied by Gläser from Dresden.