1984 Audi Sport Quattro Originally Owned by Audi Club North America Founder Sells for $643,000 at Monterey Auction

[Source: RM Sotheby’s]

This 1984 Audi Sport quattro known as “The Red Devil” has so much history and provenance that we dedicated an entire episode of All-Wheel Driven to it. This incredible car just sold at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction for $643,000. While that is a significant amount of money this car is about a lot more than its high price tag.

Frank Beddor Jr. founded Quattro Club USA which would eventually become Audi Club North America. He was the original owner of this car and it has been in the family ever since. To help market Audi in the U.S. and capitalize on its rally racing success, Beddor Jr. requested five Audi Sport quattros. One for him and his wife and one for each of his three sons.

The Red Devil

This particular car was one of the five and was successfully raced extensively. The legendary 2.1-liter turbocharged inline five-cylinder was significantly modified with a ported and polished cylinder head, hotter camshafts, Bosch Motorsport Motronic ECU, optimized turbocharger, and proprietary exhaust and intake manifolds. These modifications were not done by some fly by night garage. Renowned Audi Sport engine builder Heinz Lehmann did all the work.

To handle the additional power the five-speed gearbox was modified with a stronger motorsport synchromesh along with a motorsport ring and pinion set that reduced gear ratios for better acceleration. Other modifications include a lightened flywheel, pressure plate, and six-pad clutch disc.

For a decade The Red Devil would dominate Audi club autocross events. But the car was not just quick around some cones. In June 1991 at the Ferrari Club of America’s 5.2-mile Virginia City Hillclimb the German coupe would embarrass one of the most revered Italian supercars of all time. The Red Devil finished in 1st place, a full 12 seconds ahead of a Ferrari F40. That same year the car broke the lap record at Minnesota’s Brainerd International Raceway.

It Pays to Be Patient

In June of 2024 this car was listed on Bring a Trailer. It didn’t sell as it failed to meet reserve with a high bid of $446,000. A little over a year later and the car brings almost $200K more. The recent sales price is indicative of what a unique piece of Audi history this car represents.

We just scratched the surface of this collectible machine. We highly recommend you watch our latest All-Wheel Driven podcast to get the full story directly from the Beddor family on why this little red Audi is so special.