Audi’s Legendary Five-Cylinder Gets Its Own Museum Exhibition

[Source: Audi]

There are plenty of great engines in automotive history, but few have a sound as instantly recognizable as Audi’s legendary inline-five. Mention the firing order “1-2-4-5-3” to an Audi enthusiast and they can almost hear the unmistakable growl that has defined everything from the original Audi 100 to today’s RS 3. Now, Audi Tradition is celebrating that remarkable legacy with a special exhibition honoring one of the brand’s most iconic powerplants.

Opening August 1, 2026, at the Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt, Germany, “1-2-4-5-3: 50 Years of Audi Five-Cylinder Engines” will run through February 28, 2027. The exhibition features seven engine displays and 14 vehicles that trace the evolution of the five-cylinder engine from its humble beginnings to its dominance in motorsports and its continued success in Audi Sport’s RS lineup.

A Legend Is Born

“Fifty years of the five-cylinder engine is a very special anniversary for Audi,” said exhibition curator Stefan Felber. “Few technologies evoke such strong emotions or have shaped the brand’s image so profoundly over the past five decades.”

The story began in 1976 with the launch of the second-generation Audi 100. Engineers wanted a powerplant that offered more prestige and performance than a four-cylinder but was lighter and more compact than an inline-six. The solution was an inline-five, an unusual configuration at the time that combined smooth power delivery with a distinctive soundtrack thanks to its unique 1-2-4-5-3 firing order. The first 2.1-liter fuel-injected version produced 136 horsepower and laid the foundation for one of the most celebrated engine families in Audi history.

Racing Dominance

Audi quickly expanded the concept. The first five-cylinder diesel arrived in 1978, followed a year later by the turbocharged Audi 200 5T. Then came the moment that cemented the engine’s legendary status, the debut of the Audi quattro in 1980. Combined with permanent all-wheel drive, the turbocharged five-cylinder became the heart of Audi’s rally dominance, helping secure two World Rally Championship manufacturers’ titles and two drivers’ championships. In Group B competition, output climbed to well over 500 horsepower, while the fearsome Audi IMSA GTO produced an astonishing 720 horsepower.

The exhibition showcases that remarkable journey through an impressive collection of vehicles, including the Megola motorcycle, Audi 100 5E (C2), Audi 100 5D (C2), Audi 200 5T (C2), Audi 90 quattro, Audi 100 TDI (C3), Audi S2 Coupé, Avant RS2, Audi S6, Audi TT RS, Audi TT Motorsport, Audi RS Q3 concept, Audi RS 3, and Audi GT50 concept.

Major Milestones

Several of those models represent major milestones in Audi history. The Avant RS2, introduced in 1994, wasn’t just the world’s most powerful production station wagon at the time, it also launched Audi’s legendary RS performance lineup. After the original generation of five-cylinder engines was retired in the late 1990s, enthusiasts waited more than a decade before the engine made its triumphant return in the 2009 TT RS. Since then, Audi’s 2.5-liter TFSI has become one of the most celebrated performance engines in the industry, earning the prestigious “International Engine of the Year” award nine consecutive times while powering models like the TT RS and today’s RS 3.

For Audi enthusiasts, the exhibition is much more than a history lesson. It’s a celebration of the engine that helped define the brand’s identity, fueled countless motorsports victories, and created one of the most distinctive exhaust notes in automotive history. Fifty years later, the unmistakable sound of 1-2-4-5-3 continues to symbolize everything Audi means by Vorsprung durch Technik.