Find of the Day: 1986 Audi 5000 CS quattro Speed Record Prototype in Bonhams’ Upcoming Paris Sale
Amidst the classics and exotics of the upcoming Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris sale by Bonhams is a rather unassuming looking ’86 U.S.-spec Audi 5000 with a few subtle modifications. Look deeper though and you’ll see chassis number WAUZZZ44ZGA000023 that’s set to go no reserve at The Grand Palais Historique on February 6 is the same Audi 5000 three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser used to set a world record by lapping the Talladega Superspeedway in 46 seconds at 206.3 mph back in the Reagan era.
Back in the mid-80s, Audi was looking for some performance publicity and decided to chase after the record for an all-wheel drive car on a circuit. The circuit would be Talladega, the driver would be Bobby Unser and the car would be this Audi 5000 CS quattro sedan. The car was lightened and heavily modified, with a focus on improving aerodynamics and its 5-cylinder turbocharged engine bumped to 650 hp.
After logging the record, the car would be returned to Germany and ended up being saved by a vendor who purchased it before it could be scrapped. The rest of that story, can be found in the Bonhams lot description HERE. The car, as mentioned, will sell without reserve on February 6. If you’re interested in owning a piece of Audi motorsport history, this may be worth a closer look.
Responses