words: Bill, photos: Mike Maez, courtesy of Gooding & Company
If you’ve never been to the Amelia Island Concours Week (March 5-8, 2020), I highly suggest you make some time to travel to the barrier island on Florida’s Atlantic coast. Reasonably warm weather (especially to us in the Northeast), beautiful cars, beautiful scenery, beautiful cars…
If this Sport quattro looks familiar, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. We’ve featured it before as a Find of the Day. And if you go to Amelia Island, you may even get to touch it. Word came out yesterday that this Sport quattro will be at the Gooding & Company auction. There are a couple of days before the auction where the vehicles are parked for prospective buyers (and gawkers) to view.
Viewing days are Thursday March 5th (9am – 6pm) and Friday March 6th (9am – 4pm) at the Racquet Park, Omni Amelia Island Plantation, 6800 First Coast HWY. The actual auction starts on the 6th at 11am. Last year at Amelia Island, Gooding & Company had another Tornado Red Sport quattro that went for $434,00. This Sport quattro is Lot 40 and is estimated to go between $550,000 and $700,000.
Here’s the auction description:
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Ohio (acquired new in 1986)
Gary Gaska, Gresham, Oregon (acquired via The Auto Collections in 2004)
Current Owner (acquired from the above in 2012)
EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
McCall’s Motorworks Revival, Monterey, California, 2010
Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue, California, 2012
With the advent of the FIA’s Group B rally category in 1982, Audi responded with a new race car that utilized a short-wheelbase chassis and a turbocharged, twin-cam five-cylinder engine in an aggressively styled Baurbuilt body fashioned from fiberglass, aluminum, and Kevlar. The new model was an instant success, with Stig Blomqvist capturing the 1984 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Rally Championship titles. In all, just 224 Sport Quattros were built to satisfy the FIA’s homologation requirements, with an estimated 164 completed in road-going trim. Given its impressive performance credentials, competition pedigree, and inherent exclusivity, the Sport Quattro attracted an elite clientele that included rally champion Walter Röhrl and Audi Chief Technical Engineer Ferdinand Piëch.
The Audi presented here is an exceptionally original, meticulously maintained example with less than 35,000 miles from new. Constructed on June 19, 1985, this Tornado Red Sport Quattro is among the exclusive group of 10 cars that were originally imported to the US in 1986 by Porsche + Audi North America to promote Audi’s participation in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. After the race, this Sport Quattro was sold to a private collector in Ohio, who drove it approximately 15,000 miles during his two-year ownership. The Audi then was out of the public eye for almost 16 years, finally reappearing in 2004, when it was presented for sale at The Auto Collections in Las Vegas. The Audi’s next owner, Gary Gaska of Oregon, kept the Sport Quattro for about eight years, drove it approximately 10,000 miles, and displayed it at several California shows. The current owner, an avid racer and collector, acquired the Sport Quattro from Mr. Gaska in 2012. It has since remained a fixture in his impressive stable, which includes several iconic homologation specials.
In 2018, the consignor commissioned Canepa of Scotts Valley, California, to perform a thorough mechanical restoration and concours-level detailing. This detail-oriented, 13-month process – documented with invoices in excess of $100,000 – included rebuilding the engine and gearbox, rebuilding and balancing the axle and driveshaft assemblies, and repairing the air-conditioning system. Cosmetic attention included repainting the bumpers and wheels, and a comprehensive cleaning of the undercarriage, interior, and bodywork, which the consignor reports retains its original paint finish.
Since this work was completed, the Audi has been driven less than 1,000 miles and remains in pristine, show-quality condition in all respects. The car is offered with its original books, tools, jack, spare, Sabelt harnesses, and a file of documentation. Surely among the most exciting, collectible, and historically significant models in the history of the Audi marque, the Sport Quattro is an undisputed motor sports legend. Presented here is a rare opportunity to acquire what may be the very best example of this charismatic breed.
This Sport quattro is special to us not just because it’s a Sport quattro but because it was probably one of the several that Frank Beddor, the founder of Audi Club North America (then called quattro Club) imported into the States back in the 80s. I don’t have access to any records that will prove it’s one of Frank’s but the timing of its import plus the Audi Club badge makes me think it is.
So head to Amelia Island to see the beautiful scenery and beautiful cars. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the highest bidder of this Sport quattro. You can see the Gooding & Company listing HERE.
Editor’s note: Thank you to Ryan Bender of Gooding & Company for forwarding us these photos.
