The latest five-cylinder Audi challenged the brutal, 37-year-old predecessor. It shouldn’t have done that

In the end, it doesn’t matter who won, because you can’t look at this other than with an open mouth, regardless of the result. It is nevertheless remarkable, thanks to it it is possible to look with respect on both participating machines.

Given the current direction of the carmaker, this is probably the last time, but you can still buy a brand new car from Audi with a pure five-cylinder engine with a single turbo, which lacks even a pinch of electrification. He calls himself RS3, has 400 horses and a sound not unlike ten-cylinder supersports, some of which he can even beat.

Today, it is a car of a very unusual concept, almost no one uses the five-cylinder, and it stays in Audi for one reason only – tradition. This was built in the mid-1980s by a machine called the Sport Quattro S1, a rally special that, with the brutality of the time, took part in the rally group B’s race. later became a rival Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 from the head of no one smaller than Jean Todt. Even so, it was a remarkable car with which legends like Mikkola, Blomqvist and Röhrl performed fantastic things.

The car of its time, driven by the last two named, has now fallen into the hands of Mat Watson of Carwow, who has pitted it against the aforementioned last-generation RS3. We have a technically almost unlimited group B racing special in one corner, but it is 37 years old. And against it, a new road sedan that meets all emission, noise, safety and whatever limits. This is a significant difference in the concept, but there is also 37 years of development …

How did it all turn out? We won’t strain you, only the 1,090 kg Quattro with a 2.1 R5 turbo engine with 500 horsepower spread the RS3 with a 2.5 R5 turbo with 400 horsepower in everything it could, in the end the RS3 is almost 500 kg heavier. Challenging the almost 4 decades old predecessor was not a very good idea in terms of RS3, but it is still interesting to see both cars side by side. S1 is not in a straight line in a completely different speed dimension, and it should be added that today it has a value of around 50 million crowns. RS3 for some 2 million next to it suddenly looks like love …

So it is also a demonstration of progress, because the RS3 is not so much worse, and the brutality of Group B machines, because even after 37 years, they can beat today’s road car. And we’re at the airport, not the erzeta. But take the result the way you want, it just looks great on this, no matter how your heart beats for any of the captured machines.

Exactly this particular car from the historic Audi factory fleet … Photo: Audi

… challenged the last RS3 sedan to a duel. There is something to look at. Photo: Audi

Source: Carwow @ Youtube

Petr Miler

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