6 Warbling Audis To Celebrate 40 Years Of Five-Cylinder Engines

100

40 years ago, Audi slotted a 2.1-litre straight-five engine into the very 70s slice of brown you see above. It’s the second-generation Audi 100, and while it’s the least exciting car here, it’s the most significant: by dropping in that 2.1, Audi created the first production car to have an inline-five engine under the bonnet.

It almost never happened: the idea of slinging in a straight-six was mooted, but binned due to space restrictions. So, a 132bhp five it was, giving birth to a warbly, 40 year dynasty.

Sport quattro S1 E2

Arguably the most famous section of Audi’s five-pot history involves rallying. It all started with the Audi Quattro in 1980, and Ingolstadt’s fire breathing rally monster reaching its zenith in 1985 with this: the S1 E2. All Quattros since 1980 featured turbo power, but the Group B S1’s 2.1-litre five banger was the most potent of the lot, putting out in excess of 500bhp.

Sounds pretty good, too…

Sport quattro

So, that’s the ultimate competition-spec quattro, but how about the ultimate road-going version? That’d be the Sport quattro. Built as an homologation special for the monstrous Group B car above, only around 200 were built. As a consequence, you’ll need about £300,000 to buy one, and they don’t go under the hammer very often.

While nowhere near as fast as the rally versions, Sport quattros are still supremely quick. 302bhp from this curious-looking, short wheel-based brute means 0-60mph in under five seconds. That’s fast even today, and in the 1980s the Sport quattro was quick enough to give supercars of the time a few headaches.

90 IMSA GTO

While the quattro steals much of Audi’s 80s motorsport limelight, it’s important not to forget the company’s ridiculous IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) machine. It’s an Audi 90 in name but nothing else, with those wide arches cocooning a tubular space frame chassis. A 2.2-litre inline-five with a massive turbo was mounted up front, putting out 710bhp in a package weighing just 1200kg.

Numerous wins followed, and Audi finished runner up in the 1989 season of the North American series. But that proved to be the 90 IMSA’s one and only year in racing, with Audi pulling the plug to focus on DTM.

RS2

The first Audi to wear an RS badge is a unique one, because the RS2 Avant was the result of a curious tie-up between Porsche and Ingolstadt. The suspension and braking systems were mostly the work of Porsche, while the engine is - you guessed it - an Audi inline-five. The 2.2-litre unit puts out 311bhp, making 0-62mph possible in just 4.8 seconds.

Porsche was tasked with final assembly, which it did at its Zuffenhausen plant - a factory that had a little space free after the end of the company’s Mercedes 500E joint venture.

TT RS

Going from 1994 right back to the present day, it’s pleasing to see Audi is still knocking together warbly five-pots. And while the world’s motoring media is yet to drive the latest version of the five-pot-powered TT RS, it’s looking jolly promising. The mostly new 2.5-litre turbocharged inline-five is good for just shy of 400bhp, meaning it’ll do 0-62mph in a staggering 3.7 seconds - matching a bunch of exotic supercars.

Which of these five-pot machines is your favourite? Or have we missed out your chosen five-cylinder Audi? Either way, let us know in the comments.