Audi Quattro Spyder and Avus
The Audi Quattro Spyder concept wasn't
really a concept at all. It was a rolling test-bed of ideas for a future
mid-engined sports car, built specifically with production in mind. Which might
explain why when it was first show at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1991, it had
buyers reaching for their chequebooks.
In terms of engineering, the Quattro
Spyder was relatively straightforward. Power was by the Audi 100's new
2.8-litre V6, and the transmission was a modified version of the quattro's
all-wheel drive layout, meaning it would be unique on the market at the time
for being a mid-engined 4x4. As for the body and chassis, it was a tubular
steel affair, clad in aluminium panels, predicting Audi's subsequent obsession
with the lightweight material.
Audi Quattro Spyder Concept
The suspension setup featured
trapezoidal links, which would late underpin the hugely important A4 range -
and in this application resulted in great grip and poise during testing. There
were lift-out targa panels and the doors were conventionally hinged. In short,
it was entirely production-feasable, introducing much of the aluminium
technology that would become an Audi mainstay.
When it was introduced - as a concept -
to the public at the 1991 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Quattro Spyder received
rave reviews from the press, with many journalists assuming that this was a
preview for an upcoming production car. Buyers were smitten, too, with many
attempting to place deposits at their local dealers.
Its proportions and stance looked spot on, and the
styling, although lacking in a clearly identifiable front end (something Audi
would truly nail in the 21st century) was timeless and worked well.
Audi Avus
Weeks later, the Spyder's big brother
made its dramatic first appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show, and would soon end
up overshadowing the pretty original. The Avus, with its mirror-finish
body, mid-mounted W12 engine, and claimed maximum speed of 200 mph, was an
extreme supercar in tune with the times, and predictably won huge amounts of
column inches. But under the skin, it was closely related to the Spyder. But
despite that, it was never mooted for production - as Audi was not yet ready to
get into the supercar business. Mind you, that W12 engine concept allied with
four-wheel drive would eventually find use in the Bugatti Veyron.
So despite the critical acclaim for the
Quattro Spyder, Audi decided not to press ahead with the project. The world economic
downturn was the primary motivator in this decision, but the Quattro Spyder
would also have been an expensive car to manufacture, and the company wasn't
confident that sales would have justifed the expenditure. That downturn ended
up not being as severe as the company had featred, by within three years, it
was working on the far less compex TT instead - and by then, the gorgeous
little Spyder was long dead and buried.
As might-have-beens go, the Spyder poses
many questions - most potently, could Audi have become the powerhouse it is now
years earlier? It's easy to pass judgement with the benefit of two decades'
worth of hindsight, but given how 'right' the product looked then - and now -
it would appear that the answer could well have been yes.
