A true legend, rewriting the rule book of international rallying (in motorsport trim) and forcing rival manufacturers to rethink what road cars with superior traction could - and should offer.

Quite literally, it blazed a new trail.

‘Ur’ – the original.

The story began with Audi chassis engineer Jörg Bensinger, who spent a winter in Finland testing the Audi-developed Volkswagen 183 Iltis—a four-wheel-drive vehicle developed for the West German military, forestry and hunting.

He discovered that, on snow, it could outperform every other vehicle regardless of layout or power.

Inspired, Bensinger proposed a four-wheel-drive version of the Audi 80 Coupé to Audi’s leadership—and the rest, as they say, is history.

Re-designed from the existing Audi Coupe body by Ogle Design’s Martin Smith (fun fact – the Englishman designed the Luke’s landspeeder in ‘Star Wars’ 1977), the resulting car was unveiled to widespread acclaim at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show, before reaching European customers l...