How Did a Trans-Am Audi Start a Racing Dynasty?
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- Опубликовано: 24 апр 2022
- What do you do when your cars are being accused of killing people? You go racing! The amazing origin story of Audi's first road race car since the 1930's, the unstoppable 1988 Audi 200 Quattro Trans-Am.
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I was an SCCA Turn Marshall, and was working Turn 8A at the Sears Point race. During the T/A practice session it started to rain and everyone pitted. After a few minutes, we could hear the "woosh, BANG, chirp" of one of the Audi's leaving the pit lane. It was Walter Rohrl. When he reached us at T8, he came over the hill flat sideways, flames belching from the exhaust. As he came by us, (still sideways and throttle steering) he stuck his hand out the window and WAVED to us! Best display of car control I have eves seen. BTW, there is a video by Marshall Pruett here on RUclips shot during that session. Thanks John, great stuff !
That's amazing. Rohrl could truly do anything with a car. Thanks for sharing your story!
Hi James, thanks for the interesting comment. What's the aforementioned yt video's title?
@@sebvv5219 "Audi 200 Trans Am at Sears Point"
ruclips.net/video/yT89sBJMXJg/видео.html
@@sebvv5219 ruclips.net/video/q9rKTP-1ZL0/видео.html
Hi James, I was at that race weekend too. I was a SCCA crew member for the Purple and Black # 86 cars in SP and SF but was driving worker transport at the "Big Events". That was an eye opener, - seeing the cars that chirped and shot flames with a turbo 2.1 liter 5-cylinder set forward and offset to the right. The next year's GTO car was a smaller, even more impressive Audi 90. Those years in SCCA were the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on. 👍
As an European: Sending in Walter Röhrl in an Underdog Car was like sending out a Terminator. To say that he was out there to scare of the other drivers is an understatement. He is the only driver to beat a Rallye Audi Quadro in a two wheel drive car regularly and when the rallye Championship. He settled down as testdriver and scare sport reporters when they make documentations over him and old rallye cars, in which he takes them on a spin. With 70+ years and he is still doing historic time rallyes for porsche at the moment. Röhrl had some success as streetracer in the 70's and early 80's for Opel and Porsche, winning 4 of the 6 DTM Races he participated 1981 so he was no newbie to Streetracing.
The late '80's Quattro drive train was definitely heads and shoulders above everyone.But to me, the rally cars were really special.
I'm a younger guy growing up with grand tursimo. So what I know are evos, sti and skylines and the JDM tuning scene. ( I've owned an Evo Vi GSR at one point In time) I've also seen the unfair advantage documentary about this audi. Im starting to realized that all of my favorite cars came from what audi showed the world. Hehehe even the hks ssqv blow of valve chirp. Audi was the first. Hehehe now I have so respect for Audi and it's legendary quattro.
i was never a car fan growing up because my family is all about that american car culture.
had they introduced me to more JDM or german cars i woulda been a car nut at an earlier age with them.
the audi quattro is what got me into cars. it took my family years to believe the shit i was asying
"they dont make 5 cylander cars" and they 100% discredit what im saying.
till one day i show them videos.
Walter Röhrl (hometown hero of mine) and „Strietzel“ Stuck, not just drivers, but gods among men!
John Ficarra, this is just amazing historical storytelling! This need to be a series, a staple or something , about dominant/ perceived as dominant cars (917/30, TWR WSC-95, Porsche stock block USAC INDYCAR engine, etc.) Big fan of your work!
Excellent suggestions. A Porsche Can-Am video is in the works.
Agree, can’t wait to hear about the 917/30! I figured John wouldn’t let’s us down on that one!
John, please tell the story of how (late Great) Vic Elford “convinced” Porsche that the 911 had POTENTIAL as a race car, rally car, in the late 60s 👍
I’m sure car lovers would enjoy that one
@@FicarraClassic it was the umluft (antilag system they had that was causing the turbo to chatter im building 1 for my URS4
I was invited by Audi to watch a race as a guest, and your right those things sounded so cool compared to the others.
This whole story about the manufactured Audi scare reminds me of the coked turbo chargers in Porsche 924s and Audi 5000s. Cars from North America had this issue at a much, much higher rate than cars from anywhere else. A team at Audi was given the task to find the reason behind the coking of the turbo charges in their Porsche 924s and Audi 200s, but they were unable to reproduce it. After days of unsuccessful testing one of the engineers proposed to switch out the engine's oil with some extremely old, used oil. Et voilá: the coking occured after the engine was switched off. It turned out that some customers never changed their oil, which they were supossed to do every 5000 km, probably bc US customers weren't used to it since their V8 small blocks were so reliable, sturdy and efficient with the oil.
Thank you for these videos. I hope you release one about Audi's success in the IMSA GTO or Le Mans. This is some real HQ content on your channel and you deserve way more subscribers than you have atm. May your subscriber count skyrocket to 1 million faster than a Audi 5000 power shifted into 1st gear at full throttle. *subscribe*
'American V8' and 'efficient' are not words i would use in the same sentence.
@@23GreyFox American V8s are inefficient with the FUEL under low loads, as are all high displacement engines, but they are efficient with the OIL. There's no contradiction here. Otherwise we'd see more issues with those engines given how undisciplined the operators are.
Group 44 deserves its own video. Bob Tullius' fingerprints are all over American sports car racing. He was one of the first people to bring professionalism into the sport, with immaculately turned-out cars, long-term sponsors, factory support, and the best drivers. Group 44 won multiple SCCA Runoffs, Trans-Am, IMSA GT and GTP races. It was the XJR-5 (built with Fabcar in Group 44's facility) that got the attention of Jaguar's UK brass-who then took the project away and gave it to Tom Walkinshaw. Tullius retired in 1990, only shutting down due to a lack of sponsorship. He now rebuilds WWII-era aircraft in Florida, and still owns a few of the Group 44 cars
You are absolutely right. Bob Tullius / Group 44 absolutely deserves his own video. On to the list it goes!
@@FicarraClassic It's getting to be a big damn list?
I agree. Bob gave me my start in Big Time Motor Racing as Group 44's engineer while we were still running the Jags in GTP. I owe him a lot.
I worked as an up-paid part time crew member on a part time Trans Am team back than. I remember when the Audi's came over. Audi had read the SCCA rule book and took advantage of some "loop holes" that allowed them to build a turbo powered race car using an OEM body shell that was both AWD and lighter than the V8 tube frame cars and had nearly the same power. You should do a video on the Mekurs as they were also dominated. Since our car was an ex-Roush Mustang we had contacts at Roush who had developed the 2.5L turbo engines for the Mekurs. Our crew chief was told, un-offically of course, that that Ford Turbo engine could make about 800 HP on the dyno. Due to the intake restrictors SCCA mandated on all turbo engines "only" made 600 HP installed in a race car. The Audi's in the rain were unbeatable.
They stayed in IMSA also for only 1989. For 1990 Audi went to DTM to do the same: Winning basically every second race, two championships (leaving the series before they could lose one) and sweeping the podium 6 times (with two races even 1-2-3-4).
This car is the reason I want an Audi quattro
Actually I'd admit that Walter Rohrl, although best known for his rally career, was very experienced in circuit racing =)
Anyway, thanks for a great story and great storytelling!
True. He got to drive the amazing Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo in '79-'80 for example. But as of 1988 he hadn't competed in a major road race in 7 years. One of my favorite drivers!
He put a factory 924 turbo 7th? Overall. At Le Mans. Last time I was at the museum it was on display. Speaking of the museum. Sometimes he’ll take one on a classic ralleye. When the billionaires that flew in to drive their own cars find out he’s there mit ein alter Werkswagen, many leave the cars on the trailer since they H8 to be the first loser.
Rally Pilots are easily the best behind the controls.🎯
There's Video footage of Hans Joachim Stuck saying sth like 'If Walter would've wanted, he could've won the F1 world championship without a doubt'. Walter Röhrl is known for not having been interested in 'boring' races or titles. He was very specific in what he wanted to achieve. So he did just that.
ruclips.net/video/AMvF0ST61N0/видео.html Minute 04:45
Walter preferred rally for the challenge. He told me after 3 laps on a road course he could drive with his eyes closed. I believe him 100%
Hye John, you talked about that glorious turbo chirp. I was at Pikes Peak in 1985 when Michele Mouton was driving the Quattro and that was the first time I heard anti lag. Sounded like rapid fire shot gun blasts echoing off the mountain. Not as sweet as the chirp but memorable to be sure.
Hissssssss….. pop pop pop
Sounds like a similar story to what occurred in the early 90’s in Australian Touring Car racing with the Group A Skyline GTR. It totally dominated the other vehicles on all but a couple of tracks. They kept trying to slow it down with weight and rev-limits and then eventually dropped the Group A rules so it wasn’t able to compete anymore. But I hear Gibson Motorsport (the team that raced them) managed to develop it so well it was faster at the end of its career with all the handicapping then it was when it started with none. It’s a testament to the skills and hard work of that team.
I thought the same too. "Look, another Kaiju but this time from Germany"
Yeah well that's what happens when you get a two door literally designed for racing up against 4 door family sedans. So no credit due for the GTR at all really.
@@joshthomas2536 that argument falls through when you consider than the 2 door Sierra homologation special was the competition to the GTR, not the crappy dated Commodores
Audi in the 1983 till 1988 was for me the best of all times. That 2.1 liter 5 cylinder turbo engine is the best race engine ever. !!!!
Walter Röhrl and Hans Joachim Stuck were the German Race Drivers for AUDI.2 outstanding Race Drivers ❤
This guy knows how to tell a gripping story loaded with interesting facts. Amazing work.
The IMSA Audi 200 is one of the most beautiful cars and Walter and Striezel are one of the best drivers ever.
"Striezel" Stuck!
Thank you so much.
Listening to an american guy while talking about one of our brands was a real pleasure.
BP, germany
it is about DAMN time you emptied your brain on video... the stuff up there... man! glad you finally got this!
I remember seeing the Group 44 Audi at Mid-Ohio. I remember walking through the pits looking at all the tube framed racers and then looking at the two Audi's and their all steel unibodies. Yes, they had composite fender flares and a composite front clip but they were racing against tube frame funny cars. We didn't know that you could that much power out of an Audi engine. Stuck and Haywood drove that weekend, it rained, and the winning Audi treated the rest of the field like slalom cones.
Another amazing deep drive. Great stuff!
I took two Porsche driving academy courses. Both time Hurley was an instructor. I asked him why was the all wheel drive so successful. We could manage our tires better than the other guys. Just that simple. What a car and what drivers they were.
My dad has a jet black '89 Jaguar XJS V12 Coupe, and it's absolutely beautiful. It purrs/growls/roars with authority, and "it feels like you're going 60 when you're actually going 120" (something my Dad has said many times over the years)
Sometimes i feel like a bit of a car nerd... then i come here and get my gourd blown to smithereens
I watched it race at Mosport in 88. Never forget that sound, or the livery.
I got to watch them race at Del Mar when they were in the GTO series. Hans Stück won the race and they got him to yodel on the podium. Core memory there.
Attended Mid-Ohio race many times over the years. This period of IMSA was unbelievable.The number of manufacturers involved was huge. The AUDI’S blowing flames out of the exhaust exit just behind the front wheel was a sight to see. The competition was incredible in GTU, GTO and the Prototypes. Attending quite a few recent races it’s good to see it heading to another golden era
I had a 90 series quattro and loved that car.
I used to have a 200 quattro 20V. From 1990.
It was a car in a different league. In a class of it's own.
I still miss that car
Here South Africa we had
Sarel van der Merwe
And
Terry Moss
That raced them on track
And Sarel won multiple rally championships
Watching from Germany, I was born in 1985.
THANKS FOR THE RIDE DOWN MEMORY LANE!!!
I bought a new 4000 Quattro in 1986 and really loved that car! Not only was it like a freakin' snowmobile in the winter but it had the nicest full leather interior where every panel was covered. 5 cylinders, Baby!
The Audi 200s came to South Africa in the 1990s and was driven a rally legend Sarel " Supervan" van der Merwe. Awesome car to see and hear that turbo squeak... And one of the Audi 200 stayed behind to be used locally.
I remember this sound at Summit Point in 1988., I will never that race. Its was F**cking unreal. The choo choo cha noise is also stuck in my head too.
Amazing history. I remember the TDi Le Man cars and their Achilles heel--they were too quiet! Other drivers wouldn't hear them and couldn't really see them at night. They had a huge advantage on fuel consumption and did really well.
And those diesel engines had crazy torque.
I love the Audi turbo sound!❤
I love your storytelling talent, this is what I was hoping when I first heard you were doing something "on your own". This episode was fantastic, the great stories from the past are what keeps our hearts beating! I hope you are going to make, one day, an episode about Nuvolari, the Flying Mantuan, one of the (if not the) greatest pilot to ever walk this earth.
The group B S1 compressor chirp is, was, and always will be my favorite sound in all of motorsports
Just visited the AUDI Museum in Ingolstadt last week. Saw the car that HURLEY HAYWOOD drove in the 1988 championship. Thank you very much for making this video as I had no idea that Hurley had an amazing racing history outside of Porsche!
Great episode. Way back in the day I had a non-turbo early model 80 that I street drove. Had it about half rally built. Coming out of Tahoe-Donner Ski Ranch one snowy day on the way back to the bay area, all I was toting were skis and gear. Others were hauling people. Hit Hwy 80 w/o chains with a light snow cover and was enjoying my drive when I was red lighted. COP was so mad, he couldn't see straight. Was chasing in a fully cable chained cruiser. Told me Donner Pass was closed. I said not where I joined the road (no signs, nada) ... He wrote me for no chains and 70mph in adverse conditions. I paid the tickets and loved that Audi for many years before passing it along. Sometimes they build remarkable cars like the T/A 200's 😁
I was at the Mid-Ohio race in the rain in 1988 sitting in the grand stands at the end of the back straight, and in front of the esses, and it was by far and away the most dominant race win I have ever seen in my 30 years attending races. Period.
Thanks for the memories. I can still hear the chirping Turbos of the Audis. I shook Hans Stucks hand after one of the races at Summit Point. To quote Mr Stuck "bring some rain ya!"
And people wonder why so many doubt the main stream media. Thanks 60 Minutes!
My all time dream car is the Audi 200 20V Turbo Quattro, so hearing this story being told again, with such details and interest is an incredible thing! Thank you so much, John!
mine too. i did have the 100 avant turbo quattro. so almost :) i also had Ur-S4 but v8 and manual tranny. best car i have ever had.
That 5 pot is one of the sweetest sounds
Never seen or heard of this car before, but damn what a race car. I respect Audi way more now.
Yep.. I graduated High School in 86. And was an avid St. Pete Grand Prix fan, had been to every one of them. As well as Sebring 12Hr and Daytona 24, during the early 80s on. And I wil.l NEVER forget the Audis in Trans Am. It STILL as you mentioned.. is one of those noises, you will NEVER forget watching them come through dominating the other amazing ground pounders of the era. Which is saying something because the sound of the trans am class mustangs, camaros and corvettes, even the Merkurs.. were all amazing to hear. But when the Audis came into the scene.. wow. Just game changing.
I love this channel, not only for Ficarra himself, but just the history of everything!
I wish I still had my Audi Quattro racing poster. I cant remember if it was from the Trans-Am season, or IMSA. I saw them run at Long Beach with my dad. Then under IMSA we got to see them run at Del Mar. My dad was a VW master mechanic from Germany. We were rooting for the "home team" when they were racing.
THAT, was absolutely fascinating ! I sort of knew the story, in parts, but never heard anybody go into it in so much depth. I really enjoyed that !
Saw the Audi's race when they brought a road race to my town one year only.(Niagara Falls).For the most part it seemed two Audis were half a race course ahead of the field!Cut my spectator teeth at Watkins Glen as a youth but no one had seen anything like those two cars in Trans Am anyway.The turbos on those cars could be heard chirping even after the cars were long gone from our position.Glad I got a chance to witness those machines!Remember it like yesterday!
I know this history pretty well, but I love the storytelling
Amazing as always! 🇪🇪That 5 sylinder sound😈
I’m currently in the middle of a random yt rabbit hole and I had to say, FASCINATING story and you’re a great storyteller. Thanks for the experience
Great episode. The Trans AM 200 forced me to buy a 91' 20VT Audi 200. I remember watching these things run as a child. The turbo chirp and flames won me over... When I win the lottery, I plan to build a Trans AM replica.
I LOVE this video, like its my favourite video on the Internet, i hope you could make a video about IMSA .
Thank you very much for some great stories and info!
I've watched the 89 imsa series a few times that Audi is a Beast of a Race car. Good video explains how Audi Road Racing cut there Teeth into the Giants they be came.👍
Well done as always, sir, keep up the good work!
Fantastic report, great car!
Great story about the Audi was at Long Beach in 1988 for the 1st race and that sound of the turbos never forget it great story thank you
good video! thanks!
Great video, thanks!
I am a pure Audi fan and the excitement in this video is just brilliant! I´m hyped as never before
Love this \ Thanks John 😎
Thank you for sharing!
Fantastic! Thanks so much for telling the story. Keep them coming.
Great trip down memory lane, John! In grad school, I became aware of the Audi 5000 (got my masters in '92). My friend was working at Zexel-Torsen (I played volleyball with him and his co-workers). They had an audi 90 with the back seat removed and a computer rack bolted in. It was connected to wheel sensors that were outboard of the actual wheels, wild to see. Anyway, I had a couple different Audi 5000 CS Turbos, then finally got my '87 5000 CS TQ and I was into the quattro world! I ended up with a stiffer waste gate spring and chipped the CPU (code I got from the quattro list). Double boost in that car was fantastic! I then got a '91 200 TQ 20v (the pre-cursor to the first S4). Anyway, on my 8th audi now and just love these cars!
I can't get enough of this stuff, thank you John!
The story teller. I often need English subtitles because I'm not native English speaking but not here. You're doing a great job!
GREAT STUFF!! KEEP IT UP!!
Awesome story, thanks for sharing!
John, would love to see more racing stories from you. You are one of the best story tellers in the car space. Not many other places to hear stories told like this!
Thank You Sir for a great video
Great job!
Australia keeps old school Trans-Am alive with Touring Car Masters... Most fun racing to watch to me :)
Well done! I enjoyed every second of it!
Brilliant video, thanks
I'm so glad you started your own channel. Your car history stories are some of the best I have heard. Thanks for this snapshot of Audi history
This is why i freakin love this channel. Amazing story !
Well put together video. Just found your channel tonight and subscribed.
Damn, this makes me want an UR Quattro even more. Really cool vid. You got another subscriber here.
Vinwiki sent me here...
Glad I found this. Great story & great story teller!
I hope you do more of these in the future.
John, You are truly a very talented storyteller! 👍🏼 Thank you for sharing with us! 😁
That was an excellent video.
Thank you so much for this great video!!!! You did a great job !!!!
This was great John! I had no Idea. Cool history. Btw that sound was awesome!
Keep going and making nice (and interesting) videos like this John. You have a big fan here in Spain.
Absolutely NEED more of these kinds of videos!!
Great story!
That sound clip was like ecstasy and yes, the trans-am is now a favourite of mine.
Quality video, more please. You just got a new sub.
I have only just discovered this video. I’ve always loved this car and it’s fantastic to see this about it. Quality, quality content, John!
Just recently started following you. Really enjoy your stories and knowledge of classic race cars and cars in general. Thanks for the stories. I’ll try to watch everything I haven’t seen.
Love your story telling.
Fantastic Video, thank you so much. 😎
Fantastic Video John
What an amazing story and storyteller! Thank you John!