THE AUDI QUATTRO: ALL-WHEEL DRIVE CHANGES EVERYTHING

1980 · Audi · 6 min

When Audi put all-wheel drive into a rally car, the entire motorsport world had to catch up.

THE IDEA

Audi engineers noticed that a four-wheel-drive 'Iltis' military vehicle could out-accelerate higher-powered cars on loose surfaces. That observation became the Quattro.

THE REVOLUTION

The Quattro debuted in 1980 and dominated rallying, winning championships and forcing rival teams to adopt all-wheel drive. Its legacy defines Audi to this day — and every modern AWD performance car.

Timeline

1980 — THE BEGINNING: Quattro launches.
1981 — THE VICTORY: WRC success begins.
1984 — THE LEGACY: Rivals follow AWD.