Audi Sport GmbH is turning 40, and the go-faster department most people know colloquially as the ‘Quattro Division’ has packed a hell of a lot into those last four decades.
Besides delivering more than a quarter of a million hot road cars, Audi Sport has also notched up dozens of victories in DTM, WRC, top-tier endurance racing and at the Nurburgring 24 Hours. And it’s chosen this year’s N24 race (May 18-21) to throw itself a birthday party.
Audi says it has a special bond with the ’Ring, having been an official race partner since 2002 and a supplier of cars to the race organizers. It also claims to be the most successful manufacturer in the GT3 era thanks to its six overall victories and three class wins. Audi’s road cars also put in some development miles at the track, but just as importantly, the N24 has real credibility with the car enthusiast and motorsport community, making it the ideal place to throw a party and big-up your brand.
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A motorcade of some of the firm’s models will act as a warm-up act by parading around the Nordschleife prior to the N24 start, and during the race itself Audi’s four R8 LMS cars will be treated to retro liveries to mark the occasion, including one driven by former DTM champions that will be decked out to look like a 1992 V8 Quattro DTM sedan.
Meanwhile, there’ll be plenty of off-track static displays for the crowd to drool over, including the first-generation Audi R8 and RS4 Avant, the current R8 GT and the RS4 Avant Competition. But one of the biggest draws is likely to be the all-electric Audi S1 Hoonitron made famous in Ken Block’s “Electrikhana” video.
The festivities won’t end when the N24 circus leaves town, however. Audi has a spectacularly German-sounding “40 Years of GmbH – Fascination Meets Performance” event planned for its Neckarsulm HQ on June 14 and another exhibition scheduled for October 14.
