Audi didn’t wait for next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show to unveil what it calls the “conceptual successor” to the Sport quattro of 1983. The new 700HP plug-in hybrid quattro concept is an impressively muscular coupé with more than a hint of historical styling in its beefy silhouette…
As with the car of 30 years ago, Audi tells us that the latest Sport quattro concept was “designed in the spirit of motorsport”. It still gives more than a hint of the 1980s in its styling, however: note the angular, flat C-pillars, the ‘blisters’ above the wings, and the rectangular double headlights, though these latter now feature the marque’s “ground-breaking” Matrix LED technology.
Boasting 800Nm of torque, the 560PS twin-turbo V8 (with cylinder-on-demand technology) plus 110kW electric motor dispatches the 0-62mph sprint in 3.7 seconds, yet the concept claims to emit just 59g/km of CO2. Performance is helped by (of course) permanent all-wheel drive, while Audi’s generous use of aluminium and CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer) keeps the weight impressively low. Including the battery pack – always a hefty item – the kerb weight is a mere 1850kg.
The concept can be seen in all its futuristic retro glory at the Frankfurt Motor Show, 12-22 September 2013, prior to – it is hoped – a small production run.
