An Audi Legend Is Making A Restomod Comeback With 500+ HP Under The Hood

The Audi Sport Quattro is back — in spirit. A restomod of Audi's 1980s rally icon has reimagined the Sport Quattro with an improved design and engine. The HSR Manufaktur Type 859 has a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder DAZA engine that makes 500 to 600 horsepower — and it's fitted into the engine bay longitudinally. Its body, made of carbon fiber panels, has been shorted by 12.6 inches, but the wheelbase was stretched. It was also given a roll cage, for a final weight of around 2,645 pounds. 

Unfortunately, the HSR Manufaktur Type 859 won't be widely available. Only 84 examples were made, inspired by the year Audi won the World Rally Championship with the Quattro A2. Getting one of those 84 models won't be easy — it's starting at $570,822. If you do have that money lying around, you still have to apply for this exclusive vehicle. "We hold formally signed Letters of Intent and direct inbound inquiries from collectors across several countries," HSR Told Top Gear. "We are seeing the highest volume of demand originating from the USA, Germany, and Switzerland, with additional global build allocations actively managed."

The Audi Sport Quattro is a rally legend, the first four-wheel-drive rally car (making it one of the most influential four-wheel-drive cars ever made). It saw multiple wins in 1981 when it came out. Then, the S1 Evolution Two (E2) dominated Group B with a multiple World Rally Champion wins. Rally B was a dangerous rally segment that had very loose rules — and crazy cars to match, with horsepower continuing to rise since the 1982 debut. It only lasted for four years due to dangers and deaths, but it became the most memorable time in rally history thanks to the Group B vehicles' aerodynamics, turbocharged engines, and dual clutch transmissions. 

The Audi Sport Quattro debuted with a turbocharged five-cylinder engine that made 414 horsepower, which is quite a lot in a car meant to zip around a curvy, rocky road. The short-wheelbase Sport Quattro came out in 1985, providing extra horsepower due to a bigger turbo. This was pushed even further with the E2 version, which had an aero package that brought it to 473 hp. "It did a hell of a lot for the car," said Stig Blomqvist, who got a WRC win in the Sport Quattro in 1984, to Octane, "stability and cornering speed, so much more of both."