Page 65 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

Purpose-built performance – the road version of the Quattro Sport had an output of over 300 horsepower.
The Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system was reliable and ran smoothly, and all of VW/Audi’s front-drive platforms made great use of the available torque. Forget the peak horsepower number for a moment. What you care about is accelerating out of a corner from the bottom of second gear, hitting third and continuing up to freeway speeds. The Audi Coupe does that job admirably.
What’s more, Audi kept on developing the Coupe throughout its production run. Collectors thinking about a Coupe should really look to the 1985 and later models, after the mid-cycle refresh. The displacement boost in 1985 dropped the 0-60 time to about 9.3 seconds, and the 1987 upgrade gave this car even more to work with. If you can find one of the late 2.3-liter cars, that’s the one to get.
Driving the Quattro is even better. This was a world-class performance car in its day, and the AWD system meant that Audi had to upgrade the rear suspension, which gives this version the
crispest handling. 0-60 is accomplished in 7.5 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 128 mph.
Contemporary Accolades
In 1985, Car and Driver magazine took eight current sport coupes on a 700-mile road trip from Los Angeles to Carmel and back, rating each on power, handling, comfort, and the like. The group included such favorites as the Chevy Camaro Berlinetta, Ford Mustang SVO, and the long-forgotten Chrysler Laser. Imports in the mix included the Mitsubishi Starion, Toyota Supra, Nissan 300ZX, Merkur XR4Ti, and the Audi GT.
You may be surprised, as those journalists were, that the Audi won the title of Best Sports Coupe in America. The editors were, in fact, breathless with their praise of pretty much everything about the Audi. The modern collector may be surprised to see that the Audi beat out the near legendary Supra, but it did.
Audi Coupe and Quattro
Quattro production ended in 1991. It fundamentally changed the perception of all-wheel drive on passenger cars.
Wayne Carini  Affordable Classics  63