A closely modified 1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro sedan pushed by three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser in a profitable velocity file try is up for grabs.
After spending a long time in a personal assortment, the velocity file sedan might be one of many featured heaps at an upcoming Bonhams sale in Paris scheduled for Feb. 6. Bonhams expects the automotive to promote for between $100,000 and $210,000. That might be an astronomical sum for an unusual Audi 5000, however this automotive is much from unusual.
1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro velocity file automotive (picture through Bonhams)
By the mid-Nineteen Eighties, Audi had already conquered the World Rally Championship with its Quattro coupe, boosting the model’s picture in Europe. However racing success did not have the identical impression within the U.S., the place the sedan generally known as the Audi 100 was marketed because the 5000—and was the topic of reviews of unintended acceleration. So Audi got here up with a star-spangled motorsport publicity stunt.
The automotive now up on the market was modified with aerodynamic tweaks and upgrades to its 2.2-liter turbocharged inline-5, boosting output to 650 hp. On Mar. 24, 1986, Unser drove the sedan at Talladega Superspeedway, reaching a record-setting prime velocity of 206.3 mph over a 46-second lap of the two.6-mile oval.
In line with Bonhams, Unser, who parlayed the Talladega file try right into a profitable Pikes Peak marketing campaign with Audi later that yr, mentioned the 5000 felt like “it was superglued to the highway. Even once I acquired over 200 mph.”
1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro velocity file automotive (picture through Bonhams)
Job finished, the 5000 file automotive was returned to Germany, the place the present proprietor and his father noticed it throughout a manufacturing unit tour whereas choosing up a newly-purchased Audi V8 Quattro sedan. The tour was performed by Dr. Werner Laurenz, who then labored on growth of Audi racing engines. The present proprietor’s father and Laurenz grew to become buddies, who organized to promote the automotive to the household when Audi tried to scrap it. It has been of their assortment ever since.
The file try and Pikes Peak run (through which Unser set a file on the legendary hill climb) have been overshadowed by a damning “60 Minutes” report the next November on the 5000’s alleged unintended acceleration. Audi remained invested in motorsports, returning to Pikes Peak in 1987, then dominating the Trans Am after which IMSA racing sequence.
