A closely modified 1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro sedan pushed by three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser in a profitable pace report try is up for grabs.
After spending a long time in a non-public assortment, the pace report sedan can be one of many featured tons 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 will be an astronomical sum for an abnormal Audi 5000, however this automotive is way from abnormal.
1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro pace report automotive (picture through Bonhams)
By the mid-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 referred to as the Audi 100 was marketed because the 5000—and was the topic of studies 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 pace of 206.3 mph over a 46-second lap of the two.6-mile oval.
In accordance with Bonhams, Unser, who parlayed the Talladega report try right into a profitable Pikes Peak marketing campaign with Audi later that 12 months, mentioned the 5000 felt like “it was superglued to the street. Even once I bought over 200 mph.”
1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro pace report automotive (picture through Bonhams)
Job achieved, the 5000 report automotive was returned to Germany, the place the present proprietor and his father noticed it throughout a manufacturing facility tour whereas selecting up a newly-purchased Audi V8 Quattro sedan. The tour was carried out by Dr. Werner Laurenz, who then labored on improvement of Audi racing engines. The present proprietor’s father and Laurenz grew to become pals, who organized to promote the automotive to the household when Audi tried to scrap it. It has been of their assortment ever since.
The report try and Pikes Peak run (by which Unser set a report 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.