How Did a Trans-Am Audi Start a Racing Dynasty? 

I was an SCCA Turn Marshall, and was working Turn 8A at the Sears Point race. During the T/A practice session it started to rain and everyone pitted. After a few minutes, we could hear the "woosh, BANG, chirp" of one of the Audi's leaving the pit lane. It was Walter Rohrl. When he reached us at T8, he came over the hill flat sideways, flames belching from the exhaust. As he came by us, (still sideways and throttle steering) he stuck his hand out the window and WAVED to us! Best display of car control I have eves seen. BTW, there is a video by Marshall Pruett here on RU-vid shot during that session. Thanks John, great stuff !

As an European: Sending in Walter Röhrl in an Underdog Car was like sending out a Terminator. To say that he was out there to scare of the other drivers is an understatement. He is the only driver to beat a Rallye Audi Quadro in a two wheel drive car regularly and when the rallye Championship. He settled down as testdriver and scare sport reporters when they make documentations over him and old rallye cars, in which he takes them on a spin. With 70+ years and he is still doing historic time rallyes for porsche at the moment. Röhrl had some success as streetracer in the 70's and early 80's for Opel and Porsche, winning 4 of the 6 DTM Races he participated 1981 so he was no newbie to Streetracing.

Audi in the 1983 till 1988 was for me the best of all times. That 2.1 liter 5 cylinder turbo engine is the best race engine ever. !!!!

This car is the reason I want an Audi quattro

I'm a younger guy growing up with grand tursimo. So what I know are evos, sti and skylines and the JDM tuning scene. ( I've owned an Evo Vi GSR at one point In time) I've also seen the unfair advantage documentary about this audi. Im starting to realized that all of my favorite cars came from what audi showed the world. Hehehe even the hks ssqv blow of valve chirp. Audi was the first. Hehehe now I have so respect for Audi and it's legendary quattro.

John Ficarra, this is just amazing historical storytelling! This need to be a series, a staple or something , about dominant/ perceived as dominant cars (917/30, TWR WSC-95, Porsche stock block USAC INDYCAR engine, etc.) Big fan of your work!

I am a pure Audi fan and the excitement in this video is just brilliant! I´m hyped as never before

This guy knows how to tell a gripping story loaded with interesting facts. Amazing work.

This whole story about the manufactured Audi scare reminds me of the coked turbo chargers in Porsche 924s and Audi 5000s. Cars from North America had this issue at a much, much higher rate than cars from anywhere else. A team at Audi was given the task to find the reason behind the coking of the turbo charges in their Porsche 924s and Audi 200s, but they were unable to reproduce it. After days of unsuccessful testing one of the engineers proposed to switch out the engine's oil with some extremely old, used oil. Et voilá: the coking occured after the engine was switched off. It turned out that some customers never changed their oil, which they were supossed to do every 5000 km, probably bc US customers weren't used to it since their V8 small blocks were so reliable, sturdy and efficient with the oil. Thank you for these videos. I hope you release one about Audi's success in the IMSA GTO or Le Mans. This is some real HQ content on your channel and you deserve way more subscribers than you have atm. May your subscriber count skyrocket to 1 million faster than a Audi 5000 power shifted into 1st gear at full throttle. *subscribe*

Group 44 deserves its own video. Bob Tullius' fingerprints are all over American sports car racing. He was one of the first people to bring professionalism into the sport, with immaculately turned-out cars, long-term sponsors, factory support, and the best drivers. Group 44 won multiple SCCA Runoffs, Trans-Am, IMSA GT and GTP races. It was the XJR-5 (built with Fabcar in Group 44's facility) that got the attention of Jaguar's UK brass-who then took the project away and gave it to Tom Walkinshaw. Tullius retired in 1990, only shutting down due to a lack of sponsorship. He now rebuilds WWII-era aircraft in Florida, and still owns a few of the Group 44 cars

Actually I'd admit that Walter Rohrl, although best known for his rally career, was very experienced in circuit racing =) Anyway, thanks for a great story and great storytelling!

Another amazing deep drive. Great stuff!

Thanks John... I love my two Audis, B6 S4 & C5 allroad....

I watched it race at Mosport in 88. Never forget that sound, or the livery.

Hye John, you talked about that glorious turbo chirp. I was at Pikes Peak in 1985 when Michele Mouton was driving the Quattro and that was the first time I heard anti lag. Sounded like rapid fire shot gun blasts echoing off the mountain. Not as sweet as the chirp but memorable to be sure.

I used to have a 200 quattro 20V. From 1990. It was a car in a different league. In a class of it's own. I still miss that car

Walter Röhrl and Hans Joachim Stuck were the German Race Drivers for AUDI.2 outstanding Race Drivers ❤

They stayed in IMSA also for only 1989. For 1990 Audi went to DTM to do the same: Winning basically every second race, two championships (leaving the series before they could lose one) and sweeping the podium 6 times (with two races even 1-2-3-4).

Walter Röhrl (hometown hero of mine) and „Strietzel“ Stuck, not just drivers, but gods among men!

Sounds like a similar story to what occurred in the early 90’s in Australian Touring Car racing with the Group A Skyline GTR. It totally dominated the other vehicles on all but a couple of tracks. They kept trying to slow it down with weight and rev-limits and then eventually dropped the Group A rules so it wasn’t able to compete anymore. But I hear Gibson Motorsport (the team that raced them) managed to develop it so well it was faster at the end of its career with all the handicapping then it was when it started with none. It’s a testament to the skills and hard work of that team.

The late '80's Quattro drive train was definitely heads and shoulders above everyone.But to me, the rally cars were really special.

Watching from Germany, I was born in 1985. THANKS FOR THE RIDE DOWN MEMORY LANE!!!

I love the Audi turbo sound!❤

Thank you so much. Listening to an american guy while talking about one of our brands was a real pleasure. BP, germany

I was invited by Audi to watch a race as a guest, and your right those things sounded so cool compared to the others.

I bought a new 4000 Quattro in 1986 and really loved that car! Not only was it like a freakin' snowmobile in the winter but it had the nicest full leather interior where every panel was covered. 5 cylinders, Baby!

Here South Africa we had Sarel van der Merwe And Terry Moss That raced them on track And Sarel won multiple rally championships

I remember this sound at Summit Point in 1988., I will never that race. Its was F**cking unreal. The choo choo cha noise is also stuck in my head too.

Attended Mid-Ohio race many times over the years. This period of IMSA was unbelievable.The number of manufacturers involved was huge. The AUDI’S blowing flames out of the exhaust exit just behind the front wheel was a sight to see. The competition was incredible in GTU, GTO and the Prototypes. Attending quite a few recent races it’s good to see it heading to another golden era

Thanks for the memories. I can still hear the chirping Turbos of the Audis. I shook Hans Stucks hand after one of the races at Summit Point. To quote Mr Stuck "bring some rain ya!"

I got to watch them race at Del Mar when they were in the GTO series. Hans Stück won the race and they got him to yodel on the podium. Core memory there.

I had a 90 series quattro and loved that car.

The Audi 200s came to South Africa in the 1990s and was driven a rally legend Sarel " Supervan" van der Merwe. Awesome car to see and hear that turbo squeak... And one of the Audi 200 stayed behind to be used locally.

Just visited the AUDI Museum in Ingolstadt last week. Saw the car that HURLEY HAYWOOD drove in the 1988 championship. Thank you very much for making this video as I had no idea that Hurley had an amazing racing history outside of Porsche!

it is about DAMN time you emptied your brain on video... the stuff up there... man! glad you finally got this!

Amazing as always! 🇪🇪That 5 sylinder sound😈

The IMSA Audi 200 is one of the most beautiful cars and Walter and Striezel are one of the best drivers ever.

I worked as an up-paid part time crew member on a part time Trans Am team back than. I remember when the Audi's came over. Audi had read the SCCA rule book and took advantage of some "loop holes" that allowed them to build a turbo powered race car using an OEM body shell that was both AWD and lighter than the V8 tube frame cars and had nearly the same power. You should do a video on the Mekurs as they were also dominated. Since our car was an ex-Roush Mustang we had contacts at Roush who had developed the 2.5L turbo engines for the Mekurs. Our crew chief was told, un-offically of course, that that Ford Turbo engine could make about 800 HP on the dyno. Due to the intake restrictors SCCA mandated on all turbo engines "only" made 600 HP installed in a race car. The Audi's in the rain were unbeatable.

My dad has a jet black '89 Jaguar XJS V12 Coupe, and it's absolutely beautiful. It purrs/growls/roars with authority, and "it feels like you're going 60 when you're actually going 120" (something my Dad has said many times over the years)

Great episode. Way back in the day I had a non-turbo early model 80 that I street drove. Had it about half rally built. Coming out of Tahoe-Donner Ski Ranch one snowy day on the way back to the bay area, all I was toting were skis and gear. Others were hauling people. Hit Hwy 80 w/o chains with a light snow cover and was enjoying my drive when I was red lighted. COP was so mad, he couldn't see straight. Was chasing in a fully cable chained cruiser. Told me Donner Pass was closed. I said not where I joined the road (no signs, nada) ... He wrote me for no chains and 70mph in adverse conditions. I paid the tickets and loved that Audi for many years before passing it along. Sometimes they build remarkable cars like the T/A 200's 😁

Yep.. I graduated High School in 86. And was an avid St. Pete Grand Prix fan, had been to every one of them. As well as Sebring 12Hr and Daytona 24, during the early 80s on. And I wil.l NEVER forget the Audis in Trans Am. It STILL as you mentioned.. is one of those noises, you will NEVER forget watching them come through dominating the other amazing ground pounders of the era. Which is saying something because the sound of the trans am class mustangs, camaros and corvettes, even the Merkurs.. were all amazing to hear. But when the Audis came into the scene.. wow. Just game changing.

I’m currently in the middle of a random yt rabbit hole and I had to say, FASCINATING story and you’re a great storyteller. Thanks for the experience

I was at the Mid-Ohio race in the rain in 1988 sitting in the grand stands at the end of the back straight, and in front of the esses, and it was by far and away the most dominant race win I have ever seen in my 30 years attending races. Period.

I love your storytelling talent, this is what I was hoping when I first heard you were doing something "on your own". This episode was fantastic, the great stories from the past are what keeps our hearts beating! I hope you are going to make, one day, an episode about Nuvolari, the Flying Mantuan, one of the (if not the) greatest pilot to ever walk this earth.

I took two Porsche driving academy courses. Both time Hurley was an instructor. I asked him why was the all wheel drive so successful. We could manage our tires better than the other guys. Just that simple. What a car and what drivers they were.

Amazing history. I remember the TDi Le Man cars and their Achilles heel--they were too quiet! Other drivers wouldn't hear them and couldn't really see them at night. They had a huge advantage on fuel consumption and did really well.

I remember the original Audi 5000 from about 1978. More "folded and creased" than later models. Looked like a great car. I was in high school when the Audi 100 LS was introduced. A family friend bought a 100 GL--the upgrade model-- to replace his Oldsmobile when the 1973 gas crisis occurred. That was the only GL I ever saw.

THAT, was absolutely fascinating ! I sort of knew the story, in parts, but never heard anybody go into it in so much depth. I really enjoyed that !

I actually just watched the first race here on RU-vid and saw in my queue, this video was saved. The algorithm gets me again! Hahaha...great vid, Fic!!

I remember seeing the Group 44 Audi at Mid-Ohio. I remember walking through the pits looking at all the tube framed racers and then looking at the two Audi's and their all steel unibodies. Yes, they had composite fender flares and a composite front clip but they were racing against tube frame funny cars. We didn't know that you could that much power out of an Audi engine. Stuck and Haywood drove that weekend, it rained, and the winning Audi treated the rest of the field like slalom cones.

And people wonder why so many doubt the main stream media. Thanks 60 Minutes!

Great story about the Audi was at Long Beach in 1988 for the 1st race and that sound of the turbos never forget it great story thank you

I LOVE this video, like its my favourite video on the Internet, i hope you could make a video about IMSA .

How can this channel only have 14000 odd subscribers? Brilliant content! Thanks John.

The group B S1 compressor chirp is, was, and always will be my favorite sound in all of motorsports

I've watched the 89 imsa series a few times that Audi is a Beast of a Race car. Good video explains how Audi Road Racing cut there Teeth into the Giants they be came.👍

My all time dream car is the Audi 200 20V Turbo Quattro, so hearing this story being told again, with such details and interest is an incredible thing! Thank you so much, John!

Never seen or heard of this car before, but damn what a race car. I respect Audi way more now.

A fantastic looking race car

This is by far the best video on this subject. Great stuff

I love this channel, not only for Ficarra himself, but just the history of everything!

I wish I still had my Audi Quattro racing poster. I cant remember if it was from the Trans-Am season, or IMSA. I saw them run at Long Beach with my dad. Then under IMSA we got to see them run at Del Mar. My dad was a VW master mechanic from Germany. We were rooting for the "home team" when they were racing.

I know this history pretty well, but I love the storytelling

In South Africa we had the rothmans Audi. Awesome car. Great sounding to

This was brilliant, fascinating stuff. Drove my neighbour’s Audi Quattro and Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth in the day… lot of fun!!

Hans Stuck was the son of Auto Union Grand Prix racing driver of the 1930s. He was also Hans Stuck. The Quatro came into existence when VW tested several vehicles in Sweden in winter. Amongst them was a 4X4 military vehicle. On the snow none of the fast cars could keep up with the "jeep" - so soon a prototype Audi Quatro was being tested and a legend was born.

As a huge and I mean huge Audi fan. I love the old 5 cylinder cars. I currently own a B5 2.8 Quattro manual. This is my 4th B5. I also had a B5 S4 too. I’m currently working on getting a B8/8.5 S4 manual. Love the story telling. Keep the 4rings alive

Great episode. The Trans AM 200 forced me to buy a 91' 20VT Audi 200. I remember watching these things run as a child. The turbo chirp and flames won me over... When I win the lottery, I plan to build a Trans AM replica.

Hi John, back in the early eighties I was fortunate enough to be at the Circuit of Ireland and the Rally Great Britain to see the Audi Quattro's sideways at full speed and in the rally service stations. Saw Michele Mouton and Walter Rhorl in the flesh. The Quattro system has never been bettered. I have a 2007 A6 2.7tdi Audi Quattro S Line Le Mans Speck (A Keeper). Lightened and lowered from stock with torque like you cannot believe. A car I never knew existed and purchased by luck back in 2014 for GBP 4000 pounds!!! On the back roads in the UK in the Lincolnshire Wolds, in the wet, it is amazing to drive at the limit with four wheel drift. An early 80's Audi Ur Quattro is on my bucket list. I turn 60 this year and it never gets old, having lived it in my teens. Audi nailed it, and ironically made one of the safest driving cars ever with the Quattro system.

This is why i freakin love this channel. Amazing story !

Great trip down memory lane, John! In grad school, I became aware of the Audi 5000 (got my masters in '92). My friend was working at Zexel-Torsen (I played volleyball with him and his co-workers). They had an audi 90 with the back seat removed and a computer rack bolted in. It was connected to wheel sensors that were outboard of the actual wheels, wild to see. Anyway, I had a couple different Audi 5000 CS Turbos, then finally got my '87 5000 CS TQ and I was into the quattro world! I ended up with a stiffer waste gate spring and chipped the CPU (code I got from the quattro list). Double boost in that car was fantastic! I then got a '91 200 TQ 20v (the pre-cursor to the first S4). Anyway, on my 8th audi now and just love these cars!

just stumble on this , one of the most fascinating youtube videos ive seen, thank you for bringing that piece of history to us

I knew this story.....but the way how you telling it....great. Much more spectacular....thx.

Really, really good story telling!

I'm so glad you started your own channel. Your car history stories are some of the best I have heard. Thanks for this snapshot of Audi history

Late comment! Great episode, thanks! The full 1988 race is on youtube!

I read every car magazine I could get my hands on in the 80's and 90's. I remember reading about these Audi race cars, and how revolutionary they were. I have a die cast 1/18th scale Audi R8 Le Mans race car. Great story. Thank you.

Captivating story. I always heard bits and pieces of the Unintended Acceleration story and the 60 minutes fraud (GM's and Ford's gastank explosion cases as additional examples) and amazed that through all of that they had this masterful display in Trans-am. Can't wait to hear more!!

I just watched the 1988 Trans-Am series and it’s pretty amazing. Thanks for filling in the history.

That Audi Quattro was ridiculously awesome! Just a beast!

I was at Long beach in 1988 for my 1st. Indycar race, I also saw the Trans Am 200 in action, the next year (1989) I went to Del Mar and saw the IMSA GTO 90 quattro!

Was at the Long Beach GP Trans-Am in 88, the Audi was the car to beat, top qualifying, consistently top ten , the Mercur was also very quick in its class, but that chirp and awd grip in the corners & straightways was awesome. Thnx for the sound effect, cause you definitely heard it all afternoon, up front🏁

I had a 85' 5000 manual. and 13 more VAG cars since. I remember seeing the race car up close back then; amazing machine.

Audi‘s back then were insane .😮❤

Fantastic story and story telling 👏 Thanks Jon!

There you are, I was looking for you. 🤣 I never knew Audi raced in Trans Am 😳 But it's good to see you again. Subscribed.

When Audi introduced their 4WD Audi Coupe none of European teams cried, they made their 4WD cars what lead to Group B - the greatest racing series of all times. They were so good - they dominated pikes peaks. If the car complies with rules, how it can be unfair?

I was reading your script off of my head, I know the history of Audi and the car, excluding the crashes of the 5K. I just love the story and the car itself. Up next: IMSA

One of the very best story tellers anywhere!!!

Thanks for explaining the term "I'm Audi 5000" so a few less people look at me like WTF does that mean?!?! when I use the term...

I'm so pleased I watched this and learnt more than I realised I needed to know about Audi. I also love the look of that car. Incredible how they made such a big car look so smooth and refined.

The 5 pot sound before the turbo whistle! loveV8 & V5, great video

As a small boy growing up in the UK these wide bodied American cars like the cool ones on TV were a huge part of my falling in love with cars. Aww.

The story teller. I often need English subtitles because I'm not native English speaking but not here. You're doing a great job!

John, I'm always amazed by the sheer amount of passion you can put in a video. This was one of the fastest 20 min videos I have watched, and it's always a pleasure to listen to your stories. Thanks!

I saw them as a feature race at the F1 race in Detroit. What noise they made downshifting. Clearly dominant.

Sometimes i feel like a bit of a car nerd... then i come here and get my gourd blown to smithereens

Thanks for this awesome video. As a German I surely knew about the S1, but this one? And the 5000 disaster, I didn’t know. Thanks!

Love your story telling.

I just came across your channel. Thanks to the RU-vid algorithm. You are such a good narrator. I binge watch all your content although I'm not particularly into the car models you're presenting.