Re: quattro for sale - only the rich need apply

["Jouko Haapanen" <joukoh@vtoy.fi>]

Last winter I had an opportunity to talk with Hannu Mikkola regarding the
(and many other) subject of Audi departure from the rally circuits.  Hannu
was, from day one of rally car development to the end of it, a part of some
type of executive committee, on which sat men such as Piech and Treser
along with marketing, production and design folk.  He claims that the
question that was asked of him was "can you promise that specators will not
get hurt in the future" , and his answer, of course, was "no I cannnot" . 
He recalls Piech at this point saying that he can guarantee that if Audi
goes on to road/track racing that no spectators will be killed.

Henri Toivonen died in Corsica if I recall correctly, but specators were
killed subsequently, and that triggered the decision.

This was one of the many stories Hannu told, the best having been from the
early development days of the quattro.  He is more or less retired now,
lives mostly in Florida but visits Finland regularly.  He may very well be
THE quattro authority and knowledge pool in the US.  He did not only drive
cars, he was very much into the the development work.

Any listers seen him in Florida???


Jouko Haapanen
Pori, Finland

----------
> From: Dave Eaton <dave.eaton@minedu.govt.nz>
> To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net
> Subject: Re: quattro for sale - only the rich need apply
> Date: 21. elokuuta 1997 12:12
> 
> developed by audi to remedy the obvious deficiencies of the sport namely,
evil
> handling and bad weight distribution.
> 
> the partial solution was to put so may wings and spoilers and gurney
flaps on
> the thing that it auditioned for a role in a batman movie....
> 
> it was, however a significant improvement on the sport and handled much
better,
> with some downforce and better handling (especially when airborne). 
witness
> rohl in san remo '85.
> 
> many people have said that the decision to shorten the wheelbase of the
quattro
> in order to develop the sport was wrong.  it probably imho wasn't, it was
just
> that the weight distrbution was all wrong.  witness the escort cosworth
and the
> new toyota corolla wrc cars.  small of wheelbase and reasonably narrow in
> track.  this is the trend for modern rally cars (compare the celica, the
> impreza).
> 
> the utlimate solution to audi's problems in group b in 1985 was to
develop a
> specialised rally weapon, mid engined, with speciailised suspension etc. 
a
> prototype was developed and seen testing, but audi withdrew after henri
> poivonen's death after the board got pissed at all the money and the lack
of
> results.
> 
> dave
> '95 rs2
> '90 ur-q
> 
> >Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997 16:03:16 GMT
> >From: quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)
> >
> >In message <01BCAC0B.ACFE5CA0@dyn-max9-42.detroit.mi.ameritech.net>
merlin
> writes:
> >
> >> What's an S1?
> >
> >Much the same shape as an ur-quattro, but a lot more fins and spoilers. 

> >Tubular chassis, with Kevlar bodywork thinner than a cereal box. 
Driver's 
> >door weighs about four ounces.  One-off mechanicals, some of them from 
> >the Sport. Electronics of a medium-sized aircraft. The entire rear of
the car 
> >is oil coolers.
> > 
> >600+ bhp - rumoured to be up to 750bhp in competition.  Less than 2/3rds
the 
> >weight of a Sport and twice the power.
> >
> >Only a handful exist.  If it's even that many.
> >
>