'94 Q45 / '89 200q comparison...

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <351177AA.16AFABB3@poboxes.com> Gerard writes:

> I remember there was an Audi diesel that did much better milage than
> that and was a great performer. Anyone remember what it was? Audi
> last sold a local diesel in the early 80s, we had one.

When the Type 44 chassis was only a rumour, Piech stated that one of his design 
aims was to make a car that was so aerodynamic it would go from Hamburg to 
Munich on a single tank.  This comment was picked up by Henri Nannen's "Stern" 
magazine and _ridiculed_.
 
As "Stern" itself reported, one gray morning a car transporter turned up 
without warning at their offices in Hamburg (Alsterufer 1, to be exact).  On 
the transporter were three new Audi 100s with the new aerodynamic shape - a 
diesel, a carburretor one, and a fuel-injected one.  The fillers were sealed 
(verplombt).

Three Stern teams took these cars out of Hamburg late one evening, and drove 
them through the night in the highest gear possible and as close to 130kph as 
possible towards Munich.
 
The injected car got almost to Salzburg.  The carburretor car got to Budapest.  
The diesel got to Budapest, turned around and almost made Salzburg.
 
The headline in "Stern" next month was something like:
 
              "Audi wondercars:  Herr Piech was right."

-- 
 Phil Payne
 UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club