Torsen Stuff

[Greg Johnson <gregsj@iea.com>]

Fellow Audians;  I've followed the Torsen thread with mild
interest.  I'm not an engineer and no one will ever accuse me of
being a mechanic, however I must share a few interesting facts.
If someone else has already pointed this out, forgive me.

Torsen came to rallying in the early 1980s and did quite well
thank you.
Torsen came to Pikes Peak in 1985, 1986 and 1987 and set records.

Torsen came to Trans Am in Audi 200 quattros in 1988. Audi driver
Hurley Haywood won the championship; Audi won the Constructors
Title and Torsen was invited not to return.
Torsen came to IMSA GTO in Audi 90 quattros in 1989.  Its
competitors claimed all wheel drive was an unfair advantage,
weight was added, restrictor plates were slapped on the turbo
inlet and the 90Q's still came close to winning IMSA as well.
More recently (1997) Torsen in A4s won the European Touring Car
Championships in various venues in Europe.  Torsen/all-wheel
drive has been banned in virtually all of these series.  Audi was
invited to run front wheel drive.
I purchased Torsen in a '91 Audi 200TQ Avant.  We had record snow
fall in Spokane last winter ('97) and with Blizzaks on its rims,
my quattro has never been stuck.

I don't understand all of Torsen's technical nuances, but as a
practical matter, it seems to have worked fairly well in
rallying, Pikes Peak, Trans Am, IMSA, the ETCC and for the
Johnson family.

Just my two cents....  GregJ