Importing Ur-Quattro

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

In message <199807142209.PAA15902@scv1.apple.com> Stan Jirman writes:

> > I don't know about the "rejected by the audience" comment - ur-quattros
> > were digital to the very end, thank heavens.  What _have_ you been
> > reading?
>
> I have been reading nothing, I have been seeing and DRIVING one. I
> know it was the last year of production, in Switzerland, unmodified,
> ugly brown, and had ANALOG instruments, like the very first ones. I
> hate digital, but that's of course just a matter of preference. Maybe
> it was a special edition something, it had the Audi Sport logo on
> the grille (again, just as it came from the factory, no aftermarket
> stuff), but this is what I saw and drove.

I have the complete factory documentation for the ur-quattro in the
original German.  The digital dash is so far integrated into the
engine management system for the MB and RR engines that there is no
way it could be removed easily for a special.  It was fairly easy,
however, to remove the digital dash option from a pre-October 1987
car and substitute analogue instruments.

I've never seen the Audi Sport logo on an ur-quattro.

> > $15000 just confirms that we're talking about a GV/WR/WX.  Old
> > technology.
>
> Here I am showing my ignorance again (gee, I just used to drive
> these, didn't study the engines :-))  Could you please give me a
> pointer to a list of all the different engines etc., so that I can
> catch up on the technical side?

The WR is the base engine - 2144cc, imported into the USA in WX form
from 1983-195 and used in most of Europe until October 1987.  The MB
engine (a derivative of the North American MC-1) at 2226cc replaced it
from October 1987 to September 1989.  From October 1989 a 20V engine
based again on a variant developed for North America (the 1B) was
used.  The Swiss and the Swedes mandated catalytic converters long
before everyone else, and a special variant of the WR (GV) was made
for their markets.  This car was physically and electrically a WR.

As a driver, you would have noticed that both the centre and rear
differentials are lockable - the centre differential is an open cage
and not the torque sensing device used in the last two models.

> > And you _certainly_ wouldn't get an MB
> > registered in the USA.
>
> Dumb again - why not? Maybe I was off with the years, but I know
> that the last two years had catalytic converters in Switzerland, as
> mandated by law by then.

You haven't read the timetable I posted.  As far as I'm aware, Audi
did not produce an ur-quattro fitted with catalytic converters in
either 1988 or 1989 (pre-October).  No variant of the MB with cats.

The last two years of ur-quattro production _did_ have catalytic
converters.  But that was 1990 (model year) and 1991.  Digital dashes.

--
 Phil Payne
 Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 01536 723021
 (The contents of this post will _NOT_ appear in the UK Newsletter.)