RE: 4K coupe?

["Buchholz, Steven" <Steven.Buchholz@kla-tencor.com>]

> Audi introduced the 4000 for the 1980 model year as a somewhat larger
> replacement to the Fox (the Audi Fox, not the VW of the same name).  It
> was their small sedan, styled with a family resemblance to the 5000
> series introduced a couple of years earlier.  The 4000 was available in
> two body styles in 1980: a 2-door and the more familiar 4-door.  I liked
> the looks of the 2-door immensely (still do), thinking it a lighter and
> more graceful (and at the time, cheaper) alternative to, say, the WMB
> 320i.  In its first years, Audi seemed not to know whether they wanted
> to position the 4000 as an upmarket alternative to the Dasher or as a
> lower-priced competitor for the 320i; the early 1588cc model was a
> little bit of both.
> 
> Performance wasn't that far behind the Munchner, either, with 0-60 in
> 11.5 seconds to the Bimmer's 10.5.  (Ah, those were the days, when
> 10-second 0-60 times were hot stuff. :-) I was also very disappointed in
> the 320i that I drove after owning the Audi for some time, thinking it
> stupid to create a "driving machine" whose inboard rear wheel, when
> lifted off the ground, spun ineffectually in the air rather than putting
> power to the ground.  (I amazed the folks at an autocross clinic by
> driving my 4000 2-door around a skidpad for three full laps with the
> inside rear wheel about a foot off the ground.)
> 
Thanks for the excellent history lesson Scott!

I can tell you from personal experience that at least in the days of the Fox
and in manual transmission form the Audi actually led the 320i in the
traffic light drags.  I used to have a lot of fun beeating my college
roommate who paid nearly twice as much for his '79 320i as I did for my '78
Audi Fox ... (he used to say he did it because the BMWs were better known
for holding their value ... ;-).  He lost more on that car than I paid for
mine!

You do also bring back memories when talking about lifting inside rear
wheels ... the company I worked at was on a road which had a fairly high
speed limit but not a lot of room to pull out of the slow lane to turn into
the parking lot (Bowers Ave for those in the area).  I would brake as late
as possible to avoid affecting traffic and got pretty good at consistently
lifting that inside rear wheel.  In later years I found this the only way to
get the car to oversteer ... :-)

Since I had the car and it was fairly new at the time I hung around at the
dealer fairly regularly.  I can remember the 4k 5+5 when it came out and
wishing I would have waited a few years ... but the n the QTC came out and
that was that!

Ah, to be young and single again ... :-)
Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)