A closely modified 1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro sedan pushed by three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser in a profitable pace file try is up for grabs.
After spending many years in a personal assortment, the pace file sedan shall be one of many featured heaps at an upcoming Bonhams sale in Paris scheduled for Feb. 6. Bonhams expects the automobile to promote for between $100,000 and $210,000. That might be an astronomical sum for an peculiar Audi 5000, however this automobile is way from peculiar.
1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro pace file automobile (picture through Bonhams)
By the mid-Eighties, Audi had already conquered the World Rally Championship with its Quattro coupe, boosting the model’s picture in Europe. However racing success did not have the identical affect within the U.S., the place the sedan referred to as the Audi 100 was marketed because the 5000—and was the topic of experiences of unintended acceleration. So Audi got here up with a star-spangled motorsport publicity stunt.
The automobile now up on the market was modified with aerodynamic tweaks and upgrades to its 2.2-liter turbocharged inline-5, boosting output to 650 hp. On Mar. 24, 1986, Unser drove the sedan at Talladega Superspeedway, reaching a record-setting prime pace of 206.3 mph over a 46-second lap of the two.6-mile oval.
Based on Bonhams, Unser, who parlayed the Talladega file try right into a profitable Pikes Peak marketing campaign with Audi later that 12 months, stated the 5000 felt like “it was superglued to the highway. Even after I acquired over 200 mph.”
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1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro pace file automobile (picture through Bonhams)
Job executed, the 5000 file automobile was returned to Germany, the place the present proprietor and his father noticed it throughout a manufacturing facility tour whereas choosing up a newly-purchased Audi V8 Quattro sedan. The tour was carried out by Dr. Werner Laurenz, who then labored on growth of Audi racing engines. The present proprietor’s father and Laurenz turned associates, who organized to promote the automobile to the household when Audi tried to scrap it. It has been of their assortment ever since.
The file try and Pikes Peak run (during which Unser set a file on the legendary hill climb) had been overshadowed by a damning “60 Minutes” report the next November on the 5000’s alleged unintended acceleration. Audi remained invested in motorsports, returning to Pikes Peak in 1987, then dominating the Trans Am after which IMSA racing collection.
