Go West - the successful Audi 200 Trans Am from 1988
You have only
1 out of 14
images seen in high resolution
Summary
In 1988, Audi won the American Trans Am Championship at the first attempt with an Audi 200 quattro Trans Am, which was used for the first time and only in that year. The dominance was so overwhelming that the regulations were changed for the following year and all-wheel drive and European engines were banned. This report looks at the history and concept of the Audi 200 quattro Trans Am. In addition, interviews were conducted with two of those directly involved - Dieter Basche and Erwin Himmel - which shed further light on the story.
This article contains the following chapters
- Expansion into the USA
- Sophisticated instead of a noodle pot
- From hill climb to the road
- With prominent drivers at the start
- The proven body of the Audi 200 quattro
- Aerodynamics as a success factor
- Standard chassis
- Gearbox from the Sport quattro S1
- Brake system from the Sport quattro S1
- Two valves per cylinder for the five-cylinder engine
- At the start with Group 44
- First victory in second outing
- Demonstration of power
- Interview with Dieter Basche (DB)
- Interview with Erwin Himmel (EW)
Estimated reading time: 24min
Preview (beginning of the article)
In the fall of 1987, those responsible at Audi Sport sat down and considered how and where things could continue. It was clear to everyone. The rally sport experienced a decline in the transition from Group B to Group A and was somehow at an end. The successes at Pikes Peak and the appearances at selected participations of the Audi 200 quattro at the Monte, the Acropolis and the Safari had a certain charm from a distance. However, they did not achieve any real impact on the public, nor did they live up to Audi's full-blooded motorsport claim. And now? Where and how should the claim "Vorsprung durch Technik im Motorsport" be demonstrated?
Continue reading this article for free?
Photos of this article
