Anniversary of a bestseller: with the first Audi 80, known internally as the "B1", the Ingolstadt-based company hit the bull's eye in 1972. It was supposed to be "modern, but not fashionable", a reliable family car. Ludwig Kraus, then Audi Board Member for Technology, and Volkswagen AG as the new parent company agreed on this at the end of the 1960s. As with racing car construction, chief developer Kraus had his employees check every single part to see where weight could be saved without compromising on long-term quality, solidity and strength.
The very lightweight Audi 80, which went into production 50 years ago, impressed customers with its safe handling and low fuel consumption. This made it exactly the right car at the right time during the oil crisis that began in 1973 and it became "Car of the Year". Designer Hartmut Warkuß helped shape the design of the first Audi 80 in the style of the new objectivity of the 1970s. He was promoted to "Head of Styling" in 1976 and shaped the Audi design of several model generations of the B, C and D series.
Consistent lightweight construction and other technical innovations
The Audi 80 celebrated its world premiere in the year of the Summer Olympics in Munich: Audi presented it to the press in July 1972 and then to dealers in September - after the Games. Its technology was soon to be found in many Volkswagen Group models. The basic model with two doors weighed just 835 kilograms. With a wheelbase of 2.47 meters and a length of 4.18 meters, the saloon is very compact. Chassis engineer Detlef Banholzer implemented the negative steering roll radius for the first time in a European mass-produced vehicle, which greatly benefited stability when braking. The two brake circuits were divided diagonally. A torsion crank axle with spring struts served as the rear wheel suspension. MacPherson struts and wishbones guide the front wheels.
The engine of the Audi 80 is positioned longitudinally in front of the driven front axle; the four-speed gearbox behind it. Four engines were available for the market launch. The displacement range was between 1.3 and 1.6 liters, with a power range between 55 hp and 100 hp. An important design feature of the four-cylinder engines, which were as free-revving as they were uncomplicated, was the valve control via an overhead, timing-belt-driven camshaft and maintenance-free bucket tappets. Head of development Ludwig Kraus came up with the idea of a modular series and designed a four-cylinder OHC engine for it. This engine - developed by engineer Franz Hauk and his team - became known internally as the EA 827 and became the most frequently built unit in the VW Group.
Voted "Car of the Year 1972" and also a bestseller
With the new generation of OHC engines and solid technical design, the Audi 80 quickly became a sales success: by the end of production in the summer of 1978, more than one million B1 models had rolled off the production line. Due to the high demand, production capacity at the Ingolstadt plant was soon no longer sufficient and the Volkswagen plants in Wolfsburg and Emden were involved in production. The Audi 80 became very popular - it is light and therefore economical in consumption - especially after the oil crisis of 1973; also in the USA, where it is sold as the "Fox" and is even available as an estate.
With the "Asso di Picche" coupé study designed by Giorgio Giugiaro and realized by coachbuilder Karmann, the B1 showed its sporty side as early as 1973. The Audi 80 GT went into series production in the same year. In October 1975, it was replaced by the 110 hp Audi 80 GTE. One year later, the B1 underwent a facelift, which gave the saloon large block headlights and brought it visually closer to the new generation of the Audi 100. Four generations of the Audi 80 (B1 to B4) rolled off the production line until 1995, when it was replaced by the Audi A4 (B5).
