1986 Audi 5000CS Quattro speed record prototype surface for sale
A heavily modified 1986 Audi 5000CS quattro sedan driven by three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser in a speed record attempt is for sale.
After spending decades in private collections, the speed record sedan will be one of the centerpieces of Bonhams' sale scheduled for February 6 in Paris. Bonhams expects the car to sell for between $100,000 and $210,000. For the average Audi 5000, that's an astronomical amount, but this car is far from ordinary.
By the mid-1980s, Audi had already won the World Rally Championship with its quattro coupe, enhancing its brand image in Europe. The sedan known as the Audi 100 was sold as the 5000, and unintended acceleration was reported. So Audi came up with a star-studded stunt to promote motoring.
The car, which was to be marketed, had its aerodynamics tweaked and its 2.2-liter inline-five turbocharged with upgrades that boosted output to 650 hp. mile oval in 46 seconds and recorded a top speed of 206.3 mph.
According to Bonhams, Anser, who linked his Talladega record setting to the success of his Pikes Peak campaign with Audi that year, said the 5000 “felt like it was sticking to the road surface. Even at speeds in excess of 200 mph.”
After finishing the job, the 5000 record car was returned to Germany, where its current owner and his father saw it on a factory tour when they picked up the Audi V8 quattro sedan they had just purchased. The person who toured the car was Dr. Werner Laurenz, who at the time was involved in the development of Audi's racing engines. The current owner's father and Laurenz became friends, and when Audi wanted to scrap the car, Laurenz arranged for the family to sell it. It has been in their collection ever since.
The record attempt and Pikes Peak run (the Anser set a record in the legendary hill climb) were overshadowed by allegations of unintended acceleration of the 5000, reported by 60 Minutes the following November. Audi continued to invest in motorsports, returning to Pikes Peak in 1987, winning the Trans-Am and then the IMSA race series
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