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 might be one of many featured heaps at an upcoming Bonhams sale in Paris scheduled for Feb. 6. Bonhams expects the automotive to promote for between $100,000 and $210,000. That may be an astronomical sum for an extraordinary Audi 5000, however this automotive is much from extraordinary.
1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro pace file automotive (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 automotive 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.
In line with Bonhams, Unser, who parlayed the Talladega file try right into a profitable Pikes Peak marketing campaign with Audi later that yr, stated the 5000 felt like “it was superglued to the street. Even after I obtained over 200 mph.”
1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro pace file automotive (picture through Bonhams)
Job finished, the 5000 file automotive was returned to Germany, the place the present proprietor and his father noticed it throughout a manufacturing unit tour whereas selecting up a newly-purchased Audi V8 Quattro sedan. The tour was performed by Dr. Werner Laurenz, who then labored on growth of Audi racing engines. The present proprietor’s father and Laurenz turned mates, who organized to promote the automotive to the household when Audi tried to scrap it. It has been of their assortment ever since.
The file try and Pikes Peak run (through 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.
