Rare road-going version of iconic 1980s Audi Quattro that dominated rallying on sale for £300,000
The Audi Quattro was a rally legend and earned a cult following in Ashes to Ashes, now there's a 150mph road legal version up for grabs
AN exceptionally-rare road-going version of the iconic Audi Quattro that dominated the golden era of rallying has emerged for £300,000.
The 1985 model named the Sport Quattro is one of only 164 ever sold and boasts phenomenal handling, a fire-breathing 300bhp engine, and a top speed of around 150mph.
As well as its illustrious rallying history the Quattro is recognisable as the car DCI Gene Hunt drove in the hit TV crime drama Ashes to Ashes.
The Quattro, considered by many the most important rally car of all time, dominated rallying and led the German constructor to consecutive drivers' titles in 1983 and 1984.
The road-going version shown here was born out of the controversial Group B rallying regulations which were scrapped in 1986 following the death of Henri Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto.
Group B rules required constructors to build production models of their race cars allowing fans to acquire what were essentially competition cars.
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Regulations stipulated marques only had to manufacture 200 such examples and in the Quattro's case fewer than that were sold, making them extremely hard to come by.
This one was registered to Audi from the factory and is thought to have been used for press purposes in its early years.
Following on from that the car entered private ownership and is currently in Germany with its third owner, a collector who has consigned it for auction.
Oliver Camelin, of auction house RM Sotheby's, said: "This Quattro is incredibly rare. The motor gives you a real taste of what it was like to drive one of the greatest rally cars of all time.
"The beauty of this car is that it's got many features typical within a rally car but it's also designed for the road, so it's comfortable and easy to drive.
"In a way it's preferable to a genuine racing version because it has amenities such as comfortable seats and electric windows that the racing version didn't.
"Despite being over 30 years old the car remarkably still stands up today."
The Quattro, with 60,000 miles on the clock, has been fanatically maintained over the years and recently had an engine overhaul.
It will be sold from Villa Erba on the banks of Lake Como, Italy, on May 27.