Look hard enough (or right here) and you'll find it's possible to spend very nearly £100,000 on a red Audi Quattro. No shock there, perhaps; there's the undeniable significance of the Quattro in fast car and motorsport history, the state of used car prices these days and the condition of said example - and you can almost see why the money is being asked. (Almost.) Not many of us, though, have £100k to spend on a car, however significant it might be. So what if we said there was another classic Audi Quattro out there, with the five-cylinder turbo, manual gearbox and red paint, for 10 per cent of that? You'd say that was a lie. But it's not as much of one as you might think...
The Audi 200 is not legendary for charging through forests, ravines and deserts on its way to international rally glory. It's from that time when Audis were alternative rather than ubiquitous, sold to people who want something different rather than the default. As such, the 200, itself pitched as a more prestigious 100, will have sold in small numbers back in the day. More than 30 years later, only a handful remain. Certainly there are more Quattro coupes out there, but as one of the early Avants - establishing the estates as quite handsome wagons - the 200 has its small place in Audi history.
And while, of course, we're not trying to suggest this is really a Quattro wagon with a sweet heckblende on its rump, there are some nice parallels to draw. The 2.1-litre five-cylinder turbo here makes almost 200hp, which isn't to be dismissed; it has similar switches and dash displays for the four-wheel-drive system to the Quattro, and, er, well, the badges are similar.
Even considered on its own merit and not unfairly against more illustrious relation, this 200 is interesting. Now showing a substantial 209,000 miles, it had already accrued 180,000 before digital MOTs were introduced in 2006. Naturally its record hasn't been perfect over the past decade and a half, but then neither has it been disastrous - keeping check of the tyres would have prevented a fair few fails.
Now 35 years old, the 200 presents nicely; from these iffy images the red still appears red, the interior remains in one piece, and even the cassette player looks to have many more years of use left in it, for those who still have a cupboard full of the things. Much more than a mere survivor, this Avant looks a good'un. Especially so given the mileage.
For the next owner, it would surely make a fine steed for Sunday Services and events like Festival of the Unexceptional, as the Audi 200 really is one of those cars you never, ever see any more. Perhaps it'll go into an Audi collection, though even in another 35 years this won't be a low mileage one, so hopefully it'll continue a life on the road. £10k does look strong money even given everything listed above, and Kirkcaldy might make the Audi tricky to reach, but this really is one of those cases where 'find another' will apply. And imagine the look on people's faces when you tell them you bought a red Audi Quattro for (hopefully) less than £10,000...
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