16 Mar 05
Back in 1981, Audi stunned the world with the introduction of the first all-conquering Quattro, a car that introduced the supercar world to the merits of four-wheel drive. It won its second rally and development was swift - four years later the company arrived at this car, the 600bhp S1. This car, and the rivals it inspired, proved to be so rapid that it was banned a year later.
Since the mid '80s, the S1 has rarely been driven in anger but today, to mark the twentieth anniversary of its introduction, the original works car has been rolled out of the Audi museum and onto the slopes of the Col de Turini - the most famous stage in the Monte Carlo rally and the roads on which the Quattro legend was born. Roland Gumpert, the team manager from the old days, is here, and so is Stig Blomqvist, who claimed the 1984 World Rally Championship for Audi. Today, I am to accompany Stig on one last blast.
It's early afternoon and it's starting to snow. This priceless artefact is still on the tyres it wore in '85 and only last week, this very stretch of tarmac claimed two of the leaders in this year's Monte Carlo Rally - the blue paint from Petter Solberg's Subaru is still visible on one of the walls. The 'Col' boasts no fewer than sixteen hairpins and is framed by vertical rock faces on one side, and sheer drops on the other. And they don't think I should bother with a helmet...
