Yes. However, it's a shame we got to see so little of the Sport Quattro S1 E2 with the big wings. It sure seemed competitive with the cars it raced against, albeit having a more traditional construction.
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Yes. However, it's a shame we got to see so little of the Sport Quattro S1 E2 with the big wings. It sure seemed competitive with the cars it raced against, albeit having a more traditional construction.
Also VW came in 2013 with their car, after a long development program, and learning from pro and cons from already existing cars. Citroën and Ford had their cars homologated in 2011, with limited options for modifications afterwards, while VW arrived with things they could not implement/change anymore (as they only had some jokers to spend). It's not like with the current generation where all started at the same time and have equal possibilities for further development. Next year we could see a repeat of this story when Toyota arrives with their new WRCar.
Audi’s major problem was the board refusal to allow a radical change in the Quattro layout, by creating a more balanced central engine proto; it was considered to distant from the brand production standards. The story about the efforts of the rally staff to build the central engine Quattro can be read in the notable ‘Rally Gr.B Shrine’ site: https://rallygroupbshrine.org/group-...02-gr-s-proto/
I’ve read this article a while ago, and it’s a great story....the competition department and engineers knew what they needed to beat the Peugeot/Lancia, and despite knowing deep down they would almost certainly never be allowed to compete with the mid-engine car, they went and built them anyway, for themselves basically...I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when the Audi board found out what they had been doing!
It’s such a shame that none of those mid engine sport quattros survived....
What happened to Citroen, and their range of sporty cars? One of the greatest wastes of a successful motorsport programme I can recall. I remember the mid/late 90s - and Citroen did have a few decent 'performance' cars; ZX 16V, the Saxo VTS/VTR, Xsara VTS/VTR. In fact I nearly bought a Saxo VTS in 1998, but opted for a Seat Ibiza GTi.
Since then apart from the DS3 Racing, its been largely forgettable - with the 'by Loeb' cars an utter travesty. I do remember a quote from Citroen UK saying they didn't wish to use motorsport in their marketing.......(from the time when it was rumoured they might help with funding for McRae in 2004)
Here in the Uk the Saxo VTR/VTS were massively popular. I had a modified VTS and it was fantastic fun and cheap to run. I did track days with it and there were dozens of them around with many hugely modified. They were the car to have for the young enthusiast.
Citroen could've capitalised even more with Loeb's WRC success but dropped the ball with the C2 which just looked so wrong that no-one wanted one.
Nowadays they are heavily promoting the comfort and relaxed drive of their cars. I dont know how a WRC C3 ever got funding at all.