c.1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro Speed Record Prototype

• Extensively modified speed record prototype
• Driven by three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser
• Set a record speed of 332km/h (206.3 mph)
• Acquired from Audi for the vendor's family's private collection
• Offered without any registration document

Although its outstanding success in international rallying with the all-wheel-drive Quattro had forged Audi's not inconsiderable sporting reputation in Europe, it had made relatively little impact in North America. Seeking another means of attracting valuable publicity, the decision was made to go chasing world speed records: specifically, that for the fastest all-wheel-drive car on a circuit. The car chosen for the record attempt was this Audi 5000 CS Quattro saloon, which was lightened and extensively modified, with much attention paid to refining the aerodynamics, while the five-cylinder 2.2-litre turbocharged engine was heavily revised and strengthened, producing a mighty 650bhp.

On 24th March 1986, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser lapped the Talladega Superspeedway in 46 seconds at the wheel of this Audi prototype to set a new world speed record of 332km/h (206.3mph). According to Unser, the Audi's four-wheel-drive technology made the car feel like "it was superglued to the road. Even when I got over 200mph".

In the 1980s, the vendor's father bought a new Audi V8, the German company's first post-war eight-cylinder model. The car was collected from the factory in Ingolstadt, and the vendor and his father were given a short tour of the factory by Dr Werner Laurenz. At the time, Dr Laurenz was responsible for the development of engines for motor sport, including those that had enjoyed success in the IMSA GTO series. A friendship developed between the vendor's father and Dr Laurenz that would last for decades.

One day Dr Laurenz visited the vendor's family in Dortmund and had the 5000 CS prototype on a trailer. The vendor recalls: "The following day, while it was still roadworthy, we took a test drive in it that was unforgettable. In third gear at full throttle, Dr Laurenz increased the boost pressure and the Audi had wheelspin on all four wheels! I later learned from my father that the Audi was initially used for world record runs in America and later as a tyre test vehicle."

The car was scheduled to be scrapped, but the vendor's family was able to acquire it. The paintwork was refreshed before the Audi went into their collection, while a few years ago a specialist in five-cylinder Audis got the car running and driving again.