With Ken Block joining Audi last year, the rally driver/social media stunt master can now pull some of the sideways stunts that pushed his Gymkhana series to worldwide fame behind the wheel of iconic models from the German automaker. So, how about KB going all out in a 1983 1983 Audi quattro Group B monster?
Nowadays, AWD might seem like a no-brainer for rally cars and all sorts of builds that need to go fast regardless of the driving surface. However, back in 1980 when Audi introduced all-paw might to rallying, this sort of hardware was mostly reserved for off-roaders.
The four-ringed brand was highly successful, not least thanks to the ludicrous Group B rules, which eventually caused the resulting monsters to be banned, allowing it to make the most of out of all-wheel-drive. And, if you’re looking to meet your heroes, like Block did a few months back when flying to Germany for this adventure, you can’t go wrong with the 1983 Audi quattro A2.
The 2.1L turbocharged five-cylinder engine of the iconic rally winner makes 360 hp and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft), which sounds less exciting than the top-tier 600 hp output usually listed when Group B rally cars are mentioned.
However, numbers don’t do this car justice, as the dramatic fashion in which it throws itself at a corner, especially on loose surfaces, is incredible. Admittedly, the glorious boost sounds that turbo-five makes does help put the all-analog experience into perspective.
The folks over at Audi Tradition, the automaker’s heritage arm, had just finished restoring the quattro to perfection before handing it over to Ken Block for this video.
And if you remember Audi’s sky slope-climbing commercial from back in the day, rally driver Harald Demuth, who did the driving for the stunt, is the one taking the car from the museum to Block.
Jean Pierre Kraemer (JP Performance) was Ken Block’s co-driver
The American was also given a local guide for the adventure, in the person of famous German tuner Jean Pierre Kraemer, who runs the JP Performance label. He’s arguably the most popular car celerity in his country and this Pink Pig Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8 shows just how wicked his projects are.
With JP as a co-driver, Block took a dressed-up, Audi RS E-Tron GT from Germany to Austria—the idea was to get Block to the Austrian Alps in Zell Am See, where the annual GP Ice Race is held in late January. So yes, you’ll also get to see some factory-spec RS E-Tron GT hooning, which only comes naturally when you think that KB daily drives a custom example of the electric performance car.
Nevertheless, if you’re in a rush, the Audi quattro hooning kicks off at the 8:34 point, while Ken Block delivers his impressions on tackling the changing surfaces (snow/ice/slush) on studded tires at the 10:31 timestamp.
Of course, we’re all waiting for Block to take out the all-electric S1 Hoonitron prototype Gymkhana car Audi built for him. And the most recent detail on this matter comes from an Instagram post dating to last week, with the hoonigan-in-chief teasing us by simply stating he would release more details on the matter soon.
