1982 Audi WR Quattro

You might just think that ‘BMX 164Y’ is just another early Audi Quattro, albeit finished in an unusual colour and boasting a cool numberplate.

And you’d be right. Kind of.

Because it’s also thought to be the first factory-built right-hand-drive car manufactured to full UK-spec.

With a #85-CA chassis number, it was built on the 25th of June 1982 – and in case you were wondering, I’ve Never Been to Me by Charlene was the UK Number One single that week.

Yes, there are earlier RHD examples out there but they will all have a #85-BA chassis number and be one of 17 LHD cars that David Sutton Audi converted in mid-1981.

The seller, who’s restored seven Quattros over the years, was offered this one in ‘barn find’ condition. Apparently, the engine had blown up in the nineties, and it was parked in a garage awaiting repair and then forgotten about for the next two decades.

Despite this, the Lhasa Green bodywork (paint code LA6V and rare for a Quattro and doubly so for an early car) was in a pretty good condition, so rather than take it back to bare metal and destroy its originality, he took the sensible decision to refresh it lightly to preserve as much of its history as possible.

The engine was the wrong one too, as was some of the trim, which sent him on an Odyssey to source the correct ones and bring it back to the specification it would have had when it left Germany 43 years ago. 
 

Don’t you love it when a seller tells you the bodywork isn’t as good as they’d like – and then, when you see it in the flesh, you realise it’s actually very good?

Because he left it as original as possible, choosing to preserve its hard-won patina instead of, quite literally, glossing over it with a bare-metal respray.

We like the balance he’s struck; no, it’s not perfect but it’s very presentable and a car is only original once, after all.

The Lhasa Green paintwork now has a good shine to it, and the panel alignment is sharp. There are no dents, sinks, or other serious damage either, even on those vulnerable flared wheelarches.

The glazing is also good, including the iconic “Quattro” decals in the rear windows. The rear window bears a decal from Dovercourt, the same name that appears on the numberplates. We don’t know if that was the supplying dealer, especially as that piece of glass, along with the nearside rear window, is etched with the registration number of another vehicle.

Overall, it displays an impressive standard of general fit ‘n’ finish.

This includes the alloy wheels, which are free of tarnishing and kerb damage and are fitted with a matching set of 205/60R15 Roadmarch Primestar 66 tyres.

However, there are a few things the winning bidder might like to look at. The nearside rear lamp lens and the nearside front indicator lens are both slightly damaged, and the offside outer headlamp has condensation inside it. The rest of the lamps, including the reflective strip between the rear lamp units, are good.

The rear spoiler is showing its age, there are some microblisters between the rear bumper and the boot aperture, the nearside corner of the front bumper is cracked, the offside door mirror glass is speckled and the case is damaged, and the nearside door latch has overspray on it.

The leather-rimmed, four-spoke steering wheel, with its four horn buttons and ‘turbo’ legend on the hub, couldn’t be more 1980s if it was wearing shoulder pads and legwarmers. And, despite some wear to the leather rim, it still feels as good as it looks.

The gearlever and handbrake shafts are both a bit rusty too, and the gaiters around them have seen better days. We’d be tempted to sort the former but leave the gearlever gaiter as it is bar the application of some leather food: the economy of originality appeals to us very nearly as much as the honesty of a light patina. It’s too late for the handbrake gaiter though, which is probably damaged beyond repair.

The base of both front seats are probably too soft and crumpled for most tastes, but as the leather cover is free of splits, holes, and major colour loss bar a rubbing mark on the outer edge of the driver’s seat, new foam should see that job ticked off your (short) To Do list.

Because the rest of the leather and the rear seats are in the same good order, just with a more resilient core. The driver’s seat is also heated but as we haven’t tested that we can’t speak for its effectiveness.

The twin panel headlining is very good too, as are the door cards but then they look like they’ve been freshly retrimmed.

The carpet is more utilitarian than we’d tolerate these days, but that’s just how it was back in the early eighties. Most of it is in a usable condition although it does show the sort of wear you’d expect to see in a car with 99,000 miles on the clock.

The iconic differential lock panel is in good cosmetic shape but, again, we haven’t tested whether it works.

The boot is remarkably well-preserved with good trim and a space-saver spare wheel.

Finally, the sunvisors and C-pillar trims are grubby, and the whole interior would benefit from a professional valet.

As for problems rather than flaws, the radio, while it is the original Blaupunkt, doesn’t work. Neither of the electric door mirrors move under their own steam either, and the trim on the offside B-pillar has a hole in it. 
 

As you can see, the replacement engine fires into life easily and idles nicely, albeit with a non-functioning rev counter.

As you can hear, that quirky five-cylinder engine revs with a unique beat; one of the benefits of being old is having seen Group B cars screaming through the forest, and you could always tell when a Quattro was about to appear from the engine noise alone.

Without an MoT as a guide to its condition, we’d advise potential bidders to budget for a degree of recommissioning because the seller took a ‘light touch’ approach to its refurbishment.

We think this was the right thing to do as it leaves the final finish to the car’s next owner; some will prefer to retain its patina, while others will want to get it concours-ready and gleaming.

The brakes though are “incredibly soft” so will need to be recommissioned.

As for the underside, it has received a coating of underseal, and there is some overspray on the suspension. The paint on the sills is generally in good order, flaking off only a few places to reveal a little light surface rust.  
 

The recent Vehicle History Check shows a change of colour. We suspect this is an administrative error as the paint code on the paperwork is the correct one for the Lhasa Green colour it wears today.

The report is also unable to confirm the mileage, something that is presumably because there is no online MoT information for it as digital records only started in the mid noughties, at which point it was still safely tucked away waiting to be discovered.

The Quattro’s history file includes the wallet and book pack, a V5 registration document, copies of articles from Volkswagen Audi Car magazine and Club Audis’ newsletter that feature the car, a VAG Group press release, and a poster.
 

Any Quattro is going to sit near the top of a Petrolhead’s list of dream cars, but when you factor in this one’s status as possibly the first of the RHD cars built, you can add historical significance to its extensive list of attributes.

As for its value, we are told that the owners’ club valued it at around £60,000.

However, the seller acknowledges that things have slowed a little since then and as it owes him £30,000, he’ll be happy if he can claw that back.

We suspect he might make £5,000 or so more than that given its rarity, but when you factor in his labour, it’s still not going to show him a profit…

But he’s a man who takes enormous satisfaction in having discovered and rescued such an important car and is simply happy to pass it on to its next custodian, who will then be free to take it in whatever direction they prefer.

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