Audi Cars
Euro · 30 models
Quattro all-wheel drive changed rally racing forever. The R8 reset what a daily-drivable supercar could be. RS models target M and AMG.
EuroAudi is the third member of the German premium triumvirate (with BMW and Mercedes-Benz) and built its modern identity around two pillars: Quattro all-wheel drive and aggressive flat-faced design. The original Quattro of 1980 introduced full-time AWD to high-performance road and rally cars, dominated rallying through the early 1980s, and forced every other manufacturer to follow. The R8 is the modern halo. Launched in 2006 with a Lamborghini Gallardo-derived chassis and Audi 4.2 V8 (later a 5.2 V10 from the same family), the R8 became the supercar that lived with daily driving in a way Lamborghinis and Ferraris could not. Two generations of R8 ran from 2006 to 2024, ending production with the V10 RWD as a final celebration of naturally aspirated big-displacement supercar engines. The RS line is the Audi performance sub-brand competing with BMW M and Mercedes-AMG. The RS6 wagon (especially the C5, C7, and C8 generations) has a cult following as a 600+ horsepower station wagon with quattro all-wheel drive. The RS3 with its inline five-cylinder turbo is a unique character car. The RS Q8 SUV continues the formula in the high-performance crossover segment. The S line sits below RS as the sport trim, and the regular A1 through A8 sedans/coupes/wagons cover the broader luxury car market. The TT (1998-2023) was the brand affordable sports car for 25 years. On WhipJury, Audi submissions are heavy on RS models (especially RS3, RS6, RS7, R8), classic 4000 quattro and 5000 turbo cars, and modern S4 and S5 builds with bolt-on modifications. The community appreciates that Audi has stayed in the wagon market longer than most.
Audi models we cover
The Quattro and rally
The original Audi Quattro (1980-1991) introduced permanent all-wheel drive to high-performance road cars. In rally form, the Quattro and the homologation Sport Quattro dominated Group B (1983-1986) until the category was banned for safety concerns. Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist, and Walter Röhrl all won World Rally Championship rounds in Quattros. The road car was equally significant: a turbocharged inline five with all-wheel drive in a relatively compact body.
The R8
First generation (2006-2015). Shared the Type 42 platform with the Lamborghini Gallardo. Initially with the 4.2 FSI V8, later with the 5.2 FSI V10 (the Lamborghini-derived engine). Manual transmission available, which became one of the R8 distinctive features in an era of dual-clutch supercars.
Second generation (2015-2024). Shared the Lamborghini Huracán platform. V10-only, dual-clutch only, AWD or RWD optional. Final year was the V10 GT RWD as the swan song.
Audi on WhipJury
RS6 wagons (especially C7 and C8) are popular submissions. RS3 and RS7 builds are common. R8 examples are rare but always do well in voting. The community appreciates RS Avant wagons specifically because Audi has continued offering wagon body styles in the RS segment when most makers have not.
Frequently asked questions about Audi
Audi on the WhipJury blog
Fabrizio Giugiaro unveiled the Hommage 26 in Las Vegas on October 31. It's a carbon-bodied rework of the Lamborghini Gallardo, built from a donor car, and CAVËN Atelier plans 25 of them from €900,000. Who drew the first Gallardo is still disputed.
Porsche CFO Jochen Breckner confirmed on the October 27 earnings call that Audi's electric sports car, previewed by the Concept C, will use the platform built for the electric 718 Boxster and Cayman. Audi will pay Porsche for it in 2027.
The Audi Q9, the brand's new full-size flagship SUV, is the first production car with three-dimensionally curved digital OLED taillights. Six panels hold 512 segments on glass 0.1 millimeters thick, and the rest of the design is kept quiet so the lights carry the look.
The Lamborghini Gallardo is a V10. It was the first Lamborghini with a 10-cylinder engine, starting at 5.0 liters in 2003 and growing to 5.2 liters with the 2008 LP 560-4. Lamborghini built 14,022 before the Huracán took over in 2014.