Audi Sport Quattro S1- Rallycar

Never underestimate the Audi Sport quattro S1. Were it not for this fire-breathing monster, this magazine might not even exist. Back in 1981, Audi stunned the world with the introduction of the first all-conquering quattro and within four years it had arrived as this car, the 600-hp S1. This car, and the competitors it inspired, proved to be so fast that they were banned a year later. It's worth remembering oday's WRC cars boast just 300 hp and weigh more than the Audi.

Since the mid-'80s, the S1 has rarely been driven in anger. But today, to mark the 20th anniversary of its introduction, the original Works car has been rolled out of the Audi museum and onto the slopes of the Col de Turini-the most famous stage in the Monte Carlo Rally and the roads on which the quattro legend was born.

Roland Gumpert, the team manager from the old days is here and so is Stig Blomqvist, who claimed the 1984 World Rally Championship for Audi. Today, we are to accompany Stig on one last blast.

It's early afternoon and it's starting to snow. This priceless artifact is still on the tires it wore in 1985 and, only last week, this very stretch of tarmac claimed two of the leaders in this year's Monte Carlo Rally; the blue paint from Petter Solberg's Subaru is still visible on the wall he hit. The "Col" boasts no fewer than 16 hairpins and is framed by vertical rock faces on one side and sheer drops on the other. And Audi doesn't think we should bother with a helmet.

Sitting at the top of the hill, the S1 looks like the kind of car you might scribble on the back of an envelope. Too short and too butch, it boasts a front chin spoiler that could double as a snowplow. The S1 is a cartoon of a car, and it looks terrific.

Plucked out of the Audi museum in Ingolstadt, Germany, this car is still in its original condition and the interior is a wonderful piece of '80s nostalgia. The high-tech electronic trickery that packs the cabin of a modern rally car is missing and the only computer is a tiny box that looks more like a toy calculator than a professional rally tool.

Thankfully, Audi managed to close the road for our entertainment. "We talked to the police and offered them tea and cake at the nearby hotel," says one of the mechanics. "They said it was OK if we shut the road for 10 minutes at a time. You have to remember this is France, not Germany or Britain."

We're now safely strapped in and the Audi's engine is growling menacingly just millimeters in front of our toes. At its peak, this turbocharged 2.1-liter monster was developing more than 600 hp. That's roughly double the output of today's heavily regulated rally cars. Even now, it's developing somewhere around 450 bhp.

"It was a lot," says Blomqvist, "but you still wanted more. If the other drivers can cope with the horsepower, then you always want more."

He admits "it's been 20 years since I last drove this car," as we descend to the bottom of the course. The Swede is 58 now, but he's still competing professionally and will drive an Impreza in the Rally America Championship this year. Time has not dulled his appetite for his chosen sport, and sitting in the driver's seat he's a picture of calm concentration-a man at home in his office.

The snow is falling fast, and Blomqvist admits the road is a little slippery. For us, this would be a byword for caution and circumspection, but then we have not won 11 world rallies. The Audi's engine note changes dramatically as Blomqvist's foot summons its first efforts at real power.

The thrust arrives in a mighty dollop the moment the rev needle hits 4000 rpm. It's like being hit by a short-arm jab and on these snowy roads, it's enough to send the rear of the Audi squirming out of line. This car belongs to the famous Group B era, when the power of the engine was out of kilter with the sophistication of the chassis. Put simply, Group B cars had too much power for their own good.