To the modern-day observer German prestige car maker Audi seems as long-standing a fixture of the automotive landscape as rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but the brand only came back into being at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show.
It was there, at Frankfurt and before the world’s automotive media, that a saloon simply referred to as ‘The Audi’ made its debut, restoring the Audi name to its place in the vanguard of automotive development after a quarter of a century of lying dormant.
The Audi name was originally coined in 1909 by August Horch, whose Horch Motor Vehicle Works was one of the four manufacturers that united to create Auto Union GmbH, as represented by the famous interlocking rings that would later become Audi’s world-renowned insignia.
Before that could happen, though, Horch broke away from his eponymously named company to found a new one which he named by using the Latin translation of his surname – “Horch” which is German for “Listen!”, or in Latin, “Audi!”.
Audi subsequently became a member of the Auto Union quartet, also comprising Horsch, DKW, and Wanderer, but the brand faded into obscurity in 1940, when production of the Audi 920 ended.
After remaining dormant for a quarter of a century, the name quickly regained a firm foothold in the market when the 1965 ‘Audi’ debuted at Frankfurt and received an enthusiastic public reception.
This new Audi was a visually similar but technically more advanced update of the F102 produced by DKW, and it went on to spawn a family of cars, including the Audi 60, 75, 80, and super 90 models.
The names of these early Audi models were determined by their power outputs and they included two-door and four-door saloon body styles, and a station wagon or ‘estate’.
Despite the initial success of this reborn Audi range, the future of the Audi brand was again in doubt when Volkswagen AG took ownership of Auto Union GmbH in the mid-Sixties, and planned to limit the company’s activities solely to the development of Volkswagen models.
Thankfully, Auto Union Technical Director Ludwig Kraus had other ideas and secretly developed a new model for the Audi marque and managed to present it to Volkswagen management when they paid a routine visit to the Ingolstadt plant.
The prototype was the seminal 1968 Audi 100, one of the founding fathers of the Audi model portfolio and a model that is pivotal to the Audi brand story on several levels.
It was the first model developed and manufactured completely independently by Audi; it helped to secure a more premium, upmarket positioning for the brand; and its comparatively streamlined body resulted in a lower drag coefficient than rivals, giving an early indication of a commitment to optimal aerodynamics that continues to this day.
To shine a spotlight on the innovative and influential design and engineering which have defined Audi across six decades, Audi UK staged a special 60th anniversary event in the Rioja region of northern Spain.
The celebration featured a host of milestone models from the Audi UK heritage fleet including the Ur-quattro, TT and R8, along with appearances by key models from the contemporary fleet such as the RS e-tron GT and A6 Sportback e-tron.
“Design has always been a fundamental pillar of the Audi brand and core to our Vorsprung durch Technik ethos,” commented Audi exterior designer Gary Telaak.
“From the original Ur-quattro, through to the timeless TT coupe and recently launched A6 Sportback e-tron, Audi’s hallmark design cues and attention to detail are visible throughout. The next chapter in Audi design will remain faithful to the past.”
The expressiveness, ingenuity and vision that have become synonymous with Audi design emphatically shine through in the milestone models chosen to play starring roles in the Audi anniversary event. These include:
- The Ur-quattro: Credited not only with revolutionising top-level rallying but also genuinely advancing road car dynamics, the Ur-quattro still delivers incredible visual impact. Its tuneful 2.1-litre five-cylinder 10-valve engine, originally adopted from the Audi 200 and uprated with a KKK turbocharger bestowing extraordinary performance, continues to form the technical basis for the unit used by today’s mighty 294kW RS 3 models. A 1981 10-valve example is shown in the images accompanying this story.
- The TT Coupé: Remaining remarkably faithful to the original, game-changing look of the 1995 concept car penned in California by Freeman Thomas, the stunning geometric lines of the TT have immortalised it as a genuine icon of automotive design. Romulus Rost was responsible for the interior, which with its beautiful, machined aluminium detailing was also a masterpiece that redefined customer expectations in the sports car class and elsewhere. A 1999 165kW model is pictured here.
- The R8: The R8’s boldly beautiful lines were closely based on the 2003 Le Mans quattro concept. It started its series production life with a naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8, linked to quattro drive via a tactile short-shift gearbox with a beautiful stainless steel open gear lever gate. V10 quattro versions followed, and in 2018 the R8 V10 RWS (Rear Wheel Series) became the first ever roadgoing R8 to channel its considerable power solely to the rear wheels. Described at the time as being specifically ‘made for purists’, it was delivered to a total of 999 discerning drivers worldwide. Both the 2007 V8 and 2018 V10 RWS versions are shown alongside this story.
“Since its re-emergence in the Sixties Audi has firmly established a reputation for design that imaginatively looks to the future but always stands the test of time,” commented Audi UK director José Miguel Aparicio.
“We’re immensely lucky to be the custodians of cherished examples of many of the defining models that forged that enviable reputation on our Audi UK heritage fleet, and to have them with us in the Rioja region. The home of spectacularly innovative structures like the Guggenheim Museum and the Hotel Marques de Riscal, designed by legendary architect Frank O. Gehry, is a perfect setting in which to celebrate them and mark this important anniversary.”
Audi design through the years
