Audi 5000CS Turbo Quattro
In the early 1980s, a car buyer who wanted the space and practical packaging to transport a family in comfort had little choice but to buy a family sedan or a luxury sedan--complete with wheezing, gutless engines and, probably, spongy, wallowing suspensions.
If that buyer wanted effortless performance and a gratifying driving experience, a sports car was the only option, saddling the customer with cramped, impractical quarters, the fit-and-finish of a typical Happy Meal toy, and woeful reliability. If supreme traction in cold and wet conditions was essential, the options were limited to either a bizarre and slow Subaru, or a truck--which in those days meant dealing with a rough ride and spartan accommodations.
And regardless of vehicle class, there was a good chance that buyer would be dealing with loads of chrome, cheesy styling touches, and blocky designs that didn't cheat the wind so much as batter it into submission.
At least, that was all the case until the Audi 5000 debuted in 1983. Suddenly practicality, effortless, athletic performance, and all-weather traction were no longer mutually exclusive. The packaging was especially revolutionary. The 5000's smooth, purposeful flanks, elegant and understated lines, and flush detailing were so ahead of their time that the original Ford Taurus--itself a revolutionary trend-setter--openly cribbed from the 5000.
In fact, the 5000 doesn't look at all out of place even next to today's cars--which is appropriate given that today's sedans, all of which are sportier and more European in concept than any American could have dreamed in the early 1980s, all owe a debt to the look and execution of the Audi 5000.
Coming into the 1980s, Audi was a pretty obscure brand, but the 5000 (and the other brilliant Audis of the time, the 4000 and Coupe Quattro) made Audi a prominent yuppie favorite. Unfortunately, after this thrilling ascent to popularity, the 60 Minutes "unintended acceleration" fiasco completely destroyed Audi's reputation.
While the 5000 was eventually cleared of those charges, Audi was doomed to drop back into obscurity until its reputation was redeemed by the A4 in the mid-1990s.
When I was a kid, the contrast between the grim, purposeful, lethally efficient 5000CS Turbo Quattro and the 1976 Chevy Nova sedan in my parents' driveway could not have been more apparent. Even today, I'd love to practice some intended acceleration with a 5000 CS Turbo Quattro--even moreso, the extremely attractive wagon variant.
The two pictures of the lovely gray 5000 are from tiltu.net. The atmospheric black-and-white shot above came from Flickr user pryslop, who was fortunate enough to own that gorgeous wagon.
--Chris H.
kim on February 12, 2008 at 01:06 AM
The 20 valve 2 stage turbo was in before the S badge was on.
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JEM on February 29, 2008 at 01:33 PM
Audi got clobbered both by the 'unintended acceleration' libel (an issue that should have led to brigades of heavy legal artillery being trained on CBS) and (like the rest of the Euro automakers) serious exchange-rate problems in the late '80s.
The 200 Quattro 20V was a $47K car in 1991. That money would have gotten you a then-new Lexus LS400 and a very nice vacation.
My standard comment on Audi is that they'll never use one part when three will do the job - they're full of often-unnecessary little complexities. I say that as an Audi owner, though I consider myself nominally a BMW guy.
KM2 on August 29, 2008 at 03:24 AM
That car provided me with one of my most memorable driving related memories. In the winter of 1984, when I had my 5th bday my father took some 8 or so of us kids out in it onto a deserted snowed over and icy parking lot for some fun and games. Both the power of the 5 cyl turbo as well as the quattro were something totally alien to all our previous experiences and it probably made me the coolest kid for years to come ;)
Jason Carpp on December 03, 2008 at 12:31 AM
This is the best Audi I've ever seen. Audi made their best looking cars during the late 70s through mid 80s.
William Caballero on January 10, 2009 at 09:09 PM
I purchased a 5000cs Tornado Red 5 speed brand new in Feb of 1986. 7 months later I had 25,000 memorable miles of driving from Texas, Colorado, Wisconsin, Quebec, Mass, North Carolina and everything in between. I had the the car for 5 years before I sold it, but took a hit because it devalued so hard after the un-intended mess. Looking back I'm sorry I sold it. Just sold my 1995 S6 avant after putting 160,000 miles on it and of course I'm regreted that too. Unfortunately Audi and other cars makers are not filling the void of a large large car with a stick. The old Audi V8, Old large body S4 which became S6's. And of course the 1991 200's with the s4-6 engines. Don't get me wrong, the new Audi's are beautiful, but Audi has lost a driver because of their lack of sport in large cars. The only new Audi I like is the 2008 S5 with a stick which I CAN'T AFFORD. Here's to car memories. But also to new ones.
stanczyk on August 29, 2009 at 05:06 PM
Quatro Coupe Rally car and Audi v8 model(before A8)