ABT congratulates Audi 80 on its 50th birthday

Many people think first of the Olympic Games in Munich when they talk about 1972. But there was also a lot on offer for car fans, as several epoch-making models saw the light of day 50 years ago. One of the most important of these athletes took to the starting line with four rings on its chest: the Audi 80 B1. After the successful 100, it was the second model to drive the image change of the Bavarian company. Ignoring the renaming of the series in 1994 and going by market segment alone, nine generations of the bestseller have been created to date. "We have taken care of all generations of the Audi 80/A4, which is now one of the most important pillars in our vehicle tuning division, and we have been able to offer customers a tailor-made package in each case over the many years," explains Hans-Jürgen Abt, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ABT SE. While the first B1s still had to make do with 95 tuning HP (70 kW), the spectrum for the current Audi RS 4 – standard output 450 HP (331 kW) only ends at 530 HP (390 kW). The associated ABT?Power?R performance upgrade consists of the high-tech ABT Engine Control unit, additional water radiator kit and air intake cover.

For its time, however, the first Audi 80 was already nippy on the road, the first Audi ever to be built more than a million times. With its low weight and sporty handling as well as the body designed in the style of the new objectivity, it also appealed to younger drivers. For ABT Sportsline, it was the perfect template, so that the above-mentioned performance upgrade for the B1 was introduced as early as 1973. It impressed the car magazines not only with its power, but also with its efficiency, which ensured extremely fair fuel consumption. In the autumn of the same year, Audi added the 80 GT with 100 HP (74 kW). From 1975 onwards, the 110 HP (81 kW) GTE with front spoiler, racing stripes and twin headlights was available as the sporty top model ex works. Incidentally, all the ornamentation did not seem at all artificial, because from 1978 the factory successfully entered the Audi 80 in the German Rally Championship – supported by ABT Sportsline. Johann Abt had already developed a first racing version of the Audi 80 in 1974 and one year later won the title in the Trophée de L'Avenir, which was held throughout Europe and culminated in the 24 Hours of Spa.

This was followed in 1978 by the Audi 80 B2, designed in collaboration with star designer Giorgio Giugiaro, which continued the success story with 1.6 million units built. Lightweight construction and air resistance were further refined, making it one of the most economical cars in its class. Even more so with the new diesel. Many features that are iconic for Audi today were already available in this model series: From 1982, for example, permanent all-wheel drive (quattro) was available as an option for the first time in a large-series car. As previously in the Audi 100, a five-cylinder engine was also on the options list. And of course it was possible to make the B2 even faster than its predecessor. ABT Sportsline tuned an early GLE from 110 HP (81 kW) to 135 hp (99 kW). But there was much more: with the five-cylinder turbo from the Urquattro, the Bavarian company even created "Germany's fastest Audi 80".

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