Racing the Dakar: A Peculiar Vehicle Design
The Audi Quattro is likely one of the premier rally cars of all time, yet this isn’t your commonplace turbo-powered five-cylinder dust racing vehicle.
Presented by Aguttes for sale, this one-of-a-kind desert runner has be brought to life by Dakar veteran Franco de Paoli. This stemmed from his notion that it would be an absolutely amazing idea to combine the German sports car with an altered Range Rover engine and frame.
Hidden beneath the edgy design, a boosted 3.5-liter Rover-derived V8 motor has been upgraded to a whopping 215 horsepower. It’s certainly quite an improvement over the lackluster 135 hp figure that Land Rover apparently deemed sufficient energy for its original lavish off-roader.
The intriguing source of the Rover V8 began as a Buick motor. After General Motors sold its rights to quite a few makers, it located a closing resting place in Rovers, Land Rovers, MGs, and TVRs.
The chief draw of the fundamentals must be the chassis. Constructed to manage just about anything, the Range Rover Classic is a rugged old vehicle and was a beloved of many participants in the Dakar Rally during the ’70s and ’80s. The advertisement claims modications have been made – likely for more firmness and power – though there is no indication exactly what alterations were accomplished. Installing a roll cage would be compulsory to compete in the Dakar, which further brings extra structural stability.
One would scarcely be able to ascertain the vehicle’s utilitarian origins given its surprisingly generous ground clearance. Seamlessly applied Audi bodywork makes one believe that it was formed in a factory of distinction. The parts and components were fashioned from fiberglass and kevlar for the purpose of reducing weight.
The exterior of this Audi/Range Rover combo looks great, having undergone a cosmetic restoration. But the auction house warns that it will require “major mechanical overhaul [as] to be expected.” This is no surprise, as Range Rovers from the 1980s were quite tough in their day, but fifty-plus years can wear down even the most resilient vehicles.
As anticipated, the 1986 Quattro possessed a monumental 106-gal tank that allowed it to cover long distances without stopping for fuel. Unfortunately, though, the Audi was not triumphant and came up short in each of the four races it participated in.
Aguttes anticipates the Audi to draw in a price range between €150,000 and €250,000 (roughly $161,650 to $269,400) when it goes up for auction on April 2. That’s an immense sum of cash, yet we presume many motorsport fanatics would relish the opportunity of obtaining such an exclusive element of Dakar Rally legacy.
A considerable number of different machines that were present in the race, such as an ’88 Pajero and a few Range Rover models, are also to be put up for sale at the auction.
Audi remains a powerful entity within the realm of rallying, though they weren’t victorious in the prior year. However, the brand still managed to garner attention when Carlos Sainz drove the RS Q e-tron into renown.
