The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has long been about more than just modern racing, and in 2026 that spirit was on full display as Zak Brown took to the circuit in one of Audi’s most iconic American touring cars—his own personal 1988 Audi 200 quattro Trans-Am.
RARE RACE AUDI RETURNS TO THE STREETS
Brown’s appearance came as part of the weekend’s Historic Trans Am Challenge, a favorite exhibition that runs alongside the Grand Prix. The series, which featured machinery spanning the 1970s through 1991, provided the perfect stage for the Audi 200 quattro—a car that disrupted a field dominated by American V8 muscle when it debuted in IMSA competition in 1988.
Originally campaigned during Audi’s late-1980s push into U.S. motorsport, the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive sedan remains a landmark in the brand’s racing history. Brown, a known collector of significant race cars, acquired the example several years ago and has since brought it out selectively for high-profile events, including Monterey Car Week’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
WEEKEND BLENDING PAST & PRESENT
Sharing his reflections from Long Beach, Brown described the weekend as a mix of racing, nostalgia, and connections across the sport.
“A great weekend back in Long Beach, watching and racing cars, catching up with Mario Andretti and showing my buddy Adrian Beltre and McLaren Advisory Team member Carl Eschenbach around the grid,” he said. “Good work by Pato to keep a top-five finish. I’m excited for what this Arrow McLaren team will bring into May in Indy.”
That dual presence—team boss in the modern paddock and driver in a historic machine—has become something of a signature for Brown, who frequently blends his professional role with a personal passion for racing history.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AUDI 200
The choice of car wasn’t incidental. The Audi 200 quattro represents a pivotal moment when European engineering challenged American racing conventions on U.S. soil. Its advanced drivetrain and turbocharged powertrain in period helped rewrite expectations in Trans-Am competition, making it one of the most technically interesting entries of its era.
At Long Beach, surrounded by thunderous V8s and period-correct muscle, the Audi stood apart—just as it did in its time.
A LIVING COLLECTION
For Zak Brown, the car is more than a museum fixture. It’s part of a broader belief that important race cars should be seen and heard, not hidden away.
Events like Long Beach—and the continued inclusion of Historic Trans Am machinery alongside modern series—offer a rare opportunity to connect generations of motorsport. In this case, it meant hearing the distinctive note of a turbocharged Audi sedan echoing off the same concrete walls that now frame IndyCar and IMSA battles.
And for a few laps in Southern California, Audi’s late-1980s American racing chapter wasn’t just remembered—it was relived.
EVEN MORE HISTORY OF ASSOCIATION WITH AUDI
Zak was supported at Long Beach by the British-based United Autosports team that he co-owns. Long before he was McLaren’s team boss in F1, Brown via United Autosports was one of Audi’s earliest customer racing teams to acquire and field an Audi R8 LMS.
So, while Zak may bleed Papaya Orange these days, we’ve long known that his general automotive interests run deep, from his time in NASCAR, to Audi Sport customer racing, his impressive collection of classics and of course his championship-winning F1 efforts. He’s not just a pretty face on Drive to Survive.
