Market Find: 1985 Audi Sport quattro S1 E2 Headed to Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction

What: 1985 Audi Sport quattro S1 E2
Chassis: WAUZZZ85ZGA905010
Mileage: Undisclosed
Auction Price Estimate: Not Provided
Location: Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction, Monterey, CA
Sales listing: Link

If you’re looking for another reason to add Monterey Car Week to your summer schedule, look no further than the Bonham’s auction at The Quail Lodge on August 15 for the auctioning of one of the 20 Audi Sport quattro S1 E2s built by the Audi factory for Group B rallying.

This 1985 Sport quattro S1 E2 (VIN: WAUZZZ85ZGA905010) is also designated by its internal Audi Sport reference number RE10. It features a 2.1-liter turbocharged 20-valve inline 5-cylinder engine boasting 500+ hp and 335 ft-lbs. of torque. It’s got a fly-off handbrake and weighs just 1,100 kg (2,425 lbs.).

AUDI SPORT QUATTRO

While the words “legendary” and “iconic” tend to be overused, they’re fully applicable when it comes to referencing the Group B era of rallying. Audi had thrown down the gauntlet in 1981 when it officially brought quattro all-wheel drive to rallying, and by 1984 the World Rally Championship found itself awash in manufacturers seeking to outpace each other in both spending and pace on course. Group B was the result, where the Group B quattro A2, then Group B Sport quattro S1 were quickly losing their position as top dog. Audi’s most extreme answer, at least that we ever saw in competition, was the Sport quattro S1 E2.

With the earlier Sport quattro S1, Audi had cut length out of the original “ur” quattro rally cars and dropped even further weight through generous application of exotic materials such as carbon Kevlar. That car proved twitchy to drive, so much so that even their 1984 champion driver Stig Blomqvist avoided using it. As a result, Ingolstadt moved quickly forward with an evolution dubbed the S1 E2 that added more power and redefined the boxy Sport quattro’s aerodynamic profile with massive wedge-like wings in hopes of improving dynamics.

The first Sport quattro S1 E2 made its debut in August 1985. In the case of RE10, the 1985 Lombard RAC rally marked its first event where it was driven by Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz. There, Mikkola started Stage 1 in 9th, though by Stage 14 he was leading the race. He’d secure three stage wins before a mechanical failure on Stage 22 brought caused the car’s retirement.

Following the RAC Rally, RE10 was next used as a training and development car ahead of the 1986 Rallye de Portugal that took place just prior to Group B’s cancellation.

SPORT QUATTRO S1 E2 #RE10

RE10 was the tenth of 20 S1 E2s built by the factory. Of these, only 15 are believed to have survived. From that group, only six saw competition use in Group B rallying, and just four of those cars with competition provenance have made their way into private hands.

The car does feature some changes. These include the original Perspex side windows being replaced with glass, the fitting of an opaque rear window to reduce glare and a completely rebuilt fuel system.

RE10 was acquired by the current owner in 2022. Since that acquisition, service has been performed. These include repairing the hydraulic cam-driven power steering pump, installation of a new Pyrotec fuel cell custom made to match the original bladder shape, plus new fuel pumps and filters. Significant electrical restoration work was also performed as the electronics of the car were “dated and glitchy”. The front driving lights were made to function via a switch on the panel, a video rearview mirror was added so you see behind the car – an install that is 100% reversible. The total investment is over $200,000 in work performed by A.I. Design in Tuckahoe, NY.

The sale of RE10 definitely represents a rare opportunity to acquire not just a factory-built Audi Sport quattro S1 E2, but one with Group B competition pedigree.

ALSO AT MONTEREY CAR WEEK 2025

Whether you’ve just hit the lottery and intend to rapidly build the ultimate Audi collection or simply you’re a brand aficionado prepping your must-hit list for this year’s Monterey Car Week, it’s worth noting that the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction shouldn’t be your only stop. As noted here back in June, RM Sotheby’s will also be auctioning one of the Beddor family’s Audi Sport quattro road cars – the highly limited homologation special Audi was required to build in small numbers in order to compete with the car you see above. With 214 built, a Sport quattro road car isn’t nearly as rare as an S1 E2, but it’s still a very special thing. It’d be even more special if parked alongside a former Hannu Mikkola Sport quattro S1 E2.

PHOTO GALLERY