Audi S2

History

In 1990, Audi teamed up with Konrad Schmidt Motorsport GmbH, the outfit behind its DTM V8 quattro, to create a hotter version of the Coupé. This new model, called the S2, was meant to give the Coupé’s flagging sales a boost and to partly take over from the legendary 1980 Audi Quattro. The front styling was updated to look like the Audi V8, with new headlights and a grille that had a body-coloured frame—a design cue that soon spread across the whole Audi lineup. Under the bonnet sat the familiar 2.2-litre five-cylinder 20-valve turbocharged petrol engine from the Audi 200 20V, itself a relative of the unit in the Quattro. A similar version also powered the Audi 100-based S4, known as the Ur-S4. Every S2 came with permanent quattro all-wheel drive and a heavy-duty five-speed manual gearbox, pushing it to a top speed of 150 mph.

At launch, the engine produced 220 PS (coded 3B). In October 1992, it got small upgrades borrowed from the S4, including distributor-less ignition, which bumped output to 230 PS (coded ABY). Torque rose from 309 Nm to 350 Nm, with an overboost feature that could deliver 380 Nm in short bursts. The gearbox was swapped for a six-speed unit. The 3B car could hit 100 km/h from a standstill in 5.7 seconds, while the ABY version took 5.9 seconds; both topped out at 246 km/h.

The S2 got a cosmetic refresh in 1993, gaining new AVUS-style alloy wheels, projector-beam headlamps, and clear front indicator lenses. That February, the S2 Avant arrived, equipped from the start with the stronger engine and six-speed transmission. A small number of four-door S2 saloons were sold between July 1993 and 1994. Both the saloon and Avant shared many rear-axle support components with the later B5 A4 quattro. The B4-platform S2 Avant also served as the foundation for the Audi RS2 Avant super-sports estate, built from 1993 to 1995 with help from Porsche. In total, Audi produced 7,370 S2 Coupés, 1,812 Avants, and 306 saloons, making 9,488 S2s of all types.