1:18 Audi Quattro A1 – Mikkola/Hertz – Rallye Automobile De Monte Carlo 1983

Description

About the Car

The Audi Quattro, produced by Audi a German auto maker, is a road and rally car.  It was first introduced in 1980 and continued to 1991.  “Quattro” is Italian for “four”, referring to the Quattro’s four-wheel-drive system.  Audi took advantage of the changed Group B rules that allowed four-wheel drive rally cars to compete.  The original engine was a 2.1L, inline 5-cylinder with a turbocharger.  It had 197 hp, 0-60 in 7.1 seconds and top speed of 137mph.

From its inception in 1911 by Prince Albert I, the rally would demonstrate enhancements and advances to automobiles.  The Monte Carlo Rally is organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco as a rallying event.  Currently the rally is held along the French Riviera in Monaco.  Previously the competitors would start at numerous places around Europe and meet “rally” in Monaco to celebrate the end of the event.

Hannu Mikkola, born in 1942 and died in 2021, was a Finnish champion world rally driver.  In 1977 he partnered with Arne Hertz a Swedish rally driver born in 1939.  The pair was very successful in their racing and stayed partners for 13 years.  They came in 4^th at the Rally Automobile de Monte Carlo in 1983.

About the Brand

A subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, Audi is a German automobile manufacturer of luxury vehicles.  It has its roots at Ingolstadi, Bavaria, Germany.  The origins are complex, founded by August Horch in 1909.  The name if based on the Latin translation of the founder “Horch” meaning listen in German becoming “audi” in Latin.  The logo of the 4 rings represents the four car companies that came together to create Audi’s predecessor company.

About the Manufacturer

Minichamps was founded in 1990 as a die-cast car producer in Aachen, Germany under the name of Paul’s Model Art GmbH.   The original company was the Danhausen, a trade company that made 1:43 scale models and sold them over the counter and mail order.  From 1971 to 1993 the company published the famous Danhausen World Model Car Book.  Danhausen was owned by the grandsons of Emma Danhausen – Hans Peter and Paul Gunter Lang.  There was a dispute between the brothers in the late 1980’s.  That is when Paul formed the Paul’s Model Art.  Diecast models were made more for the adult clientele and holding their value was a big question that needed to be answered.  Minichamps’ excellent quality has been noticed by Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Opel, and BMW.