1:18 Audi Quattro – Mikkola/Hertz – Winners International Swedish Rally 1981

Description

About the Car

The Audi Quattro, produced by 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 recently changed 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.

The International Swedish Rally was the second round of the 1981 World Rally Championship.  The race was won by Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz in 3 hours and 48 minutes.  The first International Swedish Rally was held in 1950 and introduced to the World Rally Championship in 1973.

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.

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.