• The Audacious Automotive IV is a modern tribute to the Audi Quattro, with a claimed top speed of 200 mph and a V-8 that revs to 10,000 rpm.
  • The car blends the underpinnings of the B7-generation RS4 with the style of the legendary Audi Quattro and a coach-built interior.
  • Audacious Automotive plans to limit production to just 50 hand-built examples worldwide, with prices expected to start at over $468K.

Few cars have as famed a history as the Audi Quattro, and even fewer cars have been reimagined as many times. The newest tribute to Audi’s legendary Quattro is the Audacious Automotive IV. It’s being built by a small British manufacturer whose passion drove it to fit its creation with a V-8 that revs to 10,000 rpm.

The IV combines B7-generation Audi RS4 underpinnings with the look—and in some cases, bodywork—of the short-wheelbase Audi Quattro. While the Quattro was famous for its five-cylinder engine, Audacious felt the RS4’s 4.2-liter V-8 was a better fit for its tribute car.

Coincidentally enough, the builder says the IV will be offered with four engine configurations. The standard setup takes the 4.2-liter V-8 and adds a supercharger, increasing power to 592 ponies. Strengthened internals and improved cooling from Audacious’ Stage Two conversion bring that figure to 740 hp. Plus, there are supercharged and naturally aspirated options that raise the engine’s redline from an already lofty 8250 to an otherworldly 10,000 rpm. It doesn’t seem like the higher redline offers any additional power, but it should sound the business.

Whichever engine customers choose, every IV will use the RS4’s original six-speed manual gearbox. Audacious claims the Quattro recreation will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 200 mph, though the brand doesn’t disclose which configuration will reach that terminal velocity.

Customers can order their IV with metal bodywork sourced from an original Quattro donor, or they can have their car built from a new carbon-fiber body that doesn’t require any donor car. According to a report from Autocar, the company expects the latter to make up around 80 percent of its orders. The automaker is targeting a curb weight of around 2755 pounds for the carbon versions and around 3140 pounds for the donor cars.

Like the original Quattro, the interior has been overhauled to be a bit more raw, though at least in the examples shown, the whole thing is draped in leather. With every car being hand-built, Audacious promises that no two IVs will be exactly the same.

Of course, as a coachbuilt model produced by a team the size of Audacious Automotive, production will be extremely limited. It doesn’t hurt that exclusivity sells, and with the IV being limited to just 50 hand-built units worldwide, that number shouldn’t be too hard to hit. There is the price to consider, though, and the IV doesn’t come cheap, with a starting price of roughly $468,650 (based on current exchange rates).

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Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.