Someone Spent $7,000 Building a 1:5 Scale Audi 100 Coupe S That Actually DrivesThe Audi 100 Coupé S had a production run of just over seven years and fewer than 31,000 units built between 1969 and 1976. It was a front-wheel-drive grand tourer with a fastback roofline that drew unfavorable comparisons to the Aston Martin DBS of the era – which is to say, it was handsome enough that people thought Audi was copying someone more prestigious. A Chinese YouTube channel called CHUANQI ENGINE apparently loved the thing enough to rebuild one from scratch at 1:5 scale, spending more than $7,000 in the process.That figure deserves a moment. Seven thousand dollars is a reasonable budget for restoring an actual vintage car. CHUANQI ENGINE spent it on a remote-controlled replica that fits in a parking garage and can drift between the support pillars.What $7,000 Buys You in MiniatureDocumented on CHUANQI ENGINE's channel and subsequently highlighted by Gear Tech HD, the project bears little resemblance to a typical RC vehicle. The build uses no ready-made mechanical components hidden beneath a printed exterior. According to the build video, the model's drivetrain and braking components were fabricated entirely from raw material, including a clutch disc, pressure plate, axles, differential, four-speed gearbox, and hydraulic brake calipers that required bleeding just as they would on a full-size vehicle. A syringe handles transmission lubrication. A servo motor manages remote gear selection, which the builder later integrated into a modified transmitter alongside a dedicated brake lever.AdvertisementAdvertisementBoth the front and rear suspension incorporate real control arms, knuckles, and dampers, as HotCars reported. The chassis is custom fabricated metal, with support brackets added to handle the load of all those working components. Before the body went on, the drivetrain ran through dyno testing to confirm power delivery across all four gears.The body panels were produced using a 3D printer, smoothed down with wet sanding to eliminate visible layer lines, and then coated in a metallic copper finish chosen to evoke the classic look of the original car. Hood and doors open. Metal reinforcements were bonded into the plastic body panels in structural areas. Door handles are attached via a soldering iron using thermal fusion – a detail that suggests the builder had long since stopped asking whether something was worth the effort.The completed car made its public debut in an underground parking garage, putting the drivetrain through its paces in conditions that showed off both the gearbox and the brake system. It drives and drifts convincingly.CHUANQI ENGINE hasn't slowed down since. According to Supercar Blondie, the channel's follow-up project was a remote-controlled Lamborghini with a miniature V12 – crankshafts, camshafts, pistons, and spark plugs fabricated at scale. That one ran $15,000. At this rate, the next build might cost more than the cars it's replicating.
