Description:

 

Full Hannu Mikkola Replica, built using genuine period parts
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Original Hannu Mikkola race suit and HB International cap, signed by Hannu Mikkola and Arnie Hertz

Please note: The following information in regard to provenance has been supplied by the vendor and they assure us that they have paperwork and evidence to confirm the history of the build and parts used. For further information and details, please contact the vendor directly.

The Appeal

Every petrolhead would love to put a period, Audi Works specification S1 in the garage, right? There’s so much to love – iconic Group B styling, impeccable rally heritage, driven by legends such as Mikkola, Blomqvist and Mouton. Of course, there’s also that incredible all-wheel drive, turbocharged powertrain. 

The problem is, you can’t have one. They only made 20, two of which were dismantled and the rest reside in the hands of Audi Heritage or various private collections. The chances of laying your hands on a car with genuine rally heritage are vanishingly small, bordering on nil.

So replicas are the only way to really get a feel for the period cars. However, not all replicas are equal. Some are mere homages with some bolt-on wings, go-faster bits and a lick of paint. But there are some cars, usually carefully and meticulously built by fanatical and deeply knowledgeable individuals over the course of many years, that surpass the point of mere “replica” and go on to become something altogether quite remarkable.

This is one such vehicle. Welcome to what is, quite possibly, the finest S1 replica ever made.

A bold claim, for sure. But not one without merit. This example has been built in precisely the same manner as the original cars, even down to the weld positioning and tracing of the correct period rivets. Period parts – actual ex-factory, used by Group B heroes, parts – have been sourced and meticulously integrated. Some of these components have, according to the vendor, taken more than 10 years to find and acquire. The net has been cast far and wide, with parts sourced from the UK, Scandinavia, mainland Europe, South Africa and the United States.

The results speak for themselves: a full replica – not a homage or evocation – of Hannu Mikkola’s 014 S1 E2 Sport Quattro. There is still sand from Italy on the centre console. It bears the signatures of Mikkola, Hertz, Schwarz and Llewellin. Michèle Mouton’s KKK turbo lurks under the bonnet – which itself belonged to Walter Röhrl’s car. Frankly, this is as close as you’ll get to a genuine, ex-works car and many of the parts included in this build are complete one-of-a-kind items that will never be available anywhere else. 

As Röhrl himself said, “a car requires love”. And this S1 has had lashings of love heaped upon it over the years. Now it’s time for a new owner to sample the delights of this rally legend, and fire up the Quattro. 

The History and Paperwork

Carefully built up by the vendor of the last 12 years
Built from a Sport Quattro, with the front end from an Audi 80 two-door saloon, just as the original works cars
Exact rebuild to factory specifications, using the 250-page Audi Sport Build Manual
This build has had the help and involvement of ex-factory mechanics and Rallycross champions that owned ex-works cars
Original Hannu Mikkola race suit and a HB International cap both signed by Hannu Mikkola and Arnie Hertz
Visors signed by Hannu Mikkola and one signed by Arnie Hertz

This incredible machine is believed by the vendor to be the most accurate replica in the world, and the only one to use so many genuine period works parts. The lists below barely scratch the surface of what has been sourced and the work completed over the last 12 years, but they give a flavour of the attention to detail the vendor has gone too in their obsessive quest to create the perfect works S1 replica.

The Interior

Original Recaro buckets with red period Sabelt harnesses – the co-driver seat is Arnie Hertz’s original unit
Full roll cage, installed to factory specification
Original fire extinguisher from a works rally car (not charged)
Walter Röhrl’s original complete dashboard – still bearing Italian sand on the centre console
Matter visors, heel plates and foot rest
Original shifter
Original pedal set
Collapsible period S1 steering column

The Exterior

Full period race Audi Works livery
Six front mounted spotlights
Fully adjustable rear wing and alternative small wing rear section 
Magnesium five-spoke Speedline alloys, finished in white and correct to period
“Turbo fan” style wheel covers to the front
Magnesium wheel nuts
Walter Röhrl’s original bonnet
Hannu Mikkola mirrors and rear screen, signed by Armin Schwarz
Panels from works cars driven by Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist, Harald Demuth and Tom Hammond
Roof signed by David Llewellin
Genuine S1 boot and rear quarter vents
The glass and perspex all round is straight from period works cars, with the appropriate level of patina from use clearly on display

The Mechanics

2. 1-litre, five-cylinder, turbocharged powertrain
New, OEM S1 aluminium block
Works cylinder head
Original works pistons
Original S1 camshafts
Genuine S1 dry sump
Magnesium engine cover
Michèle Mouton’s Pikes Peak Polygon KKK turbo and original wastegate
Iconel header
Umluft system
Fully restored original braking system – magnesium Alcon brakes with floating discs
Refurbished original steering rack
Extremely rare steering servo that drives the S1 magnesium quick rack and the rear pump, in the which operates the rear alternator – this alone took the vendor 10 years to source
Hannu Mikkola’s ‘1000 Lakes’ magnesium rear differential and 6 speed transmission
S1 driveshafts and propshaft
S1 subframes
Genuine S1 lower arms, aluminium gravel legs and trailing arms
Original S1 top mounts
Original brake cooling fans
S1 rear gearbox mount, engine mounts
Correct C-pillar water tank and coolers
Matter battery tray
Matter twin pumps with brackets, dry sump tank
Original Kessel radiator retaining bar, radiator watercooler spray bar

Summary

No other rally car holds quite the same cachet as the Quattro. It was the car that defined an entire era for the sport and danced its way to success at the hands of numerous motorsport legends.

In all honesty, you’ll ever find another S1 that’s quite as authentic, as evocative and as correctly finished as this. Wearing its history proudly and with an unfathomable amount of time and effort having been expended on its detailing and construction, this may just be the ultimate collector’s item for the true motorsport aficionado.
 

 

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Keyword Search Terms:

Audi S1 E2 Group B Historic Rally Car