Audi 80
The Audi 80 is a German mid-range car produced from 1966 to 1996. by Audi AG. A total of 5 generations of the model came out. Initially, the car was manufactured on the Volkswagen Passat platform in the sedan and station wagon bodies, and later in the convertible and coupe. The car was produced in Germany and Japan. In the North American market, the model was known as the Audi Fox, and later as the Audi 4000 and Audi 90 as the more prestigious version.
Audi 80, 1st generation, 1972
At the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1965, a small Audi sedan was presented, the first post-war car of the revived brand. This car was a deeply modernized 1963 DKW F102 front-wheel drive sedan with a new four-stroke engine instead of the ancient two-stroke. It was a 1.7-liter engine with 72 hp. There were two body types to choose from – a two- or four-door sedan. A year later, more powerful modifications of the Audi 80 and Super 90 appeared, the indices of which indicated engine power. The base model, by analogy, became known as the Audi 72.
In 1972, the first generation Audi 80 family debuted. At first it was a two-door sedan, later there were a four-door sedan and station wagon. The front-wheel drive car was equipped with 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6-liter gasoline engines with a capacity of 55–110 hp. As a result of restyling in 1976, the car received rectangular headlights instead of round ones. A total of 1.1 million cars were produced.
Audi 80, 2nd generation, 1978
In 1978, the second generation Audi 80 was introduced, a year later this model debuted in the North American market as the Audi 4000. Most of the cars produced had a four-door body, there were very few two-doors, and there was no station wagon in the lineup at all.
Initially, only gasoline in-line 4-cylinder engines (1.3-1.8 liters, 55-110 hp) were installed on the Audi 80, in 1980, customers were offered an atmospheric 1.6-liter diesel engine (54 hp), and a year later, a modification appeared with a 1.9-liter 5-cylinder gasoline engine (115 hp). In 1982, the “eighties” acquired a 2.1-liter 5-cylinder engine (136 hp) and quattro all-wheel drive, borrowed from the coupe of the same name.
In 1984, the Audi 80 family was restyled and all 5-cylinder modifications received their own designation Audi 90. A total of 1.68 million cars of the second generation were made.
Audi 80, 3rd generation, 1986
The third-generation Audi 80 sedan, with a galvanized steel body, appeared in 1986. Both in Europe and abroad, the model was sold only with the index “80”. As before, the “ninetieth” model was also produced, which was distinguished by 5-cylinder engines, richer equipment and exterior design details.
Petrol carburetor and injection engines 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 with power from 65 to 135 hp were installed on the car. The atmospheric diesels with a volume of 1.6 and 1.9 liters were supplemented by a new 1.6-liter turbodiesel developing 80 hp.
The total number of third-generation machines was 1.62 million. Also, on the basis of the Audi 80, the two-door Audi Coupe and Audi Cabriolet were created.
Audi 80, 4th generation, 1991
In 1991, the Audi 80 family underwent a major upgrade – the rear suspension changed, the wheelbase increased, and the equipment was revised. In addition, now all modifications for Europe bore the single designation Audi 80, and for the US market – Audi 90. The driver’s airbag became standard equipment, the passenger airbag was installed at an additional cost. The Audi 80 Avant wagon appeared in the range.
The base engine was 1.6 with a capacity of 101 hp, and 4-cylinder engines of 1.8 and 2 liters (125–133 hp) were also installed on the car. A 5-cylinder 2.3-liter engine developed 133 hp. And at the top of the lineup were versions with V6 engines of 2.6 and 2.8 liters (150 and 174 hp, respectively). The 1.9-liter turbodiesel had a power of 75 or 90 hp.
On the basis of the Audi 80, “charged” models of the Audi S2 and RS2 were created.
In 1996, the production of the “eighty” was discontinued (1.09 million fourth-generation cars were produced), and it was replaced by the Audi A4.