Do you want to know where Audi is with their classics...

[stiglet]

^^^ I agree

[Rusty]

Sent to Evo magazine:-

The joy of driving is perhaps not totally compatible with the misguided green Euro drivel that is so widely thrust down the throat of the car enthusiast, the organically named, Petrolhead. Unsurprisingly in the recent sales downturn, the major manufacturers are now jumping on the green bandwagon more than ever. I was not surprised to find, during a “t’interweb” search for the legendary RS2, that an Audi page popped up offering owners the option of scrapping these iconic cars, a way to generate new car sales in the name of ‘going green’! So what?! The owners of these rare cars won’t fall for such a flawed marketing ploy! Well no, we won’t, we have pride, integrity and enthusiasm to resist such bribery but the fact is, for many owners of the classic Audis, this is the latest in a long line of misguided, short sighted and ignorant actions that Audi have taken to seemingly eradicate all the cars that made their name! Indeed, where would Audi be without constantly harking back to their rallying and racing heritage created by the quattro marque during the heady days of the 80s and 90s? Nowhere, they would be just another manufacturer of luxurious cars, Lexus against BMW and Jaguar, certainly not the company which revolutionised rallying in such a way that overnight, the new cars of the competition became obsolete or the company who first brought four wheel drive to the masses.

I am lucky enough to own an Audi S2 Coupe, a rare beast on our shores, I have lavished my pride and joy with money and time, forgiven it grazed knuckles, shed much sweat and tears maintaining and restoring it and reaped the rewards of my efforts over the last 5 years. It has graced the tarmac of many UK circuits and even made the trek to the Nurburgring on a few occasions, never missing a beat, all in the name of the joy of driving, ring any bells! 300bhp, a sonorous, off-beat 5 cylinder engine (gaining somewhat of a renaissance in the latest blue oval hyper hatches) and the legendary quattro underpinnings leaves the owners a lot of Munich, Zuffenhausen and Japanese sports car owners with a look of confusion as my ‘M‘ registered car pulls away! Grin factor 10!

However, how much longer can owners like me keep our pride and joys on the road? When speaking to my parts supplier at an Audi main dealer, I am told with increasing frequency, “sorry, that part is NLA” No Longer Available! This has gradually encompassed more and more important parts! Luckily there are cars that didn’t get owners like me (or my enthusiastic friends on www.s2forum.com) that are being broken by specialists and enthusiasts, providing a steady stream of pre-owned parts that keep us on the road and track, but this is not sustainable. Owners of the older typ85 cars, encompassing the much loved quattro, are in an even worse position. Further help is available thanks to the great worldwide following these cars have, from the west coast of America to Eastern Europe to Australia. However, it is the unique trim parts required to keep these cars looking smart, the bespoke mechanical parts that separate the quattro, S and RS cars from the run of the mill euro boxes, in essence the character of these cars that is being discontinued at an alarming rate.

Other manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes and Porsche offer excellent support to the owners of their heritage (with appropriately named ‘Heritage Departments’) because they are proud and enthusiastic about keeping the cars that made their name on the road. Audi seem to want the heritage without supporting those who own it. Many attempts to alert Audi to the error of their ways have run into a brick wall of ignorance. I would offer a polite warning to those looking to treat themselves to that fast Audi they’d always dreamed of, don’t expect to keep it forever, Audi will ensure that you’ll have to trade it in for a newer model before long so they can meet their quotas and put a tick in the green euro box (incidentally, the same shape as the car they’ll force you to own).

The fact is that those who buy modern Audis will run into this brick wall in the next few years, how long before the S4, S6, RS4 & RS6 owners find that their pride and joy can no longer be supported by their main dealers? With the Bi-Turbo RS4 being nearly 10 years old, I would argue not long.

[Sonic]

Very well put Andy

Whilst i generally agree with Paul about not getting anywhere, i also agree that its worth a serious go.

[Rusty]

Thanks, I've got the time and don't mind writing such things.

Also sent to Performance car, will send to Audi Driver and to Top Gear.

[Rusty]

Done, see what happens now...

[S-Express]

well written - anyone high up in Audi should be very embarrassed after reading that!

[Rusty]

I could send it to Audi...

[rotoryboy]

I could send it to Audi...

Do it. Audi UK and Audi Gmbh

[Rusty]

Will do. Sent to Pistonheads also.

Anyone got email addresses? Only got contact form on the websites.

[Rusty]

Sonic has come up with a good idea for this so I'm helping him, details to follow.

[Keeper of The Kitten]

Well done Andy, this is the sort of thing we need to do to raise publicity ...and if we want all the publications to realise that it's not just one person ranting, we need to demonstrate our united front and make it quite clear that there are several people who actually care.

I await the idea you and Sonic are working on, with interest.

[Rusty]

If anyone else has the time then write something. Passion is good but anger and insults are perhaps best avoided. The more we contact the motoring press, the more indirect pressure is applied. Make those potential 5 year old Audi buyers realise that in 5 years they'll struggle to keep their car going. Not acceptable...

Many magazines also feature £10k performance cars and old skool heroes etc. If they become aware that the ownership proposition of an Audi is much worse than the equivalent BM or Merc then it will reflect badly on Audi and they will have to act decisively and quickly to prevent a PR disaster.

[Keeper of The Kitten]

Agreed - we should present a professional attitude and ensure that we are not seen as boy racers but as true enthusiasts.

[Rusty]

Can people who are on other sites like Audi Fans and Classic Audi put the word about. Sonic and my project will be for all the Audi community to get involved with and will not work without the support and involvement of the enthusiasts here in the UK and around the world.

[re2500]

NIcely written Andy, let us know of any progress, or anything that we need to do to help.
This is a very worrying situation.