How the Audi S2 rose from the ashes of criticism

Comparisons can be odious.

We didn't like the Audi S2 because it wasn’t an ur-quattro.

We didn’t like it because it was heavy.

We didn’t like it because it had no motorsport pedigree.

We didn’t like it because the Bosch Servotronic power steering weirded us out.

Above all, we didn’t like it because it seemed cynical. Here was Audi carrying over the old 20v engine into new bodywork and glomming off the legend of the Quattro S1 rally car with the badge. We just didn’t like it.

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The S2 received an update in 1992 which saw power and torque rise to 169kW/350Nm respectively, while the manual ‘box gained an extra ratio

And yet now, some 20 years later, we like this car a lot. Few sports cars are quite so rehabilitated in their appeal after an initial savaging by press. The Porsche 964 Carrera RS might be the one that springs to mind as having suffered a similar critical resurrection.

The steering still takes a bit of getting used to, but what’s interesting is how Audi presaged many modern vehicle development directions with the S2. That Servotronic rack now feels way more communicative than the EPAS systems we use today, while a kerb weight of 1420kg is lighter than modern hot hatches like a Focus ST or an i30 N.

And that motorsport history thing? Audi copped the flak and, a year later, BMW rode in on the coat tails with the E36 M3.

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The S2 was faster, cheaper, better finished and rode better than the last of the ur-quattros yet you can pick one up for less than half the price of a WR quattro 20v, should you be able to track one down.

Look under the bonnet and you’ll see that the slant five wasn’t an easy fit. The radiators, oil cooler and intercooler have been creatively shoehorned in, while the inlet and exhaust manifold display similar creative thinking.

The big Audi five-speed from the ur-quattro didn’t fit without a lot of sheet metal changes, so an uprated version of the B-series unit found in 80/90 series cars was chosen instead. This had a torque limit of 310Nm, so boost pressure was dropped from the 200 quattro’s 0.85 bar to 0.75.

The plus side? Second gear ran to 100km/h for better acceleration times.

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1991 Audi S2 specs

Engine: 2262cc inline 5, DOHC, 20v
Power: 162kW @ 5900rpm
Torque: 309Nm @ 1950rpm
0-100km/h: 5.8s
Weight: 1420kg