Owning an Audi quattro

‘I buy cars that inspired me in childhood, which included watching rally cars in Dalby Forest,’ said Charles Porter, whose quattro shares garage space with a Triumph TR7 among others. ‘I remember seeing Hannu Mikkola and Michèle Mouton competing on the RAC Rally, with flames shooting out of their exhausts, and wanted one ever since. They’re such icons, even people who never followed rallying always come and talk to me about it.

‘It’s had a full, glass-out restoration and rebuild. I can’t pretend that they’re cheap to run – they were expensive cars when new and running costs reflect that today. Audi-specific parts of this era are pricey and hard to come by, although some bits can be made in batches if the owners’ club persuades the Volkswagen Group. All I can recommend is to treat it with care and join the Quattro Owners’ Club.’