Straight from the source

Keith has another Audi – no surprise there – but this one’s special because he bought it direct from Audi itself…

1983 AUDI 80 CD

Sometimes I worry about the number of cars that I buy. I know it makes good copy but there are occasions when I wonder whether I’d be a wealthy man if I’d been less emotionally invested in my cars. The reason for this thoughtfulness is that I’m writing about another new car on my drive – despite needing to collect another one that I’ve bought since.

Anyway, that’s another story. Me owning this 1983 Audi 80 CD was pretty much inevitable. I have a lot of nostalgia for these cars, having owned them in my formative driving years, and this one is special, not just because of its low mileage and exceptional condition, but because it used to belong to Audi Heritage.

Audi has decided to let go of some of its ‘less important’ exhibits and knowing just how much I love these B2-generation Audi 80s – and since I’d asked them to give me first refusal if they ever came to sell it – they duly got in touch. At least I can reassure them that it’s gone to a good home. And that’s why I now have two Audi 80 CDS – and am seriously questioning my sanity.

Anyway, moving on to the car. It comes with a full service history, documenting its time spent being pampered by its former owners, and has a genuine 19,570 miles on the clock. It’s a remarkable survivor considering that these cars were generally bought by business types who tended to cover big miles. The bodywork is near-perfect, with just a couple of the most minor blemishes, and it flew through its MOT last month without any advisories.

It’s absolutely perfect out on the road. The five-cylinder engine fires up easily on the manual choke (the troublesome auto choke has long since been removed) and pulls sweetly through the rev range, giving its best power above 4000rpm. It’s not as quick as I remember but then again it’s more than happy to keep up with traffic flow, and I don’t really need to use the stereo – all the music I need is controlled by my right foot.

It also rides a whole lot better than my recently-departed 80 CL. This is most probably due to the fact that the CD model was given more sophisticated dampers from new and that my CL was fitted with slightly stiffer and lower springs because the previous owner, David Robertshaw, couldn’t get hold of a set of standard springs when they needed changing. Either way, it makes this 80 a whole lot more usable than my last one, even if it uses a little more fuel.

What about jobs to do? Well there is one, actually. The central locking doesn’t work and, given that it uses a 1980s-spec pneumatic system, I don’t expect it to work again given that it’s either going to need an unobtanium air pump or one of the pipes has split. I do have a plan, however. I’m going to retrofit a newer electrically-operated central locking with remote actuation, because at the very least, it means I won’t be using the fragile door locks and key as much that way. I also need to update the aged Cobra alarm and imobiliser, which can be quite troublesome if I remember correctly.

Other than that, there’s nothing but fun planned for this summer. It’s the perfect classic to just get out there and use. So, you can expect to see me at this year’s Festival of The Unexceptional and various other events during the coming summer months. Come on over and say ‘hi’ if you happen to see me at a show. You’ll know it’s me because I’ll almost certainly be grinning like a fool.

Is Keith the only Audi enthusiast in the UK with two 80 CDS? Let us know if you think otherwise! ‘This one’s a keeper.’ We’d believe Keith were it not for the fact that this is exactly what he said about the last Audi 80 he bought.

Five-pot starts well on manual choke – it’s much better than the old auto set-up.

Interior is first rate – Keith thinks that addressing the dodgy central locking is the only job on the to-do list.