1989 Audi Quattro 10V

First registered on the 6th of September 1989, this last-of-the-line 10V Audi Quattro was owned by a prominent plastic surgeon for the first 23 years of its life, moving into the vendor’s hands eight years ago.

Fitted with the late MB engine that many feel is the pick of the litter, it comes with an extensive service history. Off the road and in dry storage since changing hands, the vendor has recently carried out significant preservation and mechanical work; his aim was to stabilise its condition, leaving the Quattro’s new owner to decide whether to continue to manage the bodywork ‘as is’ or to restore it.

The inside needs no such work as it is remarkably clean and well preserved, a state of affairs driven by a combination of having an obsessive owner and having been driven one-up for 90% of its journeys, meaning three of the four seats were barely used.

Offered for sale in great condition and with an impeccable provenance, this is definitely one for the collector and Quattro enthusiast.

Fresh from a light refresh of the bodywork, the Stone Grey coachwork looks very good. To our mind, its understated and unusual colour suits the car’s lines much better than the more usual red, white or silver. The stance is perfect too, with a four-squared, purposeful look thanks to those wonderfully flared wheelarches.

The panel gaps are very good with excellent panel alignment that tells only a good story; having driven it, it feels like a car that’s never been pulled apart or restored – and while that’s inevitably a subjective opinion, that these things matter when you’re considering invested a hefty sum in an iconic sportscar is very definitely an objective one.

The smoked rear lenses add to the car’s understated appeal, as do the OE alloy wheels. The latter are in a very good condition and are shod with Goodyear tyres all round.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you an insight into their attitude towards maintenance.

The metal sunroof is in a good condition, fitting and sealing tightly. It opens as it should, tilting via the manual handle. It can also be removed completely.

The faults that need to be sorted present the new owner with a dilemma. The offside rear wing has clearly been repaired at some point and is a bit wibbly in places as a result. It also has an area of matt paint. It could be tidied up very easily or could be replaced in its entirety depending on the winning bidder’s attitude towards originality and preservation.

The front wings are probably more straightforward. Again, they have been repaired and while they’re presentable, we can see that the new owner will almost certainly want to have them replaced with new ones eventually.

The grey tweed interior looks terrific; very of-the-period, it makes a much more interesting alternative to the more usual leather that everyone thinks they want. It’s warmer too, and much grippier – and grippy is good when you’re driving something that is capable of generating the sort of G-forces the Quattro is…

The front seats are in a terrific condition. Free of the wear and tear that almost every contemporary suffers from, they’re still firm and supportive and look barely worn.

The sculpted rear seats are even better. Looking box-fresh, they’re in a fabulous condition for a car that’s well into its fourth decade. In fact, the whole interior is incredibly good with the gearknob’s light patination being the only obvious wear.

Please do take the time to leaf through the photos in order to appreciate just how good it is in there. (The vendor tells us that the first owner was so meticulous that he put aftermarket overmats on top of the OE overmats…)

Even the digital dashboard, which was quite the thing back-in-the-day, works as it should. It has also retained its original Blaupunkt Toronto head unit and the OE alarm system. Again, both work and the latter even still has two remote controls.

Also note, the manual rear differential lock and the ABS defeat switch; both are indicators that this is a genuine working tool as much as it is high-performance sportscar.

Oh, and take a look at the rear screen; who wouldn’t want to own a car whose name is spelling out in the demister?

The boot is clean and well-presented, and lifting the carpets reveals a solid metal floor and no rust. There’s a space-saver spare wheel in there too, as well as the original toolkit. The tool kit was still wrapped in plastic when the vendor bought the car and had never been used.

Faults are few. The central locking only works on the plipper and not on the key, the passenger seat heater isn’t working, the nearside door lock is a little lazy, and the electric mirrors don’t adjust.

The Quattro benefits from a remarkable 24 stamps in the service history booklet, including 19 from the original Audi dealer.

April 2019 saw the Quattro receive a new throttle potentiometer plus a timing belt and waterpump. It has also had recent sparkplugs, a distributor cap and a set of HT leads.

One point to note is that the exhaust is a genuine Audi stainless-steel system. No longer available, its presence further reinforces the care with which this car has been maintained over the years.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it goes as it should. The boss took it out (of course he did…) and reports: “it drives very well and feels tight with no rattles or general looseness.”

The engine bay is workmanlike rather than pretty but that could be resolved very easily – and while you’re in there there is some light corrosion starting on the bulkhead and the underside of the bonnet. It’s not bad but it will need catching before it becomes problematic.

The underside has been recently professionally undersealed. This work was far more involved than that simple sentence makes it sound: the underside was stripped of all its components and a small amount of welding made it utterly solid again before it was “lightly undersealed”.

The suspension and drivetrain were then refitted, and many of the components were either powdercoated or painted depending on what was the most appropriate finish.

The vendor tells us that it is dry under there with no oil leaks or other oozing fluids.

NB: The MOT history shows a number of advisory points, which the owner describes thus:

Three of the four jacking points have been deformed by ham-fisted fitters in the past. None are rusty.

The wheel bearing will need replacing, as will the two bushes referred to.

The o/s headlamp needs replacing at some point, as will the lightly cracked indicator lens.

The Audi’s MOT certificate expires in June 2021.

It comes with a large number of expired MOT certificates (only one is said to be missing from the entire run…) and tax discs plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook, book pack and wallet plus the sales invoice showing its purchase price of £28,608. It also still has its two keys and the original data card.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

NB: The Audi wore the previous owner's cherished number ‘GV 303’ from new. This was removed when the vendor bought the car and the DVLA incorrectly issued a 1969 number rather than one from 1989. We are told that the DVLA has confirmed that the new owner can either leave it as it is, or send the V5 back and it will issue an age-appropriate number.

Oh, and the owner never got around to adding his name to the V5 registration document. This is why it shows no previous keepers.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

While many iconic sportscars are fragile things, fit only for high-days-and-dry-days, the Quattro is different. Designed to be used in some of the foulest conditions Mother Nature can throw at us, it’s sturdy and dependable as well as enormous fun.

And yet, they dipped only a few years ago, leading owners to abuse them and neglect them; this means the supply of quality secondhand cars is more limited than the production figures might have you believe, even with prices now on the rise.

Which is why this one is such a treat. With essentially one owner from new, it’s been meticulously maintained and used only lightly. Now recently fettled, it’s in need of only light cosmetic work to turn it from a very good example into something very special indeed.

And, with a guide price of between £30,000 and £40,000, it’s a cost-effective way of getting into a modern classic that combines versatility and performance better than almost anything else…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.