1996 Audi S2 Quattro Turbo Coupe

This January 1996-registered, UK-market, Audi S2 Coupé would have been one of the last cars built before production ceased in 1995. It therefore has a 6-speed manual transmission and the later 2.2-litre engine with more power and torque, as well as the overboost.

The vendor used to work for Audi in the early nineties and had an S2 Coupé as a company car (lucky for some), so when the opportunity came up to own one again - especially one in as cracking condition as this one - he jumped at it.

He’s since had it checked over and had a few things done but it had clearly been cherished in previous ownership. If it weren’t for other opportunities knocking, he says that this would most certainly be a keeper.

The exterior of the coupé is painted in Audi’s Ming Blue pearl finish, which is a very deep blue, and it looks incredibly strong.

We’ve spent a while poring over this car and haven’t found anything of significance to report aside from some cracking in the offside rear light lens around the boot lock and on the corner. Other than that it is very, very good. Even the windscreen and window glass looks gin clear and immaculate.

The car sits on its original 18-inch AVUS-style alloy wheels (named after the “Automobil-Verkehrs- und ÜbungsStraße” race and test track near Berlin), which are all in excellent order and fitted with Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres dating from 2018.

Through the alloys, the large grooved disks and Porsche-branded calipers can be seen.

The interior trim codes from the build sticker denote Cognac coloured nappa leather, and certainly the seats are soft leather, but the colouring appears lighter than you would imagine a good brandy to be.

Whatever name you give to it, all is very good in the upholstery department and there are no signs of any marks, undue wear or damage anywhere on the front sports seats or rear bench - they appear very clean and well nourished.

Up front the sports steering wheel is leather rimmed and carries the all-important S badge. The dash appears amazingly tidy and unworn and the white-faced dials and primitive trip computer serve as a reminder that you’re in a high-specification sporty car.

A further sign is the carbon fibre trim on a panel above the glove box, which is also across the doors and rear sides. We can’t think when this finish was first used inside a car but this must surely have been one of the earliest occurrences.

The centre console features a relatively modern Pioneer entertainment unit, with a fold-out 7-inch touchscreen, supporting the playing of DVD, CD, MP3 and radio, with full smartphone and aux connectivity.

So far as we understand, all the electricals and interior equipment work as they should including windows, mirrors and the tilt and slide sunroof.

The door cards are immaculate - they look almost new - and feature a nice mix of materials including carpeting at the base, two different grades of vinyl and of course the carbon fibre strip.

The mid-grey carpets appear clean and undamaged throughout and there are fitted overmats front and back for additional protection. Up above, the headlining also looks in excellent order. As you can tell, there’s very little to find fault with in this cabin.

Under the bonnet, which has a very clean and undamaged acoustic lining, the engine compartment is, quite frankly, in a stunning condition. The inline-five-cylinder engine is canted slightly to the offside, with a beautiful paint finish to the head and valve covers. Surrounding it are some of the cleanest and newest-looking ancillaries we’ve seen in a long time on a 25-year old car, and although it isn’t without the odd rusty component, it is a super looking engine bay.

The undersides of the car appear in a tidy, undamaged condition, with good underseal across the floor pans and no sign of any significant corrosion. There are small patches of surface rust here and there, like at the extremities of the sills and on the rear subframe, but nothing that had the last MOT inspector reaching for his pen.

The grey carpets and linings inside the boot are very clean and tidy and although the spare alloy wheel takes up a lot of space to one side, the rear seats can be folded flat to give more room for luggage.

The car has a current MOT valid until October 2021, which it passed with just advisories on front tyre tread depth.

There’s quite a thick history file containing past MOT reports and numerous invoices back to around 2000.

Earlier upgrades to the car include Porsche 911 brake calipers and disks and KW adjustable coil over suspension units. More recently - last summer in fact - a new coil pack and wiring were fitted of the type installed on an Audi R8.

When the vendor had the engine checked and the coil packs fitted - due to a slight flutter under boost - the compression test results that came back were apparently the best that the specialist had seen.

Finally in early autumn, the car underwent a full paint correction, polish and detailing including an all over Zirconite ceramic coating, which accounts for the strong (and durable) finish on this Audi.

Whilst it doesn’t carry the same caché as its predecessor, the Audi S2 Coupé is certainly not lacking in performance and is a superior car mechanically. With a few more refinements to the styling and the ride, it is perhaps one for the Quattro fan that prefers to experience their driving thrills in greater comfort.

The condition of this particular example, inside, outside and upside down is just phenomenal and for a 25 year old car, it presents almost like new in every respect and is just lovely to drive.

There’s clearly a thriving market for German 3-door performance cars from all eras and the early ‘90s is no exception. So we think this immaculate Teutonic beauty, with some sensible upgrades, will sell for between £20,000 and £30,000.

We’ll happily lay down a challenge for you to find a better one.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Derbyshire; 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’.