Sport quattro conversions
|
Many people desire one of the
original 200 Sport quattros because of its looks, grip,
improved handling, noise and awe-inspiring 5 cylinder
turbo power. The problem, however, is the purchase and
running costs that go along with the Sport quattro.
To meet this demand, we spent over
6 months developing the prototype Dialynx sport quattro
and have converted over 16 long wheelbase quattros to
Sport quattro dimensions over the last 5 years.
|
We can custom build the Sport
quattro conversion of your dreams from your long
wheelbase quattro. The end result, should you wish,
will be indistinguishable from the original, and
considerably quicker.
|
Below are the answers to the most
frequently asked questions:
Ê
Audi had won the manufacturers title two
years running in the early 1980's with the long wheelbase rally
quattro, a car very close in design to the production quattro.
As rallying in the mid 1980's became more competitive,
manufacturers such as Lancia and Peugeot responded by
developing purpose built mid-engined rally cars to win in Group
B rallying, the regulations of which stated that only 200
'roadgoing' versions had to be built.
The long wheelbase quattro struggled to
stay competitive, since the car was too heavy, had too much
weight ahead of the front wheels and was unable to change
direction quickly in tight turns. To counter this Audi
shortened the quattro by 320 mm and after much testing and the
Sport quattro was born. With this car Audi was briefly
successful again before Group B rallying was banned due to
spectator and driver fatalities.
The original Sport quattro is a fine car,
but most are somewhat aged now and still quite expensive
(approx £30,000 for one in good condition). Once you have
bought it you then have the cost of parts to keep it
'original', insurance costs, and the turbo lag that comes from
an older generation turbo engine.
The standard Dialynx conversion differs
from the original only in the angle of the windscreen. Audi
changed the angle of the windscreen for the sport quattro
because their rally drivers complained of reflections on the
long wheelbase original. We have done several 'steep screen'
conversions identical to the original but this adds a
significant amount to the cost, and is mainly directed towards
competition use, since it involves cutting out the roof and
replacing it with a composite roof, making it necessary to
install a roll cage to ensure strength.
Shortening the car has a dramatic effect
on the handling, reducing the understeer inherent in the
quattro design and making the car adjustable on the throttle so
that it changes direction more quickly.
There is an accompanying benefit in
reducing the weight of the car by approximately 100kg.
The wider wheelarches allow the use of
wider/larger wheels and tyres, giving a larger contact patch
and therefore increased grip. You can then take advantage of
the increased space available for larger brake callipers and
discs, thus overcoming the limitations of the standard
10valve/20valve callipers and discs, which are easily
overwhelmed by track day or competition use.
The disadvantages? Well, the rear seats
disappear in the process (we have designed our own carpeting to
cover this area), so it's not a family car any more!
We have in-house facilities to spray the
conversion to any colour you can find! Please see our photo
gallery and press reviews for colours that our customers have
chosen in the past.
Because each Dialynx Sport quattro is
custom-built to your specification, the interior and dash can
be designed to your preferences. You can keep your original
analogue or digital dash, or install a competition rev counter,
gauges and data logging equipment.
The Sport quattro conversion will
accommodate up to 10.5 x 18 wheels front and rear. The most
common sizes are 9 x 16 or 9 x 17. This will cost about
£150 + tyres for each wheel.
It is possible to keep the original
wheelbase of your long wheelbase quattro, while still having
the Dialynx body panels and wider wheelbase. However, this is
not a bolt on modification, and still requires most of the same
work to be performed during the conversion.
It is not necessary to make any mechanical
modifications except installing a shortened propshaft. However,
if you do wish to uprate your engine with one of our tuning
packages, the sport quattro conversion gives you the added
benefits of greater chassis adjustability and turn-in where the
standard chassis would exaggerate its tendency to understeer
with the increased power. In addition, the larger front grille
area of the sport quattro allows the installation of a larger
intercoolers manufactured to our specification to dissipate the
considerable heat that all turbo engines create.
We have converted 16 quattros currently,
both 10 valve and 20 valve for road and competition or track
day use. The conversion takes approximately one month,
depending on specification.
The finished Dialynx Sport quattro is
stronger than the original long wheelbase quattro from which it
was built, for the following reasons:
1. All other things being equal, a shorter
structure has a higher tensile strength and is stiffer than a
longer one.
2. The roof strength is not compromised
because the A,B,C pillars are left intact.
3. We have many years experience of
welding the two halves together and have performed testing to
ensure that the weld will not fail during a crash.
4. Should you wish to use the car for
track day or competition use, we can install a roll cage,
harnesses and plumbed-in fire extinguisher at a lower cost
during the conversion process than could otherwise be done.
The basic conversion cost is £6,750
UK including VAT (£5,750 inc VAT for if retaining long
wheelbase with Sport body panels). This excludes professional
painting, which costs £1,500 - £2,500, the larger
figure being for metallic colours.
