Audi 80 GLS

The history of the Audi 80 begins 50 years ago. The number 80 was already known by NSU in the mid-range market. After the merger of Auto Union GmbH with NSU Motorenwerke AG in 1969, the number continued to be used. The Beetle was a perennial favorite in the early 70s and the German market was led by Opel. Audi had to deliver in the already well-occupied mid-size class and the Ingolstadt-based company not only mastered the task, but also paved the way for several models that are still very successful today.

Chief designer Ludwig Kraus was largely responsible for the success of the Audi 80. We have him to thank for the highly efficient four-cylinder engine with toothed belt drive for the camshaft - a clever lightweight construction concept for a vehicle that only weighed 800 kg anyway. Another first was the front-wheel drive with a negative steering roll radius, which, paired with a twist-beam rear axle, provided unimagined driving pleasure. The recipe was so good that the Audi 80 could easily hold a candle to the high-horsepower American road cruisers in terms of driving dynamics and was very successful in the States as the Audi Fox and Fox Variant.

The parent company VW recognized the potential of the Audi 80 and presented the first Passat as a fastback clone of the Audi 80 in 1973. In addition, the Audi four-cylinder engine, called type EA 827, also powered the first VW Golf a year later.

Although Audi had already built lightweight vehicles with comfort and front-wheel drive with the Audi 100 and the mid-range models 60 to Super 90, which were replaced by the Audi 80, the Audi 80 was celebrated by the trade press as a novelty. The car was praised for its equipment, comfort and driving characteristics. It was also efficient and won comparative tests against the Alfasud, Citröen GS and Renault 12. In 1972, the Audi 80 was named «Car of the Year».

The performance was rather modest by today's standards, but even the basic version with 55 hp managed over 150 km/h and thus held its own against the significantly more powerful BMW 1602. The 75 hp LS was even faster than the powerful Audi 100. Thanks to its low fuel consumption, the car was also a big seller during the first oil crisis of 1973/74.

In 1977, Audi adapted the appearance of the 80 to the flagship Audi 100. The facelift model is known internally as the Type 82 and is characterized above all by wide headlights and a larger grille.

The Passat came onto the market in the same year. The car was nothing more than an Audi 80 in hatchback or estate design. Of course, the Passat was a major competitor for the Audi, but as the Passat's production capacity was already beyond all limits, everyone was able to benefit from its recipe. The Audi 80 thus made it possible for the first time for components of one model to be used across the Group for almost all model series.

In July 1978, the Ingolstadt-based company ends production of the first series of the Audi 80.