1995 Audi S6 Avant (wagon, quattro, turbo, 5spd)

GruvDesign

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2009
Messages
26
Location
Milwaukee, WI
Car(s)
1996 Audi S6 Avant, 1989 Honda Prelude Si 4ws
I wanted something with a manual transmission. And it needed to be good for the winter (I still have my 4ws prelude, which I wrote about here for summer). I also wanted something I could tow my boat with, and something I could put my dog in, when I have her. I test drove an A6 wagon... which was just fantastic. Except it had an automatic. So I started hunting for one with a 5spd, and wound up with this:

image displayed at 65.88% of its original size; click here for original


A 1995 Audi S6 Avant (wagon). This is an EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY rare car. One of only 300 imported, the avant version demands a 2-3,000 premium over the sedans because of its rarity. This is also the reason S-cars even exist. Audi built the original S4 (or UrS4) using the Audi 100 as it's starting point. The most significant change was the engine... Audi's 20v Inline 5 cylinder Turbo engine. This engine was used in all of Audi's rally cars in the late 80s, and in race trim was capable of pumping out over 600hp. Detuned for the street, my version puts out a respectable 227hp, with 258ftlbs of torque. With just $400, I can bump up the power to ~300hp, and for around $2000, you can make upwards of 450hp, still retaining streetability and reliability. This is coupled a 5spd manual, AWD transmission.

Funny thing though. I hate audis. Everyone I've ever known who's had an audi had it break down all the freakin' time, and all sorts of weird stuff would fail on it constantly. So before I shelled out the cash, I researched the hell out of it. This one, is supposedly reliable. Due to the afformentioned rally cred, they pretty much broke everything and improved it until the powerplant evolved into something fairly bulletproof. For now, things are great. We'll see in a few years.

After my wife kicked me out, I lived in Madison for a few weeks but grew extremely depressed, as all my friends were back in Milwaukee. So... I turned into a gypsy. I lived on couches, with the S6 serving as my mobile design studio/command center. Some nights, if I couldn't find a place to stay, I'd flip down the seats, unroll my sleeping bag, and find a nice secluded park to rest in. I also took a 13 day trip into the wild, backpacking into the back country of the rocky mountains. The S6 performed amazingly well, with the turbo still kicking out those ponies even at high altitudes. I went through muddy, 4x4 only mountain passes, I crossed through small creeks, covered it in dirt on dusty, unmaintained gravel roads... and then a few hours later I'd be cooking along at 60-110mph on the mountain switchbacks, passing RV's, motorcycles, and other plebian forms of transportation. Here are a few pics from my Colorado excursion, just because they're awesome:

IMG_6052.jpg


IMG_6100.jpg

IMG_6102.jpg

IMG_6129.jpg

IMG_6135.jpg

IMG_6180.jpg

IMG_6187.jpg
 
Top