The Audi 100 C3 was an aerodynamic marvel from 1982

What did the start-up process of the Audi 100 C3 look like?

When Audi starts planning the third generation 100, internally known as the Typ 44, in 1976, it is clear that the car must be much more streamlined and lighter than its predecessor. After the oil crisis, economy is the big theme. The development cycle starts a year later; in five years the new 100 must take shape. The parties involved use a different order. In earlier models, the stylists designed a shape and the fairing experts made improvements. The latter are now the first to sketch their 100, taking into account the determined dimensions for the interior and engine compartment; then the stylists get to work. It leads to a basis for the new model with a drag coefficient of only 0.25, which eventually results in a drag coefficient of 0.30 for the base version of the production model as reality approaches. To warm up the public to the futuristic design, Audi shows the Auto 2000 project car at the IAA in 1981. It already has many design features of the new 100. The study stems from a project by the German Ministry of Research, which in 1978 challenged all car manufacturers to design the ‘car for the year 2000’, with strict limits on consumption and weight . A project that coincides nicely with the new generation 100. The 1981 study has the very neat Cd value of 0.30, which the production 100 will also record. In terms of technology, however, the Auto 2000-Audi is still between its predecessor Typ 43, the 100 C2, and Typ 44, the 100 C3.

Audi’s Auto 2000, ideal project to prepare the public for the streamlined 100.

The Auto 2000 project study had a 1.6 turbo diesel with 110 hp. We have never seen that in the Audi 100 C3.

How revolutionary was the Audi 100 really?

The lowest drag coefficient of 0.30 for the base model (other versions up to 0.32) represents a world record set in 1982 for a large car in what we now call the E segment. You can certainly speak of a design revolution. The 100 has been designed down to the last detail to drive as efficiently as possible. You can see this in details such as the small openings between the slats in the grille, the nose that has a kind of bow shape like a boat and the rear wheel arches that are extended straight at the top. It immediately makes the 100 very different from the cars we know at the time! The side windows are no longer in the window frames, but are against the outsides. Rain gutters in the roof are missing. Rubber strips at the bottom of the doors make the side even smoother and the 100 also becomes famous for its smooth hubcaps. Under that ultra-modern appearance, it is certainly not revolutionary. The chassis and the engines come, although further developed, from the predecessor, but it is all lighter. With its 1.8 four-cylinder, the new 100 weighs 30 kilograms less than the old 1.6. Incidentally, with 75 hp, it has 10 hp less than the old entry-level model, but it is much more economical and has a higher top speed due to the streamline.

What were the choices during the market launch?

The first buyers can choose from a 1.8 four-cylinder with 75 hp, a 1.9 five-cylinder with 100 hp, a 2.1 five-cylinder with 136 hp and a 2.4 five-cylinder diesel that coughs up 70 hp. There are four trim levels, a 100 without further explanation, then the CC follows. The CD is the most luxurious and the more sporty equipped 100 carries the letters CS on the back. You can recognize the basic model by the missing black plastic strip between the rear lights. In the early years it was guesswork about the engine: that designation was initially missing.

How was the 100 received?

The streamlined sedan naturally caused a stir at the end of 1982. The car looks very modern compared to its predecessor. And Audi can rightly be proud of a world record for streamlining for a production car. After the first press rides, there is praise for the comfort of the 100, which is on a further developed chassis. We do read in the trade press of the time about the wind noise, which is particularly noticeable due to the quiet engines, the slight understeer character and the pulling power in the highest gear. So long transmissions, everything for low consumption! The Audi 100 becomes Car of the Year 1983, ahead of the Ford Sierra and the Volvo 760. The Golden Steering Wheel also goes to the 100.

Ferdinand Piëch with the Golden Steering Wheel at the Audi 100, he held sway at the time at the brand.

How did the consumer receive the Audi 100?

Audi puts a booklet in the showrooms that explains the remarkable appearance of the 100. Not superfluous, because it is a bit of a swallow for the public to see such a smoothed 100 at the Audi / VAG dealer between all those square Volkswagens and angular Audis. Nevertheless, the model seems to be catching on, because with 3,192 copies sold, 1983 is the best Audi 100 year in the Netherlands. BMW sells 3,772 5-series that year and Mercedes-Benz comes to no fewer than 5,892 copies of the 200 series, then still generation W123. That was the benchmark in the segment.

Special features during his life?

Not much changes on the exterior. In the last year, the 100 has rear lights that are designed differently and the orange upper part turns red. However, with the major facelift of model year 1988, the interior is completely overhauled; the new dashboard takes it to the next level. Now the 100 can increasingly compete with Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The Avant appears in 1983 and that is a real lifestyle combination, with the striking sloping D-pillar of the car in terms of design language a mix of a sedan and a station wagon. At the end of 1984, Audi presents the 100 as a quattro. The five-cylinder has undergone adjustments over the years: after being offered first as a 2.1 and later as a 2.2, it eventually becomes the 2.3E.

The Audi 100 Avant, unveiled in 1983. Even if it is the basic version (this is a CC), it has the black plastic between the rear lights.

In 1987, Audi also hangs the 2.2 turbo from the more expensive 200 in the 100, making the difference between the top model of the 100 and the 200 negligible. The 200 is better finished and even gets the 20V turbo engine from the primal Quattro. Of course, it also serves as the basis for the Audi V8. Audi gives the 100 the scoop of the 2.5 TDI five-cylinder engine, and that is a pretty fast diesel in 1989.

Audi also produces the 100 in China, and is later even sold in that country as a Hongqi Luxury Sedan, until the late 2000s. In March 1990, Audi shows the Duo, a 100 Avant with hybrid technology, which will never go into production. Later years of construction have a fully galvanized body. Procon Ten, the safety system that retracts the steering column in the event of a frontal collision, is also making its way to the 100.

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The second dashboard of the Audi 100, a clear step up from the first, photo below.

Audi also produces the 100 in China and will later continue until 2009 as the Hongqi HS9 Luxury Sedan.

Audi 100 Duo, study model with hybrid drive.

Which version appeals the most to the imagination?

A 2.3E from after the facelift is recommended, preferably with the CS equipment. With or without the quattro drive. The engine delivers 138 or 136 horsepower; the latter applies to a really late 100. You then have a car that is very well put together on the inside and certainly does not seem outdated. The power source is nice and smooth and has a nice barrel. Who himself the television advertisement from the second half of the 1980s, you must of course go for a 2.3E CS quattro. In the commercial, the car conquers a ski jump to demonstrate the excellent grip and traction of the four-wheel drive. Tip: take that powertrain and equipment in combination with the Avant carriage, then you drive just a little more special.

What were its competitors?

Audi wants to join BMW and Mercedes-Benz with the third 100, so with the 5 series and the 200/300 series. That is why it wants to take steps in construction quality and residual value. Throughout the career of the 100, Audi is fully committed to technology. The predecessor was much more in the pond of the Ford Granada and the Opel Rekord, with the C3 Audi wants to go higher. The 100 comes on the market in the latter days of the Mercedes W123, the 5-series E28 was unveiled a year earlier. In addition to those two models, the 100 looks like from another planet. The W124 from Mercedes that appears in 1984 also looks modern and is even more timeless than the Audi 100 almost four decades later.

What has been the impact?

You should not and should not look for the dynamics of a BMW 5-series in this car. The heavy, solid feeling of a Mercedes W124 did not and does not offer the 100 C3, but in terms of technology and finish, the Typ 44 leaves former competitors such as the Opel Rekord/Omega and the Ford Granada/Scorpio behind. class proves the success of the Audi 100 that appeared on the scene in 1982. The Audi A6 leads the way with the BMW 5-series and the Mercedes E-class. Almost all those other brands that once operated above the middle class have long since given up the fight. The fact that Audi is such a trusted value in the premium segment is mainly due to this 100.

How many Audi 100s of this generation have been built and … how many are left?

A total of 1,095,208 Audi 100 C3s were produced between 1982 and 1991.

• Limousine 956581
• Avant 138,627
• Of the 200 (C3), another 93,594 were built.

In the Netherlands, a total of just over 12,500 Audi 100 C3s have been sold, of which only 87 are still registered with an active license plate, according to Vinacles data. Of these, 24 are Avant.

• 1982 2
• 1983 8
• 1984 6
• 1985 20
• 1986 33
• 1987 8
• 1988 3
• 1989 2
• 1990 5
• 1991 1

source: vinacles