Rally - History lesson

Audi will celebrate a rather special anniversary next year in 2026 - 50 years of the five-cylinder engine. This new engine was first introduced in 1976 in the second-generation Audi 100. 

Known internally as Type 43, the car was intended to be positioned higher in the market than its predecessor. The four-cylinder engines of the time were not sufficient for the developers’ plans. Audi engineers therefore discussed using inline five-cylinder and six-cylinder engines in the early 1970s. The latter were ruled out due to space constraints and the unfavourable weight distribution. As a result, those responsible opted for the inline five-cylinder engine, which was based on the EA 827 engine concept. This inline four-cylinder engine was used throughout the Volkswagen Group in the 1970s, including in the Audi 80 and Audi 100.

The five-cylinder engine derived from it, with a displacement of 2,144 cc, delivered 100 kW (136 PS). A modern fuel injection system increased efficiency and power delivery. Deliveries of the Audi 100 5E began in March 1977.

Audi launched its first diesel version in 1978, a naturally aspirated two litre diesel with 51 kW (70 PS). One year later, the first five-cylinder gasoline engine with turbocharging made its debut – another pioneering achievement by Audi. With 125 kW (170 PS) and 265 Nm of torque, it powered the new top model, the Audi 200 5T.

The five-cylinder gasoline engine in the original 1980 Audi quattro featured turbocharging, intercooling, and permanent all-wheel drive and had a power output of 147 kW (200 PS). 

After Audi secured the World Rally Championship title in 1982 with this car, Hannu Mikkola won the drivers’ title in the World Rally Championship a year later. Also in 1983, Audi introduced the Sport quattro, which was 24 centimetres shorter and had a wider track. It was powered by a newly developed four-valve, five-cylinder light-alloy engine with 225 kW (306 PS). This made the Sport quattro the most powerful car ever offered by a German company for use on public roads up to that time. 

The model formed the basis for a new Group B rally car, in which the four-valve engine delivered 450 PS right from the start (331 kW). It was used for the first time in the penultimate rally of 1984, the Ivory Coast Rally. The remaining eleven rallies of the season were contested by the ‘real Stig’ Blomqvist in the 265 kW (360 PS) Audi quattro A2, Group B. He won the drivers’ title and Audi won the manufacturers’ world championship.

The five-cylinder’s signature sound is created by the odd number of cylinders and the unique firing sequence 1-2-4-5-3, which alternates between cylinder pairs adjacent to each other and further away at an interval of 144 degrees of crankshaft rotation. This gives the 2.5 TFSI a very special rhythm and sound character. The geometry of the exhaust manifold contributes to this unique sound as well with different exhaust gas flow times between the exhaust valves and the turbocharger.

The end result? Audi changed the face of modern day rallying and added a new visceral aural beat to rallying’s musical repertoire.