Video: Audi e-tron GT vs Audi Ur Quattro

Back in the ’80s, the original Audi Ur Quattro proved to the world a couple of things: that Audi could build genuinely special performance cars and that all-wheel drive could be an excellent tool for performance road driving. It changed the history of both the Audi brand and the automotive industry forever.

Now, Audi is considered a major player in the world of performance cars and almost every modern performance car uses all-wheel drive. All thanks to the Ur Quattro. Audi is hoping that the new e-tron GT could have a similar effect, proving that electrification can not only be fast but also fun and exciting. This new video from Autocar brings both the Audi Ur Quattro and e-tron GT together, to compare both the legend and the future of the brand.

The Audi Ur Quattro and e-tron GT Quattro couldn’t be more different, despite both having “Quattro” in their names. The original car is a small two-door hatchback with a 2.1 liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine up front, a five-speed manual, and a mechanical all-wheel drive system with a locking differential. While the Audi e-tron GT is a four-door sedan with two electric motors; one at each axle, and a big battery pack in its floor. And yet, they’re designed to do very similar things; go down a twisty road, regardless of weather conditions, very quickly.

After driving both cars, the old and the new, are there any similarities? We know there are going to be countless differences, as they’re two completely different machines from two distant eras. But could there be any familial similarities between the two Audi performance cars? Autocar finds out in this new video and it’s well worth watching if you’re an Audi enthusiast. Both the Audi Ur Quattro and e-tron GT are pivotal cars in the brand’s history. Will the e-tron GT have the same impact as its legendary predecessor? We won’t know for some time but that’s the idea.