Quicker Than a McLaren F1: The Audi RS2 - BTS with DTS - Ep. 12
The Audi RS2 represented the final step in Audi’s transition to becoming a full-fledged performance marque that could compete with BMW and Mercedes. After lying dormant for decades, the Audi name was resurrected as part of the Volkswagen group in 1965 and produced…rather conventional cars. In 1972, Ferdinand Piëch joined the company and set about turning Audi’s products around with a focus on technical innovation. By joining a groundbreaking turbocharged 5-cylinder engine with the now iconic quattro all wheel drive system, Piëch and his engineers created not just a series of motorsport coups, but genuinely covetable road cars as well.
The RS2 is among the most desirable of all, combining the superb competition-bred powertrain that drove almost all of Audi’s racing success with Porsche-engineered upgrades to create the first ever Audi RS car. In this video, Derek Tam-Scott traces the history of Audi RS2 and gets behind the wheel to discover its true character.
Here is more of the back story behind Audi’s unintended acceleration as stated by “The Car Conmection”, for those of you interested: In November 1986, the CBS news show 60 Minutes aired a dramatic segment that skewered Audi's largest sedan, then called the 5000, as fatally dangerous, due to its alleged tendency to accelerate out of control. Because 60 Minutes couldn't get the cars it tested to replicate the "unintended acceleration", the show modified an Audi 5000 to behave as if it were accelerating out of control, then aired the segment. The piece included the lurid tale of a mother who ran over her 6-year-old son. Images of wrecked Audis occupied minutes of air time. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration embarked on a lengthy investigation. The agency concluded that because the Audi's accelerator and brake pedals were placed close together, inattentive drivers were confusing the two by pressing the accelerator when they intended to brake. Europeans, it should be noted, recorded no such incidents. In the end, the NHTSA attributed the incidents to driver error, and closed their investigation. A halfhearted partial retraction from 60 Minutes made no mention of that conclusion.
Incredible story of NHTSA showing the world stupidity of American drivers and media covering it up protecting those stupid people. One terrible lie led to significant financial damage. But!!! That lie also provoked Audi to go heavy into motorsport and we got these wonderful S and RS toys :) Moral of the story?... I don't know. Maybe... "If you get slapped for no reason - do your best and show what you really capable of and this will lead you to a great success"
IIRC NHTSA deemed it "Pedal misapplication." Only bright point was that allowed a much, much younger me to move from Jetta GL to a 3 yr old 5000 Avant for not much financial difference. One year later, sadly a moose ran in front while I was closing on a blind bend, which I hit and flipped over the hood of that Avant. Legs straight up in the air that 850lb cow moose's rump deflected off the windshield and my (driver's) a-pillar. After the incident, the sunroof and door window still closed without issue. The only place the smashed-in windshield opened was where the wiper arm was pressed through. Terrible end for that unfortunate animal but my wife, myself and two young daughters were kept perfectly safe. I replaced that car with another 100 Avant and drove that car for 8 years, selling it for nearly what I'd paid for it, since by that point the unintended accel fiasco had passed. Sure they had their issues, but Audis were quite popular here in Canada, which meant easy and affordable parts runs, often to recycling yards allowed me to keep those vehicles in pristine in appearance and operation at a time of high "just starting out" expenses to still drive a satisfying, capable and proven safe vehicle.
Nice synopsis. 😊
Just Found you and hit the button. Nice Channel 🙌🏼
I was a kid and I knew it was an utter lie back then. The media and it's deception is an utter disgrace to humanity and has crossed universal limitations of criminal conduct. Comeuppance will be unlike any other in the history of mankind.
Brilliant video on a brilliant car! :)
I agree Doug
Give this review a Dougscore!
you gotta learn to drive yours like a man Doug
Shud do a content on cars and organized crime bosses commonly associate with. Keep it only to American Mafia , Italian Mafia and Yakuza. Leave out all the gangbangers, triads and the rest of watever cartels. Those 3 organized crime, got a high tradition, taste and standards. The cars really represent them even to its color.
You chose well Doug :)
The sound of the 5 cylinder engine is just godly. My dad had an Audi 90 and later an Audi 100 when I was a kid and I loved both of them.
same here, I just love that sound!
agree it's really good sounding. but also sounds alot like a toyota 1JZ somehow
Derek cackling like a mad man as he hucked the RS2 through the corners brought a smile to my face. Great vid!
Guessing he wants this as his new daily :D
Thank you all for watching and all the positive comments! We’ve noticed a lot of comments regarding the speedometer being “disconnected to preserve mileage”. The speedometer was acting up the day of filming and is not disconnected, as you can see it works in other clips. If you knew the owner of this car you would know without a shadow of a doubt he is not interested in preserving mileage 😂
:-) Didn't think about "preserving mileage", was more thinking in line of "preserving" the drivers license, in case he is by accident a tad to fast during filming on the public road :-)
😉
Mine did the same, replaced the sensor mounted on the gearbox and it fixed the problem.
You could have clocked it instead of disconnecting the speedo cable
It’s not too often I actually stop and think about the time and effort it must have taken to produce a video. Honestly I feel like I should have paid to see this. This entire video was so good. Wow
🤫 hush You are paying for it, you just done know it 😕
heard of ads?
Awesome content!!!
@@TheLMMishheard of adblocker
As an RS2 long time owner… Well done! Finally a good job on the RS2 description Thanks!
Does yours also have this much waste gate noise? I don't remember it being that pronounced except on the rally ur quattro.
@@mufflejoy I believe the one in the video has an open air pop off valve fitted, along with some modifications, chipped for sure
one of the coolest cars well done sir , keep it to ur grave :)
I had une s4 b5 , that beast do corner like a monster !!
We finally get to hear the under-hood turbo noises that were mentioned in the first Hagerty Carmudgeon episode
Even as a die-hard BMW fan, the RS series of Audis has always held a special spot in my heart
The Rs2 and and b7 rs4
Cinematography, editing, historical footage, intro bumper and the mic used for the narration have improved significantly in this glorious episode. Awesome job 👏
When will we finally get the Ferdinand Piech episode? 😂😂
I was thinking the same thing!
Came here for this! Haha
90's turbo cars were a different experience from todays turbo cars
This car makes me nostalgic not because it is an RS2, but because of the 5-cylinder engine with a single turbo. Here in Brazil we had a car called "Marea Turbo", which used the same mechanics as the European Fiat Coupe Turbo. And the sound is exactly the same! To this day, I dream of owning a newer RS3 just because of the five-cylinder sound.
Search for Halle 77 and turn on the subtitles - they have two episodes where they service and play about with a Marea Weekend Turbo imported to Germany and they love it, calling it the Brazilian Supra 👍
@@energymc22 Thks! Checking right now. Brazilian Supra is a cool definition!
@@marcoskatsuragi In europe we had fiat coupe 2.0t 20v inline 5 too. Crap engine. In marea we had 2.0 20v N/A engine. Main problem with these were bad crankshaft bearing, weak oil pump.
@@bapr3887 Yeah, the Turbo version also had its problems here. I had the aspirated version 2.0 5 in line 20V just like the European one and I didn't have many problems. In Brazil it generated 142 hp with 18 kgf. But in Brazil it was offered only between 1998 and 2000. In 2001 we had the best version I had, it was the 2.4 aspirated 20v 5 inline, which generated 160hp and 21 kgf. The advantage of the 2.4 engine was that the torque came at lower rpm, the engine was always full. By the way, many tuners around here use the head of the 2.4 version with all its lubrication components, the 2.0 block and a slightly larger turbo, as the 2.4 version does not have the lubrication problems of the 2.0.
Yes, Audis were very popular in Italy (fwith those who could afford them) so Fiat decided to take a leaf of of their book and build a 5-cylinder. It did have the same characteristic wiffle, and with a turbo propelled the Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo all the way to 150 mph.
Watching this video makes me even more sad that Ken Block won't get to be a part of the AUDI legacy that he longed for for so long. He was taken from this world in his prime and just having announced and began the AUDI relationship. Still having a hard time accepting this.
Wait, what?! Ummm……………. 😅😅😮😢😢😅
He wasn't 'taken' bud, he had an accident. Stunt driving and motorsport are dangerous jobs, can't really be surprised when a high risk taker gets maimed or is killed doing what they do.
With Ken's vehicles being so far from their production counterparts, I doubt he would've been the spawning point for any revival of the brand in the U.S... but I did look forward to what they would accomplish together. Ken will be sorely missed. His persona and charisma were a fresh take on motorsport, we had needed for decades. I just wish he'd been more involved with mainstream racing... but we all know, that just wasn't his style.
Such a shame...
If he was snowmobiling trust that dude was living when he died. I've seen videos of him riding. To say he love it was an understatement.
Great content and even better narrated by Derek. Cammisa and Scott are definitely the best currently active automotive journalists.
Heard of savagegeese?
Where the hell was Cammisa when they've done this one? 😤
@@Pirustae Camissa is now working with Hagerty.
Chris Harris and that bald guy with the glasses would like a nice chat with you...
Premium quality content. And the car is a true benchmark for its time. A pure classic now.
Porsche had some interesting projects back in the day. Oddly enough for a brief moment you could see a 500E and a RS2 rolling out and sharing the same space at the same time in the Zuffenhausen factory.
Love the footage you provided, the details and the racing history 👍
"This over the LFA anyday." Dang, quite an endorsement. Great video, Derek! Enjoyed your unbridled glee at driving the RS2.
@Terry Orutt,LFA all day long, if you know anything about cars, without any bias.
Sure. And a Chevrolet Matiz over a Lamborghini.
I see nothing wrong with that statement
Thanks for capturing all of the sounds so well.
That Porsche Support Chapter could be told also very different. Porsche struggled a lot at that time. So they did the Job for Audi to get money, they also did a Seat 1.2 Ibiza engine. And some quick VW Vans. I think they also did some quick Mercedes E Class at that time. Later they did the Suspension Setup of the Smart, because Daimler couldn't figure out how to make that mini car driveable.
A lot of people don't know that Porsche is a design engineering firm first or at least the Parent company is. Then there is the Porsche automaker brand as a subsidiaries...... At least that's how I remembered it when I visited the "Porsche Effect" exhibition at the Petersons museum.
@@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo This is absolutely correct. Regards from Germany.
They also teamed up with volvo for the 850 t5r.
I really weant to commend you on this video. Lovely artistry, great editing, and the commentary thorough, never sounding like it was trying too hard, yet remained engaging. I also have fond memories of learning of it's existence back when rumours started to come out in my monthly Wheels and Motor Magazines here in Australia.... and then seeing the photos and having my jaw drop. What a magnificent machine! Thank you for another entertaining video team.
Simply enjoyed that little essay on this iconic car! Thx, love this style, no BS, brilliantly edited video and storytelling!
Oh right, the 0-30 acceleration 1.6 for the RS2, 1.7 for the F1 The horror! The shame Can't wait! Do wonder if Audis struggled to move past how good this was in its period or if it's one of those Audis that drives more special than what came after. The soundtrack will definitely deliver 👀 Edit: It did! Over the LFA makes sense. Half the cylinders but cool turbo noises and what sounds like a surprisingly willing package. Nice to see it bridges old and new so well. Interesting! Wonder now if a Coupe Quattro of the same era that's like 1/4 the price is anywhere near as engaging 😬
IMO the peak audi has to be 2006 Audi R8 4.2, which was a design masterpiece and then the B7 RS4 Avant. Probably the perfect two car garage(remove the front half shafts on the R8 tho lmao)
thanks for saving us the time of figuring out the clickbait.
@@thehumanoid6543 My budget is more B6 S4 but a B7 RS4 sounds like a dream. Probably the spiritual sequel of this car for the 00s.
@@thehumanoid6543 b5 Rs4 avant, less weight then the b7 with more power from a cosworth build engine.
8.5 s4 with double pulley?
I just love this era of cars. Thanks for making this video!
The best RS2-video I've seen, and I may have seen them all .)
Looking at this car makes me very happy and I can't quite put my finger on why. There's just something about early 00s, late 90s DTM performance cars
Glad the understeer was mentioned, because owning a newer version, I can confirm you can kick the back end and the Quattro complies happily. Slightly worn tyres actually makes it more fun. 0-30 is merely an instant in first gear. I once had a chance of following a tuned S2 and an owner who gave a short bit of a play for a few seconds. These things feel effortless despite the weight and engine overlapping the front.
The Audi 100 Coupé S (1970-1976) shown at the beginning was far from being a "dull car". I once drove it for a short time and it looked and felt astonishingly good.
😂 yeah the cars they showed as dull examples were beautiful!
The synthwave soundtrack was a perfect touch
The Golf R/ S3 probably has the RS2 to thank for a lot of their innovation. Owning an older A4 I can't imagine the maintenance cost of keeping an RS2 running though.
Ehhh maintaining an aan 5 cyl isnt as bad as you think, it sure beats working on 2.7s
Wow! this is one of the best BTS episodes. Thank you.
This was a fantastic video. Well researched and with great historical and driving clips. Well done!
Thank you, Mr Derek. The definitive Audi Sport/RS2 Video.
Excellent video, and that engine audio is friggin' beautiful!
By Golly! I so wanted to pick holes in this video... But it is really rather good. Absolutely crammed with information. An excellently edited chronology and some fine footage. A bizarre car that never really knew what it was and then accidentally initiated a niche on the market that exists to this day. Excellent video. Chapeau!
Quattro! Just the perfect marketing word. Still sounds timeless today.
Looks like the roads around Mt. Tam towards Stinson. Hands down some of the best driving roads in the United States. Marshall road east towards Petaluma is also brilliant, especially in anything AWD or small.
I was thinking about how green all the scenery is - it is great that we have finally got some long needed rain. A bit too much recently.
Yes. Pt. Reyes to Petaluma D st. is amazing. Particularly in March and April when the hills are all still green. They repaved lots of this making long sweeping corners stable from what was a rough patchwork. One drawback is it’s so beautiful with Arabian horses or wildlife it’s distracting driving. Blowing through full speed seems wasteful. I’m often out there and when you stop you are completely alone in total silence.
Such a great video! Makes me appreciate my Audi even more
Another great installment of BTS with DTS 😃👍
What does "BTS" and "DTS" mean?
Behind the Scenes with Derek Tam-Scott
@@ISSIMIOfficial How is this "behind the scenes"? This looked like a quality production about the history of Audi to me. "Behind the scenes" would mean pulling the curtain back to show the audience how you made the video.
Excellent video and commentary. Thank you!!!!
Glad this channel is getting some traction, Hyphen! Keep up the great work.
Great vid on one of my all time fave Audis! Thank you for this.
Dude, well done. Absolutely fantastic video.
A beautiful piece of engineering. Still stands out in traffic when you see one.
As always, your videos are fantastic! :)
Another solid video. Keep up the good work.
Awesome video. One of my all-time favourite cars, for sure. Taking out the fuse for the speedometer was a good idea :)
Great car. If you're looking at prices of these and realizing you'll never own one, you can grab the C4 S4/S6 (also known as the UrS4/UrS6 for much, much cheaper and easily modify them to have even more power than the RS2. They also have a slightly higher build quality and are more practically sized. Of course, that means they aren't quite as light on their feet, but make excellent sounds (with the right exhaust) and excellent cruisers.
They are fun to mod with RS2 parts, ex manifold, turbo, coil overs, et cetera. Porsche front brakes, front mount intercooler, water/alcohol injection. About $20K all in.
You did a great job with this. Thank you....
I can’t formulate the words to tell you how much I love this series and this review been waiting on this one
@Richard Mahoney ... +1 Agreed. The BTS with DTS material is simply Excellent!
You did well with this video. I loved the scripting, the bits of history and video editing.
Love the RS2 it's a great car from Audi's history that is forgotten by many. Amazing video on the car I wish I owned.
Nicely put together little feature on this gorgeous RS2. I remember seeing one in Somerset UK on a regular basis in late 1990s. Really wanted one in my 20's and still want one on my 40's.
Very well put together. Thanks.
Phenomenal video. Great work.
Such a great video! The follow-up car Audi S4 93 is the first I remember being driven around in as a kid. This film put me right back in the 90s. Great work!
Really great video. Thank you. Informative & entertaining.
This is super interesting and informative. Thanks for all the hard work and research that went into this.
This car is kind of perfect when you think about it. Beautiful, simple, timeless 80s design (all b3/b4 80 are), fantastic drivetrain, endless practicality, it just ticks all the boxes.
You material is amazing, classy, and enjoyable. Thank you!
Thank you for this trip down the history lane.
This was a superb video. Nicely done! Thank you!!
Derek, fantastic vid my friend!!! Very well done and made us feel like we were in the passenger seat right next to you.
When you finished with “this over the LFA” I was shocked that I did not get angry because I actually trust your judgment. Over time, you’ve shown that you are a total petrolhead with a very sound mind that is interested in cars not for clout but for personal enjoyment. This is something a lot of journalists and people with access to these cars lack
Excellent Video! Well Done!
Brilliant video buddy - script, narration, scope, editing 🙌💪
So many stuff my brain shortcuts together :) thanks mate! Nice vid!
This was an excellent experience
the soundtrack on this vid actually slaps, well done!! amazing
That quality of these videos is A Grade
Great video!! Thanks for this!
Lovely. Good stuff guys. Keep it up.
Incredible video!
Wow that was a topnotch review! I've always loved these nimble wagons! Awesome.
Nicely done!
God I miss my modified 3b S2. Get them north of 350bhp and they are a wonderful every day car to live with on the road. Never quite had the money when I was younger to get in to an RS2, so I modified an S2 to give RS2+ power in a coupe. Surprised a lot of cars did that little coupe. Wonderful engines. This video brought back some happy memories. Oh that noise.
Nice Channel! Your videos are rally done with love! Keep going on! Greets from Germany! :)
Fantastic video!
This was incredibly well made. Subscribed!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for subscribing!
I remember seeing this car on a Carmudgeon episode, I've been waiting for this! It did not disappoint!
Incredible video, amazing work. Earned a new subscriber
Thank you for subscribing!
Thank you for subscribing!
Outstanding car-nerd content, friends. I LOVE this.
Great video and great writing! This video just made me subscribe. Awesome!
Thank you for subscribing!
Excellent video man. Great that you pointed out all the small nuances that you dont really get in most videos, from the engine be placed so far out in front of the axles, to the context of how Porsche assisted in the creation of this vehicle. Bravo
Glad you enjoyed the video! 👊🏼
This is dope. Thank you G
In Canada Audi, to sell anything after the 60 Minutes debacle, Audi had to offer a 3 year service plan where Audi paid for everything. My parents bought a 1986 Audi 4000 (it was a manual - it looked great and had the rear taillight to taillight reflector strip, to look like the turbo) and the car was spectacular, and all my parents paid for was gas for those 3 years. Oddly it was 2wd. I've since had a 2010 S4 and now own a S5 Sportback. The brand is the gold standard that other German manufactures aspire to in fit, finish, and performance.
This is the first vid I’ve seen from your channel, subbed right away. Great scenes, rich informative content, fantastic music! Very well done. Very underrated channel…Would you mind to share the music used as well?
How about those locations just looking beautiful with that auto-union. 😍
11:20 - Good lord I love the sound of that car.
Finally! I’ve been waiting for this episode to come out. Ever since hyphen teased the sound on the podcast, I’ve been in love.
Great job Derek !
i already knew that the car was outstanding but derek saying "this over the lfa anyday" is what really surprised me. just tells you how good of a car it is! and the production quality is amazing!
Had a passenger seat experience as an 18 year old when it came out in the 90s and the experience was simply mind boggling.
The sound is just lovely
That 5 cylinder sound is intoxicating ❤
You even incuded the Turracher Höhe! Cool! that's where they did the first winter testing of the quattro when all the other manufacturers were testing snow chains they managed to get up the steep incline without them. Always liked the 5cyl sounds! And what you said about driving it for yourself not for others, that is something i can fully understand! I think that is one of the appeals for these kind of vehicles. Some may call them Sleepers. I feel that way with my 13 year old E63. Apart from car enthusiasts people don't expect anything from it,to them it's just a big Mercedes (and as most are 4cyl Diesel models here, they suspect something like that), and i am happy with them not taking notice. In the 9 years i own it, i have never been pulled over by police not even when they check random traffic. It just doesn't look like someone making trouble. And it is fun to drive (to me) no matter if going spirited uphill a twisty road here in the alps in summer, or like 2 weeks ago: a little more cautios during snowfall on almost empty roads with 1-2 cm of slush. It makes me smile through steering feel engine noise and how it takes cornering and throttle.
Great video!
You made such a great video about your legendary car. Thank you very much, i realy enjoyed it. I got my P1 since 2010 and fully agree with you... is such a fun to drive specially for the ears. I drive rarely and quite everytime I pass 1 Audi driver who nod, thump up, smile at or lightsign me because they like the wagon too.
It was an incredible beast with the sound of B group rally monsters.