Audi B1

Audi 80 1,6 GLS photographed at Exporama 08.2018.

Here is Anders Haugene's Audi. Audi 80 1,6 GLS is a nostalgic gem and in rare good condition. It can be yours. Anders is considering selling it to someone who appreciates spring days in a light blue Audi 🙂 🙂

Straight lines were Audi's new design language in the 70s. The design was to remain modern well into the 1980s. The facelift from model year 1977 meant a larger grill and rectangular headlights - the same front as the then brand new Audi 100 C2 had received.

Die neue Leistungsklasse

The Audi 80 B1 set a new course for Audi. Even if the saying "Vorsprung durch Technik" had not yet been invented, it would have been a perfect fit. The Audi 80 was a light, yet strong, construction. The curb weight of the light blue 1977 model is only 880 kg. The chassis is modern - where the weight of unsprung masses is kept low. The structure was designed for optimal directional stability. Audi had arrived at wheel angles that made the car directionally stable under braking on uneven road surfaces and in the event of a puncture.

audi 82 — Another Audi – 1977 Audi 80 GTE (source: FavCars.com)

Before Audi became a status symbol

In 1977, Audi did not have the same status as today. The Audi 80 was a well-engineered and beautiful car. It scored highly in the car tests of the time, but sold almost as well as Ford and Opel. The most popular cars this year were the Volvo 140 series, Ford Granada, Taunus, Saab 99 and Toyota Corolla. Those who bought Audi in 1977 probably didn't buy it because of status - they were Audi fans before Audi became a cool car brand.

Collector's value?

The B1 was the first in the model range that would later become the A4. In 1977, the top model in Audi's 80 series was called "GTE". It was only delivered in a 2-door variant and had a 1,6-litre engine with 110 HP. It was a nice car with aluminum rims, decorative stripes and a small front spoiler. But there was no real "schwung" over Audi until the Quattro system came along. It was in 1980 and then it was the B2 body that was used. The results in motorsport gave Audi a boost up the status scale. B2 Coupé/GT/Quattro are cars many people want in their collection.

1986 Audi 2,2 Quattro — 1986 Audi B2 2,2 Quattro

Audi as a hobby car

Certain things can be unfamiliar when you get behind the wheel of a 43-year-old car. That doesn't mean you can't drive on nice trips. The Audi 80 was a good car to drive for its time. Many have fond memories – either as previous owners, or as children and grandchildren of previous owners. The light blue color helps to give a good nostalgia effect. The Audi 80 with 4 doors was a great family car in the 70s and is still well suited to going to spring car meets when it opens up again for such events.

Facts about the 1977 Audi 80 GLS

About the car
Type: B1 / 82
Place of production: Ingolstadt, DE
First time reg.: 07.1977
Drivetrain
Engine: 1,6 long position
4-speed manual, front wheel drive
Power: 85 HP at 5600 rpm
Torque: 125 Nm at 3200 revolutions
Performances
0-100: 11,8 sec.
Top speed: 176 km/h
Weights and Measures
Length x width x height: 424, 160, 136 cm
Wheelbase: 246 cm
Own weight: 880 kg
Luggage compartment: 432 litres

Source: Vegvesen.no, AutoData.net

For sale

This nice light blue Audi is parked in the Larvik area and is ready to meet nice spring days. It has new valve linings. oil, all filters, brake bands, etc. and must go in to Erik's Car Care in Larvik for spring cleaning and care. The Audi is considered sold to someone who will continue to look after it. Send a request directly to the owner, Anders Haugene, for further information.

Pictures of the Audi 80 B1

The Tectyl patch on the triangular window explains why the Audi has held up so well.

audi — Another Audi 80 GLS (82) Source: FavCars.com

See

audi 80 — The car that gave Audi its identity

audi 100 — An original Audi from the USA

Today's A4 carries the internal designation B9. However, Audi's success started with this model, an Audi 80 B1.

When Audi's story is to be told, one often brings in Horsch and Wanderer, luxury brands from the interwar period. The truth is that these cars never had any influence on Audi. Today's Audi originates from simple, popular car brands such as DKW and NSU.

Today's Audi?

The Audi 80 B1 was "Die neue Leistungsklasse". It gave Audi a new face. Its predecessor, the Audi 60, also bore the Audi name, but the internal designation F103 revealed its origins as DKW, – a continuation of the DKW F102 which was a simmering two-stroke.

The new Audi 80 with its straight, elegant lines became Audi's identity for many years. Not only Audi, but also Volkswagen. The following year, the sister model Passat appeared, then Golf and Polo. All with the same clean lines as the Audi 80.

In the first years, the Audis were not sold through Volkswagen's dealer network. If you wanted to take a closer look at the new Audi 80, you had to go to Audi NSU- the retailer. There weren't that many of them, and they certainly didn't last glass house, like today – more in backyards and the like.

When the Audi 80 B1 was launched

I was a young man who did not yet have a driver's license. I still wrote to Germany to get a brochure. I got that with a typed letter that referred me to the small Norwegian dealer network. So I stopped by the nearest dealer - on a Saturday with my father to test drive the wonder. The dealer had two demobiles standing by his house. We test drove a GL with the dealer's silent but beautiful wife in the back seat.

Audi 80's most important innovative technical solution was "Negativem Lenkrollradius", or negative scrubbing radius. The factory wheel angles were supposed to ensure that the car remained stable during braking on uneven road surfaces, or in the event of a puncture. The journal Car engine and sport set up a test track with dry asphalt in one wheel track and a water slide in the other. Then they let the Audi brake suddenly from 80 km/h. It worked well.

Another technical innovation was the placement of the rack and pinion housing above the engine and gearbox so that the steering would not be pressed into the passenger compartment in the event of a collision. The steering column was of course also designed to be deformed.

The Audi 80 B1 then, as now, had a longitudinal engine placed far forward above the front axle. The radiator had been moved to the side in the engine compartment so as not to steal space in the longitudinal direction. Despite modest external dimensions, the car was "well packed" so that it offered reasonably good space conditions.

To no avail

I was never able to persuade my father to buy the Audi 80. The 1,92 meter man did not find a good driving position in the Audi and instead ordered a new Saab 96 V4 the following week. The cheapest Audi 80 L with a 1,3 liter engine and 55 HP cost about 34 in 000, - exactly the same as the Saab. The Audi 1973 GL cost 80, - the same price as a Volvo 41.

I have taken pictures of a great 1975 model. It is an L, which originally has a 1,3 liter engine with 55 HP. Most chose the 1,5 liter engine with 75 horses. The nice GL grill with double headlights suits the car well. Despite good technology, high quality and good design, there are not many B1s left on the road.