Classic Nostalgia on the 16th and 17th July at Shelsley Walsh will see the debut of the Audi IMSA S4 GTO which has never before been seen on British soil.
This car has only just arrived in the UK, having been imported from America and with only four weeks to prepare the car, it will be driven by Hans-Joachim Stuck for the first time since 1992.
The weekend will be a big celebration for Audi with the return of the Auto Union, 80 years after Hans Stuck drove it at Shelsley Walsh. This weekend it will be driven by his son, Hans- Joachim Stuck. It will also be 30 years since Hannu Mikkola took the closed car record in the Audi Sport Quattro.
A weekend not to be missed.
About Audi IMSA S4 GTO Race Car
After Audi had successfully introduced the Quattro brand into Rallying they wanted to progress this technology into racing to prove four wheel drive was relevant to all sports and road models.
In 1988 Audi dominated the SCCA Trans Am Race Series in the United States with the Audi 200 Trans Am. On the back of this success in 1989 Audi then entered the Audi 90 IMSA GTO in the SCCA IMSA Race Series, again in the States and again, with great success.
With Audi looking to penetrate the South African car market Audi Sport South Africa (Voldi) suggested entering a re-worked version of the 90 IMSA GTO into the hotly contested Wesbank Modified Race Series. The WesBank Series was and still is South Africa’s premier track racing series and attracted very fast and powerful entries from Ford, Mazda, BMW and Nissan. Audi Sport South Africa had raced two of the previously successful Audi 200 Trans Am race cars used in the States in the same series in 1989 and 1990 and they had had enjoyed great success.
In 1992, Audi Germany agreed and sent one original Audi 90 IMSA GTO (chassis number “GTO5”) to Voldi, together with one new Audi Sport, Matter prepared works “C4 S4” bodyshell. The original Audi 90 IMSA GTO was stripped of all its components and those parts were rebuilt into this new “C4 S4” bodyshell, including the full IMSA GTO engine and running gear. This race car was now named the Audi IMSA S4 GTO and this is chassis number 001, the first built of only two cars worldwide.
HISTORY
This car debuted in 1992 at the penultimate round of the Wesbank Modified Series (WMS), at Killarney in Cape Town, painted in the traditional Silver and Red Audi Sport livery where Hans-Joachim Stuck, drove the car to first place in both races of that meeting. For the final race of the ’92 season at Kyalami, Voldi being sponsored by Rothmans, had repainted the car into Rothmans corporate livery – (driver and result TBC). This same car was further campaigned throughout the 1993 and 1994 seasons, in the hands of Voldi Team drivers, Terry Moss and Chris Aberdein. Voldi Team achieved the overall winners title in ’93 and runners-up in ’94 with the Audi S4 GTO. The Wesbank Modified series rules changed for 1995 and so the S4 GTO was no longer eligible to compete.
Therefore, the two cars became redundant, and were retired from the Voldi Team. Subsequently this vehicle was sold to Ashley Landman of Ashley’s Fine Cars in Cape Town.
Ashley Landman kept the car in It’s blue & white livery but replaced the Rothmans logos with Bloomsbury logos and raced the car in select regional events at Killarney in Cape Town from 1995 to 1998.
In year 2000, Steve Zlotkin of Overland Parts, Inc. bought this original race car from Ashley Landman of Ashley’s Fine Cars in Cape Town and imported it to the USA. Steve Zlotkin retained ownership of the car until his passing in November, 2015.
It is now in the UK and owned by John Hanlon.