1983 Audi Quattro Owner Interview: David Hackl
Some racers spend years chasing a single kind of event. David Hackl has spent the better part of fifteen years building a 1983 Audi Quattro into a car that can handle almost anything, from Pikes Peak to a road course in California to a foggy mountain in New Hampshire. This season he added two firsts to that list: Gridlife at Laguna Seca and the Mt. Washington Hillclimb.
We sat down with David to talk about how those events went, what is under the hood of his Quattro, the friend who built the engine, and how a used family sedan from 1981 set all of this in motion.
How was Gridlife?
Gridlife was a really unique experience. Toyo invited me out to Laguna Seca for the event, and the last time I drove that track was in 1990, during the 100-year celebration of Auto Union (Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer). That trip was memorable in its own right, since I drove non-stop from Chicago to Monterey and back to be part of it. Thirty-six years later, the track is better than ever.
Audi brought historic cars from each of those brands, along with IMSA cars, Sport Quattros, and plenty of fans. It was also my first Gridlife and my first time attack, and I was slotted into the Unlimited class against cars with twice the horsepower of ours, none of them as old. Mike Dusold won the event in his '67 Camaro, a tube-framed monster.
Our Quattro stood out from the crowd, and I had conversations with people from all over the world. The sound got the field cheering, and it was clear everyone was excited to see it run. It was a blast to drive among such seasoned competitors. The Corkscrew, the elevation changes, and the track conditions helped us post decent, consistent times, and the car handled like a dream. We finished 9th in class and 59th overall. That is respectable, though I think we could have found a few more seconds. I would gladly go back next year if we get the chance.
How did Mt. Washington go?
Getting accepted to compete at Mt. Washington was another first for me. The highest mountain on the East Coast had plenty of fog, treachery, and surprises waiting for us. I drove halfway up in the truck a few times to get an idea of what was ahead. The best way I can describe it is a tarmac rally stage with sheer drops of 1,000 feet or more, blind corners, wumps (or yumps), off-camber wet forest roads, and then zero visibility above the tree line in either pouring rain or pea-soup fog. It was incredible.
We had delays during the few practice runs we got over three days, and race day was delayed too, again because of fog. The mountain was packed with fans, and the start line area was full. The race has only been run 26 times since it began, with years or even decades between events, because of the enormous logistics, communications, and hundreds of volunteers it takes to staff the mountain.
Everyone had eyes on the Quattros. Rayteam brought an S2 and an S1E2, Frog Racing had an RS4, and Vesko brought his highly modified 4000 Quattro. The hills were alive with the sound of Quattro. John Buffam served as Chairman and Eventmaster, which added to the mystique around the race, and the organizers and volunteers made it a special experience from start to finish. Hats off to Greg Wilcox for making it happen.
Driving that road in our car was unbelievable. It sticks like glue where you need it and drifts around corners with ease, but you have to ask it, not tell it. We finished 51st out of 84. For a first attempt, and with only two full runs in the car on race days, I am happy with that.
What are the specs on your Quattro?
It is a 1983 Audi Quattro, widebody modified to 2012 WRC safety specifications. It makes 650 wheel horsepower and weighs 2,700 pounds. The engine is an inline five-cylinder, 2.5 liters, that started life on the 2.2L S4/S6 platform. The suspension is a one-off custom build (like most things on the car) from Erik and David at JRZ, and the Alcon brakes are a highly customized setup we developed with Jonathan Edwards and the team there.
The original build took place in 2011 and 2012 for our first accepted run at Pikes Peak, which has been run 13 times since. We put 2,500 hours into the car, and another 250 into the cage, and at least ten people from around the country came together weekend after weekend to get it done. I bought the widebody kit in Germany in 2007, back when I was driving a Gobi URQuattro as a daily driver and imagining that it might one day become a hillclimb car. We all made it happen.
Next up is an ECU upgrade and a Garrett G30-900 turbo for the 2027 season.
I understand Jeff Gerner built the motor.
I met Jeff in 2012, when he was building motors at his shop in Gladstone, Missouri, and sending them back and forth to Dave Jones, who was putting out some great builds for Quattros in Denver. In my first few years, I ran a used AAN motor, and I blew it up at Pikes Peak on the last turn before the finish line. Jeff wanted to build a motor for me. He had run Pikes himself and lost an alternator belt, so he never finished, and he knew that dejected feeling. I know it now too. My alternator belt has quit on me twice at Pikes, once leaving me to finish on battery power, and this year forcing me to pull off at Devil's Playground and sit it out.
Jeff was a very special person. He always wanted to check the motor every 30 hours, so I would drive the engine to him, and he would do his magic. The motor he built for me is a sister to the one in his Bonneville world-record-holding S6 race car. He passed away early this year after a battle with ALS, and I miss him dearly. I think of him every time I get in the car. What he gave me was more than a motor. It was a lasting friendship with a dear friend, husband, and father who loved Audi and had real passion for motorsports.
Why an Audi Quattro?
It started with my family. In late 1981, my dad and I found a 1981 Audi 4000 for sale in the local newspaper with 7,200 miles on it, and he paid around $7,000 for it, if I remember right. He liked it so much that he showed it to my uncle, who bought a new 1983 5000S. A few years later, my dad bought the 5000S from my uncle, and it became my daily driver in college.
I worked two jobs then, and one was delivering for Domino's from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Their slogan at the time was 30 minutes, or it's free, and in the brutal Illinois winters, that car got me there on time every time. Nobody got a free pizza on my watch.
Over the years, I have been lucky enough to collect cars from many brands, and older Quattros and Audi products are built like tanks. The same can be said for Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW, and each has iconic designs that are unmistakable. The quattro system carries a weight penalty, but in my humble opinion, nothing I have driven matches what it can do in rain, ice, and snow. I have examples from all of those brands except BMW, though I am always looking for the right 850Ci. Someday.
Follow David's season and the build @gruppeq on Instagram.
Got a Car or Garage Worth Showing Off?
Every week, The Garage Report features the cars collectors and enthusiasts love, along with the garages they call home. Send us yours, and you could be featured next.
Need More Garage Space?
Whether it's one great car or a full collection, the right garage makes all the difference. Browse Front Range homes with the garage space that fits your needs. We'll help you find the perfect space.
