Audi 80 Sport: GTI for grown-ups or grandpa in Reeboks?

I drive an Audi 80 B2 Sport, which is the version with the injected 1.8 engine from the mk2 Golf GTI. Does the hot hatch engine / business smart combination work?

Follow me on Twitter too @realGrandThrift

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Audi in the early 80s
00:46 Putting the Sport in the Audi 80 Sport
01:40 The facelift
02:35 Competitors
03:38 Power and performance
05:23 On the road
08:05 Creature comforts
09:46 Grown up GTI?
11:10 Legacy

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Image credits
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All footage and images by and © Grand Thrift Auto except:

Audi 50:

Other Audi models and rally footage:
© Audi AG, courtesy of Audi Mediacenter

Volkswagen Golf Mk2 GTI:
© 2022 Copyright Volkswagen UK Press Office

Cravat on a motorbike:

[davidpinkney]

I had two of these Audi 80 B2 s. Great cars.

[spavatch]

Darn it! I’ve never noticed the rear light/body crease misalignment before. Now I can’t unsee it!!

[phillynch]

I’ve owned two Audi 80 sports - fantastic cars. I fitted bilstein suspension, which transformed the handling. I did a few track days in it and was wonderful

[simonhodgetts]

We had one of these as a pool car at a company I used to work for. Sadly the head gasket blew one afternoon on the way back from a site we were working on. There was no breakdown cover (we had a skinflint boss), so it took all evening to get home - and the car was written off. Shame, I quite liked it. Having owned a couple of more recent Audis, I prefer this era - the cars always felt like they were well made, with that typical 1980s German slightly austere interior feel - the current era Audis are a bit too ‘blingy’ for my tastes.

[mikemcdermott]

My first proper car - went from a gifted Skoda Estelle -> Vuaxhall Chevete -> 2years afer passing my test at 17years old -> Audi 80 (GTE) Sport - I was a boy racer 🙂 had it up at 140 mph (don't tell plod) and it gulped through the fuel as expected at that speed. Absolutely loved that car and still miss it many many years later - if I had the money, time and a garage I'd buy another for just crusing about. Thanks for the memory!

[benhooper]

It was great fun filming this in the spring (just after getting back from a French adventure) and you've done a fine job putting this together Martin. A couple things to consider is that the 80 GTE was a model before 1983 I think, but it was always a phantom on the UK market, with personal imports documented, as well as dealer examples that escaped the Sport treatment - as the Sport was the GTE debadged on arrival and refitted with the Sport package by Audi UK. There is also irony in the 80 Sport using a Golf GTi engine - that was of course that the original Golf GTi used the engine transplanted from the B1 generation Audi 80 GTE (or GLS, can't remember)

[robertmyers]

Thanks for this video. I had a '85 4000S - the rough American equivalent. It was a delightful car, and one I could show to my parents as my first 'grown-up' car (my previous daily drivers were a first generation Capri V6, and a Fiat X1/9 1500 5-speed carb). The brown velour interior, power windows, central locking, a/c, and sunroof gave it a good appearance of luxury. The GTI engine and 60 series tires gave it a decent amount of fun particularly compared to most sedans in a similar size class in those malaise times. As to weight, those cars were light, especially compared to nowadays with all the safety equipment.

[davesclassicgaragetours]

I so longed for one of these in Audi Sport colours way back when. What a beautiful thing that was.

[drewsimpson]

Another very good review. Very underrated car the 80 Sport. I think these later ones tipped the scales a touch under a metric ton, so this would tie in with your 5% heavier than the Mk2 GTI. Quite surprising but Audi knew how to keep the weight under control in those days.

[patrickhostler]

I had quite forgotten about that Audi. My papa had a black Audi Coupe ‘back in the day’ His previous car to the had been an Alfa GTV. I can remember getting into the passenger seat of the Audi when he brought it home and thinking wow, this looks like it had come from the future…It was just so modern compared to the Alfa.

[Hound]

Get your friend Ben to check out the rear trailing arm mounts just to be sure, they can hide a multitude of sins there, and well hidden!

Great car though, I’ve had mine 15 years, and long may it remain!

[LotCARS]

Excellent Martin, I've often wondered how these drove as I do like the looks and it's so rare to see one. I must admit I'd have specified the optional Audi Sport stripes back in the day!

[GentilsGarage]

Nice video and very well written. Very nice car too that is sometimes forgotten.
In Portugal, not many B2’s were sold, but the E30 and the W201 sold by the bucket load. Only when the B3 arrived and offered a diesel option, then Audi finally took off in Portugal.

[willwelch]

Really enjoying these wee history lessons! Keep up the good work, man! 👍🏻

[StarHorseLover]

Good review.
These were quite popular where I grew up but I never warmed to Audi and VW products of the Late 70s and early eighties.
On the whole I found they were no match for the equivalent Fords, with their V6s, chrome metal door handles, abundant equipment, and affordable prices.
BMWs and Mercs were more expensive but felt more upmarket. The Audi/VWs didn’t.
This changed in the late 80s early 90s where Audis got much better with V6s, neat finish and a smooth driving experience.

[petetrundell]

“Mouton dressed as Lamb” excellent - music to mi shells, as it were.😉
Great review of a car I have always had a soft spot for. I wasn’t willing to pay the insurance penalty for a Golf GTi so the 80 Sport (in blue) was on my radar for a few years but the right car never came along.

[fhwolthuis]

Very pretty car, especially in this colour. And another great video, Martin! Thank you! 👏🏼😃

[numberstation]

Yet another interesting video. I can’t quite understand why you don’t have more subscribers.

[kirbyd]

Who can resist a Hoverspeed 'GB' sticker when driving an 80s car to the South of France in 2022? Possibly not a French policeman. Ben, better take a magnetic or window cling UK sticker abroad with you next time to be on the safe side! ;)

[benday]

Superb video production as ever. Fingers crossed for some major channel growth in 2023, as the car youtuber field is ever more competitive for attention. These Audis must be vanishingly rare.