Right, now, over the years there have been many titanic battles
in the world of motorsport - many great duels.
You've had Hunt versus Lauda,
you've had Prost versus Senna,
you've had the Ford GT40 versus the Ferraris at Le Mans.
But my favourite battle of them all is this one.
(WHIRRING)
JEREMY: Back in 1977...
Audi was developing this four-wheel-drive vehicle for the German military,
when they had a bit of a thought.
They wondered if its four-wheel-drive system
could be made to work in an ordinary family car.
And so, under the cover of darkness at a quarry in a remote corner of Germany,
they began secret tests.
And straight away it was obvious that with all four wheels being driven,
the family car had an enormous amount of grip.
This meant it could go around corners on loose surfaces like that much faster.
And that, they reckoned,
would make it good at rallying.
But there was a problem.
What I've got here is the 1979 Motor Racing Rule Book.
It's the most boring book in the world, but whatever.
Here on page eight million,
article two says that in rallying
"Four-wheel-drive cars... will not be admitted."
Audi, however, had thought about that,
and dispatched a man to Paris to a meeting of the sport's governing body
to try and get the rule changed.
He was very clever,
because he waited for the meeting to be finished -
everyone pulling on their hats and coats -
and then he went, "Oh, God. Sorry, one more thing. Erm...
This rule about, erm, four-wheel-drive being banned in rallying,
is it OK if we, er... we get rid of that?"
And everyone said, "Well, obviously he wants to enter
his silly little army lorry in something or other,"
so they all went, "Yes, yes. Whatever," and went home.
Three years later, this is what happened.
(MAN YELLS)
COMMENTATOR: The four-wheel-drive Quattro is all-conquering,
and the Audi has been proved master of all conditions.
Superior power and traction
with the turbo-charged, four-wheel-drive Audi is too much.
Bjorn Waldegard has wasted no time
in proving the dominance of the four-wheel-drive Quattro.
Hannu Mikkola has scored a tremendous victory.
(APPLAUSE)
COMMENTATOR: The Quattros hold all the aces: first, second and third.
Audi won the World Championship in 1982 with this very car, actually.
And from that moment on,
everyone knew that to win in rallying you had to have four-wheel-drive.
Well, when I say everyone...
This was Lancia's answer to the Quattro:
the two-wheel-drive 037.
I've got a bit of a soft spot for all old Lancias,
but in this... it's not soft.
(REVVING)
This is everything I was expecting it to be.
-(BANG) -Pops, bangs, lumpy petrol.
A dashboard dominated by this enormous and very well used ashtray.
Completely Italian. (LAUGHS)
Honestly, it is dainty as a dandelion seed caught in a summer breeze...
(TYRES SCREECH)
..and as agile as a water boatman. I mean, that was...
(LAUGHS) That was just glorious through there.
Glorious!