Introduction - Part 1 ---> Click Here for Part 2

The Audi S2 was introduced in 1991 throughout Europe as the top line model of the Series-4 Audi Coupe. It has the same basic ingredients as the legendary 'Ur' Coupe Quattro (UrQ) - a potent 5 cylinder turbocharged engine coupled to full time four wheel drive with a sports tuned suspension packaged into an attractive 2-door Coupe chassis.

The Audi S2 is more subtlely styled than its awesomely flared-arch UrQ elder and is therefore less easily spotted in the wild.

The S2 Coupe and its Avant bodied sister, which appeared two years later, are essentially more modern variants of the quattro concept which changed the face of motoring and motorsport with the introduction of the now legendary UrQ in 1981.

A much lesser known variant of the S2 was also officially available in the 4-door saloon format of the trusty Audi 80/90 body shell. None of the S2 variants were officially imported to North America. 

Better equipped, faster and more refined than the UrQ, the S2 was the successor to Audi's flagship sports car that sadly ceased production in 1991. The S2 is well on the way to achieving similar classic status as the UrQ. Certainly the S2 doesn't have the same legendary looks as the UrQ, which some would argue look dated nowadays. Nor does it share direct association with world rally domination that the UrQ rightly claims, but it is both a potent and reliable package nonetheless. 

The S2 has clearly demonstrated it's abilities as a practical, comfortable, all weather, daily driver with the sort of 'no sweat' performance that can deliver stunning roadholding and acceleration on demand. All of this, in a reliable package that can run for more than 200,000 miles before serious mechanical surgery is required, make the S2 a truly special car in all three of it's body shapes.

The S2 variants shared many components with their respective Audi Coupe and Audi 80 base vehicles until it ceased production at the end of 1995. Unfortunately, factory workshop manuals are notoriously hard to find, and after market manuals from publishers such as Haynes and Bentley do NOT entirely cover the S2 variants of the Coupe & 80 models.

The S2 Coupe was actually the first volume production Audi to carry the 'S' badging that has permeated almost all of Audi's vehicle range through the 1990's up to the current day with the distinguished branding associated with top line sports and performance characteristics.

The 'S' badging was first used by Audi on a handful of shortened wheelbase "S1" quattro homologation specials towards the end of the halcyon days of Group B rally cars . 

The next vehicle to get the 'S' treatment by Audi was the S2 and the rest is history...

According to the production info I have uncovered, a grand total of 306 S2 Saloons, 1812 S2 Avants and 7370 S2 Coupes have been manufactured between October 1990 and December 1995. I believe that  all S2's were built at Audi's plant in Ingolstadt. For a more detailed analysis of production info and some regional sales figures, follow this link .

The S2 is even rarer than it's more famous UrQ predecessor. With that in mind, I decided to try and compile a comprehensive web resource for the Audi S2. I struggled in my on-line hunt for information when I was researching the purchase of my own S2.

Too little is publicly known about the S2 - I for one intend to change that !