06.02.2025Practice makes perfect: The Audi 90 IMSA GTO Test Car of 1989

After the previous successes of the brand Audi in rallye sport and winning the Trans-Am series in 1988, the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO was to prove the superiority of the quattro drive on race tracks and roads all over the world once again. As the successor to the Audi 200 quattro-Trans-Am, the vehicle, with Hans-Joachim Stuck at the wheel, won seven races in the American sports car racing series. However, this was preceded by an extensive test program in a black forerunner of the later racing vehicle.

The 1989 season was the 19th year of the IMSA GT Championship. At the time, it was a championship for prototypes in the GTP and Lights classes as well as for vehicles in the GTO and GTU categories. It began on February 4, 1989 and ended on October 22nd, 1989 after 20 race weekends. Since the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO was still in development at the start of the season, the finished racing car only made its debut in Miami. So until the second race of the season, fans only saw the black test car from Ingolstadt circling the race track.

The vehicle was powered by the Audi-typical five-cylinder engine, which produced around 721 hp from its 2.2 liter displacement. Coupled with a weight of just 1200 kilograms, however, the Quattro became a real missile. This was achieved by the engineers giving the IMSA GTO a tubular space frame and covering it with a plastic outer skin. Only the roof was made of steel - due to regulations. Compared to the production vehicle, the racing version was much wider and had a rear spoiler. On fast tracks, the car could also be equipped with a two-story rear wing.

The true-to-original replicas of the legendary and immediately successful racing cars are very popular with collectors. ck-modelcars, in collaboration with WERK83, is now offering a special test version in addition to the already available racing versions of the Audi 90 IMSA GTO. This stands out from the Audi-designed racing cars with its black outer skin.

Audi 90 IMSA GTO Test Car IMSA Series 1989 black 1:18 WER83, RRP €79.95, item-no.: W1806008

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Audi 90 IMSA GTO Test Car IMSA Series 1989 negro 1:18 WERK83

71,96 €