Twenty-five years after it achieved legendary status in the hands of rally greats like Stig Bloomquist and Michelle Mouton, an authentic Audi Quattro coupe will 
celebrate the anniversary of the four-wheel-drive technology that revolutionized motorsport in the 1980s with an assault of Targa Newfoundland 2008.
Sponsored by Audi Canada along with Sirius Canada and piloted by six-time Canadian and four-time North American rally champion Frank Sprongl, the 1983 Audi coupe will carry the familiar colors that the factory cars of the era wore when the “awesome Audis” ruled the world rally championship. The car will compete in the Open Division of the Targa competition.
“Next year, Audi will celebrate its 100 year anniversary,” explains Diego Ramos, Executive Vice President of Audi Canada. “This year we are celebrating a new Audi facility in St. Johns. What better way to start the celebrations early than supporting a great Canadian Champion with a historically significant rally car racing in the equally unique Targa Newfoundland. This is a rare opportunity for fans to actually see and hear a Group B rally car.”
The entry reunites Sprongl with the marque that made him famous. Driver Frank, of Georgetown, Ontario, and co-driver/brother Daniel Sprongl dominated Canadian rallying with their multiple championships and countless competition wins in a series of Audi cars. Indeed, Frank won the famous Mt. Washington Hillclimb in the car that will make the trek to the start of the seventh annual Targa Newfoundland.
Targa Newfoundland started September 13th in St. John’s and concludes back in the capital on September 20th. For more information and updates during the rally, visit www.audi.ca and www.targanewfoundland.com.
[Source: Targa Newfoundland]
