Audi Ur Quattro Gets Million-Dollar All-Electric Rebirth

One of the most iconic cars of the Group B era, the Audi Ur Quattro was designed around the idea that all-wheel drive and high-performance could go hand-in-hand. It may seem obvious now, but only because that original Quattro coupe — along with legendary drivers like Michelle Mouton, Walter Röhrl, and Juha Kankkunen — did such an incredible job of crushing almost everything out there, almost everywhere. Now, a company called ELegend is bringing it back, electric-style.

This latest reborn classic follows in the footsteps of the Singer Porsche and reborn Lancia Stratos concept of the last few years, but the electric motors means the ELegend EL-1 (that’s the unfortunate alphanumeric that’s going to be slapped on the back of this, rather than the more obvious UR-E) will likely be quicker than those cars, at least in a straight line. Indeed, ELegends promises a 0-100 km time of just 2.8 seconds, thanks to its 3 electric motors (2 at the rear axle and 1 at the front axle). Altogether, the system’s power output is rated at 816 HP and 1180 lb-ft of TQ. (!)

Still, there’s more to this car than old-school looks and big-time modern power. Clever design choices abound, like these pencil-thin side view cameras to cut down on weight and aerodynamic drag …

Pencil-thin cameras instead of mirrors, image courtesy ELegend.

… and this roof-width NACA duct, which seems like it might actually be functional, assuming there’s some battery-cooling hardware hiding somewhere under that big glass rear hatch. Worst case, you’ll have a heck of a bug collection after just a few hundred miles of driving!

Roof-mounted NACA duct, image courtesy ELegend.

Adding to the classic “high rake” look of the EL-1 are a set of 19″ wheels up front and 20″ wheels in the rear. Heck, even the batteries are neat — they’re arranged in a T formation, similar to what the original GM/Saturn EV-1 ran. There’s a precedent here, is what I’m saying, and comparisons to the EV-1 are high praise around these parts, so there you are. With a chassis designed and developed by the material experts at Roding Automobile GmbH, the EL-1 seems a well-conceived machine, at least.

For the money they’re asking, it had better be! Like any good reborn classic, the ELegend EL-1 was always going to be pricey — but I still balked at the one million dollar asking price. I can’t help but read it Dr. Evil-style, either, but that probably says more about me than it does about the car.

What do you guys think? Is this a faithful enough recreation of the original Group B classic to merit a 7-figure price tag, or would you rather pick up a half-dozen Audi e-Tron GTs or Porsche Taycans for the same money? Check out the photo gallery and spec sheet (from ELegend) below, then let us know what you think in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

ELegend EL-1 Photo Gallery

Source | More Images: ELegend, via GTSpirit.