Details of Cars

Audi 200: the Audi 100 in a more luxurious form

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Audi 200 C2 at the Classic Days in Berlin
Audi 200 C2 at the Classic Days in Berlin. Photo by Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Audi 200 was the more luxurious and more powerful version of the Audi 100, sold from 1979 to 1991 in two generations. It was the top of the Audi range until the Audi V8 arrived in 1988, and from March 1989 the range was headed by the 200 quattro 20V with a turbocharged 2.2-litre five-cylinder.

Audi 200 at a glance

Audi 200 key facts
Production 1979–1991, two generations
Based on Audi 100, Typ 43 then Typ 44
C2 engines 2,144 cc five-cylinder, 136 PS or 170 PS turbo
C2 gearbox five-speed manual, three-speed automatic optional
C2 production 31,104 cars
C2 brakes disc brakes at the rear, ABS optional from 1980
C3 from 1983, Avant from mid-1984
C3 top model 200 quattro 20V, from March 1989
20V engine 2.2-litre turbo five-cylinder, four valves per cylinder
Range position Audi’s top model until the V8 of 1988
End of production mid-1991

History of the Audi 200

C2 (1979–1982)

Audi 200 C3
Audi 200 C3. Photo by Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The first Audi 200 was presented to the press in September 1979 at the Frankfurt motor show and shown to the public at Estoril in January 1980, with sales starting in February. It was an upgraded Audi 100 C2 (Typ 43), different in its twin headlamps, grille, bumpers with an integrated spoiler and chrome trim, and it came only as a four-door saloon with front-wheel drive. Two engines were offered, both 2,144 cc five-cylinders: the 5E with 136 PS and the turbocharged 5T with 170 PS. A five-speed manual was standard and a three-speed automatic optional, and unlike the 100 the 200 had disc brakes at the rear. ABS became available in September 1980. Production at Neckarsulm ended in August 1982 after 31,104 cars.

C3 (1983–1991)

The second generation followed the new Audi 100 Typ 44 in 1983 and again combined the 100’s body with more luxurious trim and the most powerful engines of the range. An Avant estate joined in mid-1984 and was built until the end of 1990. From March 1989 the top model was the 200 quattro 20V, with a turbocharged 2.2-litre five-cylinder with four valves per cylinder and the engine code 3B, based on the engine of the Audi quattro. The 200 remained Audi’s flagship until the Audi V8 appeared in 1988, and production of the last 200 sold in Germany ended in mid-1991.

Design and features

  • More luxury than the 100: twin headlamps, a different grille, bumpers with an integrated spoiler and chrome trim.
  • Turbo engines: the 5T of 1980 and, from 1989, the 20-valve quattro.
  • Rear disc brakes: standard on the 200, while the 100 had drums at the rear.
  • ABS: on the options list from September 1980.
  • Avant: the estate body was added in mid-1984.

Audi 200 versions

  • 200 5E: 2,144 cc five-cylinder, 136 PS.
  • 200 5T: turbocharged, 170 PS.
  • 200 Avant: estate, from mid-1984 to the end of 1990.
  • 200 quattro 20V: 2.2-litre 20-valve turbo, from March 1989.

The 200 is based on the Audi 100 and was replaced at the top of the range by the Audi V8. More models are in our Audi collection.

Video: Audi 200 turbo quattro 10V

Video by Gergő Csécs on YouTube.

Sources

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