Quote Of The Day: Ugly Is As Ugly Does Edition

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: November 24th, 2010

quote of the day ugly is as ugly does edition

Although it did what it needed to do, it looks awful

Peter Birtwhistle, designer of the legendary short-wheelbase Audi Sport Quattro (above), tells Autocar what he really thinks about its design… and just in time for Audi to announce that its Ur Quattro-inspired Quattro Concept will be built in limited numbers. Birtwhistle explains that the real cause for Ur-ugliness was “stretching the Quattro look over [the shorter Audi 80 platform],” a challenge that also echoes with the Quattro Concept, which slaps retro design elements on a short-wheelbase version of the handsome RS5. As a result, the Quattro Concept looks every bit as awkward and disjointed as the Sport Quattro, with just a touch of Camaro-esque retro-self-consciousness. But as Birtwhistle’s line reminds us, sometimes ugly is the best way to emphasize purpose.

#Audi #Concept #Design #Germany #Heritage #Quattro

Edward Niedermeyer

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2 of 18 comments

Johnny ro on Nov 24, 2010

Its not so bad, the new one, but I didn't catch why its better than a TT. The TT is a pretty car and can get hysterical if you want.

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Porschespeed on Nov 25, 2010

I dunno, In their period, the Quattro/5+5 seemed pretty damn sexy relative to what was available in the US market at the pricepoint, at the time. There wasn't a domestic that looked (or drove) within a lightyear of the Quattro back in the day. Sure, with contemporary glasses it was a Civic, but let us not forget that a 77 930 was a "rocketship" when it turned in a 7-ish second 60 run....

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