South African-built Wesbank Modified Audi race car up for auction

Want to own a piece of South African racing history? On March 6, global online auction house Collectingcars.com is auctioning an Audi S4 GTO, a legend of South Africa’s Wesbank Modified Saloon Car Championship in the 1990s.

The iconic, left-hand drive Audi race car, which thrilled spectators with its distinctive turbo wastegate whistle, was built by Audi Sport South Africa to compete in the Wesbank Modified Saloon Car Championship from 1992 to 1994 and is the first of only two Audi S4 GTOs built.

Chassis #001 is the car in which German racing driver Hans-Joachim Stuck clinched two race wins on the car’s debut in Cape Town in 1992, and with which local driver Chris Aberdein competed full-time in 1993 and 1994 alongside teammate Terry Moss.

The IMSA GTO (Grand Touring Over 2.5l) was a premier IMSA GT Championship class for heavily modified, tube-frame silhouette race cars known for huge turbochargers, V8 power and aggressive bodywork. It featured legends such as the Mercury Cougar, Nissan 300ZX and the Audi 90 quattro.

The locally developed S4 GTO was a fresh start for Audi Sport South Africa after campaigning the Audi 200 Quattro Trans-Am cars in the Wesbank Modifieds from 1989 to 1991. For the 1993 season, various options were considered, including adapting the Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO or the then-current Audi V8 quattro DTM, or to build a completely new race car.

Chassis #001, based on the new Audi S4, which was to be launched in the South African market during 1992, was prepared in Germany and sent to Audi Sport’s roll-cage specialists Matter and returned to South Africa to be used as a reference for the creation of the sister car’s body and roll cage.

The race cars were powered by a 2.2l turbocharged five-cylinder engine from the IMSA GTO, producing 537kW and 720Nm, a six-speed manual transmission, Audi’s Quattro DTM all-wheel drive system, and a highly modified chassis with tubular front and rear subframes. The extensive aerodynamic additions include a large rear wing and IMSA-style diffuser.

Stuck won both heats on the car’s 1992 debut at Killarney Raceway, at that point finished in silver and red Audi Sport livery. The auctioned car bears the white, blue, gold and red Rothmans livery that adorned the car from its second race onwards, and retains the original body and roll cage prepared in Germany.

In 1994, Aberdein and Moss won the Wesbank Modifieds manufacturer title for Audi. This car is believed to be the only surviving example in running condition.