The first thing that comes to mind when you mention Quattro is probably Audi’s 1980 Group B rally car. It makes perfect sense that the German manufacturer would lean on that legacy when promoting its new Q7 and SQ7 SUVs that have the trademarked all-wheel-drive system, but the company did something much cooler for its new ad campaign: Audi reunited Michèle Mouton with a Quattro S1 at the iconic Pikes Peak hill climb. The 1982 World Rally Championship runner-up still looked at home behind the wheel of the 493-horsepower rally monster.
Audi’s new ad campaign titled “Performance Runs in the Family” features a pair of videos: a typical 30-second TV spot, and a 4-minute short with Mouton driving a Quattro S1 up Pikes Peak. During the visually stunning drive up the Colorado mountain, she reminisced about the animosity she faced during the 1985 hill climb, her winning run, and how the ascent has changed in the 41 years since.
Mouton was the first woman and the first non-American to win the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The Frenchwoman set a record time of 11:25.390 up the treacherous 12.4-mile ascent, besting the previous record set by Al Unser Jr. in 1983 by 13 seconds. Mouton is still effortlessly cool, still delivering pointed one-liners as naturally as the rest of us breathe. During the revival run, she noted, “When I was at this spot in the race, I had no time for feelings.”
The new Q7 is a part of Quattro’s legacy of performance
The 30-second TV spot mixes archival footage of Mouton during the Group B era with footage of a 2027 Audi SQ7 driving up Pikes Peak. To emphasize the campaign’s legacy theme, the ad features Mouton alongside her daughter, Jessica. The third-generation Q7 isn’t as nimble on the twisting mountain roads as a Group B rally car, but that isn’t the point. The SUV’s new styling looks just as aggressive and far more comfortable for a family. Vito Paladino, Audi of America’s President, stated in a release:
“Audi’s story of quattro didn’t end with rally racing. That connection between performance and everyday capability is what makes quattro such a defining part of our brand. The all-new Audi Q7 family carries that legacy forward, bringing together Audi’s performance heritage with the innovation and engineering that define the next generation of our vehicles.”
The 1985 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was Mouton’s last event with Audi before she departed for her farewell season with Peugeot. The Frenchwoman and her accomplishments will forever be tied to Audi. Mouton’s four WRC victories with the Audi Quattro are a legacy every four-wheel-drive model produced by the German automaker inherits. It’s not merely laurels to rest on, but a level of performance that Audi has to honor.
