RallySport Magazine June 2016

FEATURE: AUDI QUATTRO S1 REPLICA
Stewart Reid is one of Australia’s
best known rally drivers, having
competed at all levels over the last
30 years since making the move from
his native Scotland to Queensland.
He has experience in a range of rally
machinery from his early Gemini debut,
through Starion, Mitsubishi Evos, Celica
GT4, Gp N(P) Toyota Corolla and a
range of BDG Mk 2 Escorts.
Focussing on his very successful
business, SR Automotive, in recent
years has not dulled his passion for the
sport, nor his abilities behind the wheel.
While the rally workshop contains
some incredible customer cars (more
on that later), Stewie has finally
achieved what he once only dreamed
about – an Audi Quattro S1 replica
which looks, feels and sounds like the
real thing!
“Sometimes when I’ve not had such
a great day at work, I just come out to
the rally workshop and spend time with
the car,” confesses Reid, owner of one
of two Audi Quattro S1 replica rally cars
in Australia.
Such is the appeal of this magnificent
hand-made creation that the RallySport
Magazine team jumped at the chance
to visit the SR Automotive workshop to
profile man and machine.
Of course the special thing about this
car – and the other vehicle owned by
Mal Keough from Coffs Harbour – is
that both men are not scared to put
their beautiful machines on the line.
“Sometimes I pinch myself,” he says.
“As a teenager, I saw Ari Vatanen’s black
Shell BDG Escort and Hannu Mikkola’s
Eaton Yale car in the UK.
“Now, I own my dream cars – a 2-litre
BDG Mk 2 Escort and the S1 Quattro.”
Much has been written about this
particular Quattro, and it’s no secret
that it was originally the Andrew
Hawkeswood car built in a North Island
workshop in New Zealand.
After competing in the car for a
couple of years after construction,
Hawkeswood’s rallying strategy took a
new direction to focus his support on
NZ rallying with his first Mazda 2 AP4
rally weapon.
Local Australian driver and
businessman, Dave Thompson,
acquired the Audi and brought it across
the ditch.
Stewie recalls the conversation when
the sale of the unique Quattro was
discussed.
“I told Dave I’d happily sell my
Mk 2 Escort to buy the Audi,” Reid
remembers. “Dave looked at me and
said ‘Too late mate, I just bought it!’”
Thankfully, as history now has it,
Stewie became the trusted mechanic
for the Quattro and Dave Thompson’s
Metro 6R4, which still occupies a hoist
at the SR Automotive workshop.
After turning spanners on the car for
a couple of years, the inevitable change
of hands occurred and a very amicable
deal saw Reid take ownership.
Stewie explains that the Audi is
essentially the same specification as it
was when built.
Since taking delivery of the car, he
has continually aimed to subtly improve
it and with some careful fettling, the
car makes about 100 horsepower more
than it previously did.
One of the key ‘restorations’ on the
car is a new factory inlet manifold,
located and imported to replace the
previous version that was reasonably
effective, but not original.
Such items do not come cheaply, and
Stewie let go of one of his toys (a BMW
bike) to re-invest the funds in this rare
manifold.
Readers may recall that this Audi has
Subaru running gear, with a floorpan
basically stitched into the Quattro body.
While maintaining the practical
Subaru equipment, Reid has upgraded
the components with a range of
Modena bits. The car now sports a
sequential 6-speed gearbox, upgraded
diffs front and rear, and unbreakable
WRC-spec driveshafts. The drivetrain is
designed to take more power than the
car currently makes, and reliability has
not been an issue.
At the time of RallySport Magazine’s
tour of the workshop, the car looked
38 | RALLYSPORT MAGAZINE - JUNE 2016