Audi 100


The Audi 100 and Audi 200 are primarily mid-size/executive cars manufactured and marketed by the Audi division of the Volkswagen Group. The car was made from 1968 to 1997 across four generations, with a two-door model available in the first and second generation, and a five-door model available in the last three generations.They also made an 100 Avant in the 1970s.
In 1982, the third generation Audi 100 achieved a remarkably low drag coefficient of 0.30, featuring flush greenhouse sides with unique sliding window mountings.
The C2 and C3 models of the Audi 100 were marketed in North America as the Audi 5000 from 1978 to 1988, and in South Africa as the Audi 500.
In 1993, the models were mildly restyled, and renamed the Audi A6 series in conjunction with a general new Audi naming scheme, until they were replaced by a new generation of A6, internally code-named C5, in 1997. The Audi 100's traditional competitors include the Mercedes Benz E-Class and BMW 5-Series.

Type numbers

In addition to the C platform codes, Audi assigned type numbers to their models:
  • F104: C1; Audi 100
  • Type 43: C2; Audi 100 ; Audi 200
  • Type 44: C3; Audi 100 ; Audi 200
  • Type 4A: C4; Audi 100 ; Audi S4 ; Audi A6 ; Audi S6

    Audi 100 (C1, 1968–1976)

The first Audi 100, developed by Auto Union in Ingolstadt, was unveiled as a four-door sedan on November 26, 1968. Its name originally denoting a power output of, the Audi 100 was the company's largest car since the revival of the Audi brand by Volkswagen in 1965. The C1 platform spawned several variants: the Audi 100 two- and four-door saloons, and the Audi 100 Coupé S, a fastback coupé, which bore a resemblance to the Aston Martin DBS released a year earlier with similar details such as the louvres behind the rear side windows and the shape of the rear light clusters.
Audi followed the introduction of the four-door saloon in November 1968 with a two-door saloon in October 1969 and the 100 Coupé S in autumn 1970. The cars' 1.8 litre four cylinder engines originally came in base 100, 100 S, and 100 LS versions, while the coupé was powered by a bored-out 1.9 litre developing. From April 1970 the 100 LS could be ordered with a three-speed automatic transmission sourced from Volkswagen.
Although the Audi 100's engines were considered 'rough', critics stated that buyers whose first car had been a Beetle and aspired to upgrade to a contemporary diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz were unlikely to be discouraged. The Ingolstadt production line was at full capacity, yet fell short of demand during the summer of 1970 and an additional line was set up in Volkswagen's own Wolfsburg plant, which made it the first water cooled car produced there. For the Swiss market, the 100 LS was equipped with a version of the 1.8 liter engine bored out by, producing. This placed the engine above the 9 horsepower tax threshold in the 19 cantons where this system was in use; why this was desired is unknown.
Starting with the 1972 model year, the 80 and 90 PS versions were replaced by a new regular petrol variant of the 1.8 liter engine developing ; at the same time, the 100 GL was introduced featuring the 1.9–liter engine formerly used only in the Coupé S.
In March 1971, the 500,000th Audi was produced. By now the Audi 100 had become the most commercially successful model in the company's history. In 1976 the two millionth Audi was built, of which the 100 represented 800,000 cars.
In September 1973 the 100 received a facelift with a somewhat smaller squared-off grille, correspondingly more angular front fenders, and changed taillight lens patterns. The rear torsion beam suspension was replaced by coil springs. For the model year 1975, the base 100 was renamed the 100 L and received a 1.6 liter four cylinder engine. A four-wheel drive prototype of the Audi 100 C1 was built in 1976, long before the appearance of quattro.
In South Africa, where the 100 was also assembled, the 100 was available as the L, LS, GL, and S Coupé. Local production began towards the end of 1972; by October 1976 33,000 units had been built in South Africa. The GL received a vinyl roof and "GL" lettering on the C-pillar. The LS was dropped for 1976, but returned for 1977 along with the new GLS saloon. The Coupé was discontinued. The LS and GLS were special versions of the L and GL, with silver paintjobs, automatic transmissions, and special red interiors. L and LS have a engine with DIN, while the GL and GLS have the larger engine producing.
In the United States the Audi 100 appeared in 1970 in LS guise, becoming the first Audi model sold there. With a SAE 1.8 liter engine and with either two or four doors. For 1972 the engine was enlarged to 1.9 liters, but the SAE net claimed power was down to. A base and a GL model were added, as was an automatic transmission. For 1974 the lineup was again restricted to the 100 LS, while the larger safety bumpers were now fitted. Power increased to for 1975, by changing to fuel injection. Standard equipment was improved accompanied by an increase in prices. In August 1977 the new Audi 5000 replaced the 100, although 537 leftover cars were sold in 1978. The coupé was not available in the United States.

Audi 100, 200 and 5000 (C2, 1976–1982)

The restyled C2 Audi 100 was launched in 1976, with an inline five-cylinder engine. It was initially a engine offering "six-cylinder power and four-cylinder economy", later supplemented by less powerful versions.
The Coupé was discontinued, but a five-door hatchback model, the 100 Avant, was launched in August 1977 as part of this generation. These Avant new models bore a liftback design similar to Volkswagen Passats from the era.The mainstay of the range remained the four-door sedan model. A two-door sedan version was offered, primarily on the domestic market, from February 1977, but by now there was little demand for large two-door sedans and thus only a few of these two-door Audi 100 C2s were sold. At the top of the line, the Audi 200 made its appearance at the 1979 Frankfurt Show, with fuel injected five cylinder engines in either naturally aspirated or turbocharged forms.
At the end of September 1977, the Audi 100 became the manufacturer's first model to reach a production level of 1,000,000 units. The millionth Audi 100 was a hatchback Audi 100 Avant assembled not at the company's main Ingolstadt plant but to the west, at the Neckarsulm factory which, since the demise of the mainstream volume models from the NSU range, had been concentrating on providing additional production capacity for the fast selling Audi range. The 100 C2 effectively became a de facto successor to the similarly sized NSU Ro80 which ceased production in 1977, and the NSU name gradually disappeared from the public consciousness - eventually being erased from the company name completely in 1985 when Audi NSU Auto Union AG renamed itself Audi AG.
Engines available outside of North America included:
  • 1.6 L I4,, carbureted
  • 2.0 L I4,, carbureted
  • 1.9 L I5,, carbureted
  • 2.1 L I5,, carbureted
  • 2.1 L I5,, fuel injection
  • 2.1 L I5,, fuel injection, turbo
  • 2.0 L I5 Diesel,,
About 850,000 Audi 100/200 C2s were built, of which 133,512 were sold in the United States.
The RHD Audi 200 5E and 5T were introduced into the UK in 1979, only 500 were imported. The 5T was a higher spec Turbo version of the 5E and came with many optional extras as standard. The UK version of the 5T had opening quarter lights, electric door mirrors, a sunroof, cruise control and heated seats. All Type 43 200's came with automatic gearboxes, with a five-speed manual available by special order.
The C2 was sold as the Audi 5E in Australia. It was part of a very restricted Audi lineup, being the only model on offer for several years. The only engine on offer was the carburetted 2144-cc inline-five with, coupled to a four-speed manual in the GL and to a three-speed automatic in the CD.

Audi 5000 (1978–1983)

In North America, where sales of the Audi 5000 C2s reached 133,512, only five-cylinder engines were available. The 5000 had twin round headlamps for the first two model years, after which they were replaced by rectangular units. The diesel was originally not available in California, as Porsche-Audi of North America was unable to meet that state's strict emissions standards. The naturally aspirated diesel was also only available with a five-speed manual, a handicap in the American market. It was not until the 1983 introduction of the turbo diesel that these concerns were met. The 50-state Turbo diesel arrived for the 1983 model year, at about the same time that the Audi 100 C3 was presented in Europe, and was only ever sold in the United States.
In 1980 the 5000 Turbo arrived in the US. This model only delivered, more than twenty percent less than the European spec model. Aside from meeting the strict US emissions, this model also had lower boost pressure to be able to run on the lower octane unleaded fuel available in America. While the Turbo also received a harder, sportier suspension, bigger aluminium wheels, and other performance upgrades, it was also only available with a three-speed automatic transmission. Road & Track were able to reach a top speed of in the federalized car, slower than a naturally aspirated European market 2.1 E. In the US, reflecting the Audi's luxury connotations, 90 percent of 5000s were delivered with the costlier "S" equipment package.
The 5000 Turbo diesel received an increase in power and torque, offset somewhat by only being available in conjunction with Audi's "3+E" automatic transmission. This was a three-speed automatic in which the "E" mode engaged a freewheel effect, lowering fuel consumption by 3-5 percent. The Turbo diesel received the same body and interior specifications as the gasoline-powered turbo; the only difference was the use of 14-inch alloy wheels rather than the wider 15-inch items mounted on the 5000 Turbo.
North America:
  • 2.1 L I5,, fuel injection. from 1980 on.
  • 2.1 L I5,, fuel injection, turbo
  • 2.0 L I5 diesel,
  • 2.0 L I5 turbo diesel,