In 2026, Audi will celebrate a landmark event: the 50th anniversary of the five-cylinder engine, a technology that has become an essential part of the German brand’s identity. Since its debut in the Audi 100 (C2), in 1976, the engine has evolved, conquering tracks around the world and reinforcing the concept that has guided the automaker for decades – “at the cutting edge of technology”.
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The first five CDs were born out of necessity. In the early 1970s, Audi engineers sought to place the new Audi 100 in a higher class. The four-cylinder engines no longer met the project’s ambitions, and the six-cylinder engines were eliminated for reasons of space and weight distribution.
The solution came through the development of an in-line engine based on the EA 827, a platform used in many Volkswagen Group models. The result was a 2,144 cc, 136 hp engine, inaugurating a lineage that would become one of the most emblematic cars in motorsport. The Audi 100 5E began shipping in March 1977.
In the following years, Audi expanded the family. In 1978, it launched the first five-cylinder diesel car. A year later, it innovated again with its first five-cylinder turbo petrol engine, which powered the Audi 200 5T with 170 hp. But the big leap would come in 1980.
Equipped with a five-cylinder turbo engine, intercooler and permanent all-wheel drive, the Audi Quattro has taken the brand to a new level in the World Rally Championship. In its initial configuration, the engine achieved a power of 200 hp, which was high power for the time.
In this way, Audi achieved:
- World constructors’ title in 1982,
- And the Drivers’ Championship in 1983 with Hannu Mikkola.
The technical pinnacle came with the Sport quattro (1983), which was shorter, wider and equipped with a 306 hp engine, becoming the most powerful German street car up to that time. The Group B competition version reached an impressive 450 hp.
Even after the second group left, the five-cylinder car continued to shine. In 1987, Walter Röhrl won the Pikes Peak race in a Sport quattro S1 (E2) equipped with 598 hp.
The legacy also extended to the streets. In 1989, the Audi 100 TDI debuted with a direct-injection five-cylinder turbodiesel engine with 120 hp. In 1994, the legendary 315 hp RS2 Avant inaugurated a new era: that of the Audi super station wagon, which later gave rise to the high-performance RS lines.
With the arrival of the Audi A4 in the mid-1990s, the five-cylinder gave way to new V6 engines, ending the cycle in 1997.