You know I was saying a while back about using the A6 as a pick-up, making countless dump trips with rubble from the French house I am trying to make habitable. Well, on route I pass a VW/Audi main dealer and I always have a quick shifty as I drive past to see if they’ve got anything interesting out back.

The other day while doing this, something old with chrome bumpers  and sporty rakish lines caught my eye. It was an Audi 100 S Coupé, so making an impromptu detour, I went in to have a closer look.

My French is less cordon bleu, more Gordon Ramsey, but from what I can gather the car came in for rear brake cylinders, which the dealership were having trouble sourcing and in the meantime the owner had decided to give up the quest. Or moved, or died, or just given birth to a litter of kittens (I warned you my French was rubbish).

Heartbeat racing, I was treated to a closer inspection, courtesy of a helpful female receptionist –  it’s a 1972 example in Colorado Red with just 52,000km on the clock from new.  It all looks original, with excellent bodywork and a near mint interior. There’s just a hint of surface rust on those delicate chrome bumper blades and a few tiny bubbles on the wings, but really nothing serious. Price  2000 euros.

Curiosity aroused, I spoke to Gordon Franklin at the Audi 100 Coupé S club who provided me with a list of useful contacts, and after a bit of detective work I found a guy in Germany with a supply of replacement cylinders for not much money. Admittedly it’s a bit of an unknown, and I know that gearbox synchro and inner wing rot  can be an issue – but on a car with this mileage the risks would be lower. If only I had the spare spondoolies I’d be in there like a hoodie at an Adidas outlet. Any ideas, help or suggestions, email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .



Ian Cushway, Editor

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