The 25 Greatest Audis of All Time

Audi has an interesting heritage. It started out as a company founded by August Horch, named Horch, which means "hark" in German. After a name dispute, the company then split into both Horch and Audi, which means "hark" in Latin. In 1932 Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer merged to create Auto Union. The four rings of today's Audi logo are taken from the Auto Unions logo, with each of the rings standing for one of the manufacturers. Eventually, Volkswagen got its hands on Auto Union and brought back the Audi name. Through the years, there have been some great Audis, Horches, DKWs, Wanderers, and Auto Unions, and we've compiled a list of the top 25.

Note: "Ur" is a German prefix meaning "ancestral," and Audi fans use this to denote the first of a line. The Ur-Quattro was the first Quattro, for example.

Year: 1998
Complex Says: Until the TT, Audi had never really been known for having the most beautiful or stylish cars. But the TT, despite its less attractive Mk. IV VW Golf underpinning, made a big splash in the automotive design world. The TT's influence can still be seen in many of today's small coupes.

Year: 2010
Complex Says: The current A8 is one of the most overlooked cars in the large luxury sedan segment. The A8 is dynamically well-sorted and stylistically on point, and it has one of the most beautiful interiors in the business. Mercedes and BMW could learn a thing or two from this car.

Year: 2010
Complex Says: The RS5 was designed to take on the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C63 AMG. Coupling a 450hp V8 with the Audi A5's more sensual looks made for an instant winner and a much-desired car worldwide. Not available worldwide, but desired worldwide.

Year: 2003
Complex Says: The B6 S4 was the first to get the new aluminum V8 and the first S car to be available as a sedan, convertible, and wagon. Fuel efficiency was terrible, but fun was there in spades.

Year: 1995
Complex Says: When Audi reworked its nomenclature in the '90s and renamed the Audi 100 the Audi A6, it modified the Ur-S4 to become the first S6. This car heralded a line of fast, fun, practical cars at reasonable prices. For this, we are thankful.

Year: 1936
Complex Says: The C-Type was an insane creation. Its mid-mounted V16 produced 520 horsepower riding on those skinny 1930s tires. The rear suspension design made it so difficult to handle that only one man, Bernd Rosemeyer, could drive it.

Year: 1988
Complex Says: There's something about a V8 that's so cool that companies just get stuck on it and end up naming the whole car "V8." The V8 was Audi's flagship model of the late '80s and the precursor to today's A8. This is the car that gave Audi the image of a luxury automaker, and it established a cult following all its own.

Year: 1987
Complex Says: The 90 Quattro 20V was an upmarket, sporty sedan with some rally-bred handling to boot. The 20 valve five pot was the first one offered since the Quattro of Group B rally fame.

Year: 2009
Complex Says: The R15 TDI was Audi's diesel-powered racing masterpiece from 2009-2011. It makes more than 590hp and an awesome 774 ft-lbs of torque. That power plant, combined with the tight handling and powerful braking, allowed the R15 to set a Le Mans distance record of 3,362.1 miles in 2010.

Year: 2011
Complex Says: The R18 is Audi's newest Le Mans prototype, and looks well-made and well-driven to continue Audi's domination of Le Mans. Only time will tell, but we're willing to say that this car will be one of Audi's greats.

Year: 1991
Complex Says: The Audi 100 needed a performance variant and Quattro Gmbh was happy to provide a pair of tuned engines and suspension in order to make the Ur-S4. This S model was powered by a classic Audi turbo I5, or a kick-ass 4.2L V8 in Plus trim.

Year: 2000
Complex Says: Replacing the RS2 was no easy task, but Quattro Gmbh managed to cook up a sweet sports car in the RS4. The 375 horsepower twin-turbo V6 sped this unassuming sedan to 60mph in as little as 4.9 seconds.

Year: 2008
Complex Says: In some ways, the C6 RS6 is the current iteration of the legendary RS2. It's a practical family wagon that just so happens to host a fire-breathing, 571hp, twin-turbo V10. Sometimes the kids need to get to soccer practice, but their equipment is at the cleaners on the other side of the Nurburgring. Luckily, the RS6 exists for just this circumstance.

Year: 2009
Complex Says: Luckily for us, the Audi TT-RS has just landed on American soil. It has tons of power, tons of torque, a small footprint, and performance that should make a lot of mid-engined supercars fidget in their seats. While it's a lot of money for a car built on the VW Golf platform, it's not much money at all for a car this fast.

Year: 1999
Complex Says: The otherwise pedestrian Audi A6 transformed into one of the most versatile vehicles in the world when it became the A6 Allroad Quattro. The adjustable suspension transitioned the Allroad from sporty road car handling to goat-like climbing ability as the push of a button and the transmission had the low gear settings to match. It is the only car-based off-roader to complete an official Land Rover test course.

Year: 2006
Complex Says: When Audi released the R8 road car (as opposed to the R8 Le Mans Racer), most people said, "it's a badge-engineered Lambo." The smart ones soon realized their folly. The R8 is a mid-engined supercar that not only goes fast and handles well, but is comfortable and refined enough for daily use. It doesn't sacrifice performance to achieve this level of usability, though, and that's what makes it one of the best all-around cars for sale right now.

Year: 1907
Complex Says: This car introduced the six cylinder engine to the world. Today, we are immensely thankful for this nice, middle ground between wussy four pot and thirsty V8.

Year: 1956
Complex Says: Believe it or not, this car had a polyester body (reinforced by glass-fiber), and that was a good thing. Its light weight and sound aerodynamics allowed it to set five world records in a single day in 1956.

Year: 2002
Complex Says: Not only was the C5 RS6 a sweet 444hp wagon, but it was a dominating force in the North American SPEED World Challenge GT Series from 2002-2004.

Year: 2000
Complex Says: The R8 race car is one of the greatest endurance racers of recent years. Due to its easy-to-replace parts and superb performance, the R8 won 63 races out of 79 entered and managed 47 pole positions. It secured wins at 24 Hours of Le Mans five out of seven times, and it won the American Le Mans Series every year from 2000 to 2006.

Year: 1938
Complex Says: While the C-Type may have been the most astounding Auto Union silver arrow, the D-Type was easily the best. Although it didn't have quite as much oomph as its predecessor, it still had a 420hp V12 though and a greatly improved suspension design that meant that people other than Bernd Rosemeyer could drive it. The D-Type also has the dubious distinction of being Hitler's favorite race car.

Year: 1980
Complex Says: The Quattro is Audi's brand identity. Audi has an image as a sporty company, as a proponent of turbocharging, as a company that makes premium compact cars, and as a leader in AWD technology. The quattro was all of these things crammed into a lightweight, tossable package.

Year: 1994
Complex Says: The Audi RS2 was a practical, four doors and a hatch family wagon. This is what made its performance so shocking. This child hauler could do 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, which is faster than a modern-day Maserati Granturismo, and 0-30 in 1.5 seconds, which was faster than a MacLaren F1. Next time you pull up to an aging Audi wagon at a red light, be afraid.

Year: 1984
Complex Says: While the Ur-Quattro may have been the genesis of Audi's image, the Sport Quattro was the realization of everything it was. The Ur-Quattro was a fun sports car, and the Sport Quattro was a game-breaking rally champion. The 444/306 (race or road spec) horsepower I5 in a carbon-kevlar body rocketed the Sport Quattro to victory in many a race.

Year: 1985
Complex Says: The Sport Quattro S1 was the pinnacle of the Quattro. In its final tune, Audi managed to wring 591 horsepower out of the I5 engine. It also drastically reduced turbo lag through the introduction of a recirculating air system that helped the turbos stay spooled when the driver let off the gas. This was one of the most capable, if not the most capable, Group B rally car of all time. Group B was the most powerful rally class of all time, and because of it, the Sport Quattro S1 is the most iconic rally racer in history.