As many Audi 20v fans will already know, one of the most renowned depictions of the Audi Quattro was in the British science fiction police drama TV series, Ashes to Ashes.
Ashes to Ashes was a sequel to the popular television series, Life on Mars, and told the story of a female police officer named Alex Drake. The plot follows Drake, who was involved in an accident in 2008, but regained consciousness to find herself working for the police force in 1981.
The Audi Quattro car was, in fact, driven by fellow police officer, DCI Gene Hunt during the series, and acted as a replacement for the Ford Cortina which he drove during Life on Mars. Many stunts took place involving the vehicle - in real life, it would have doubtless needed much repair, and an extremely comprehensive insurance policy from somewhere like www.rac.co.uk/car-insurance/. An additional stunt car was also used for some of the more dangerous stunts, although this was eventually written off following a jump that was stages for the third series.
Since the television series, the Audi Quattro has achieved a certain popularity through its reinvention, and something of a cult status as an iconic 1980s vehicle. However, in the run up to the 2010 UK general election, this lead to the vehicle being using as part of the Labour Party's anti-Conservative campaign. Posters showing Conservative leader, David Cameron, sitting on the bonnet of a very similar red Audi Quattro were put up in an attempt to persuade voters not to let Cameron take the country 'back to the Eighties', when a Conservative government had lead to much social unrest and dissatisfaction with the political leadership. In response, however, the Conservatives then used the same image, along with the slogan "Fire up the Quattro, it's time for change" in order to encourage the public to vote against the current Labour Party Government.
The Audi Quattro and Ashes to Ashes
