Cop drama a must for car fans

11:01am Friday 14th March 2008

A DATE with the television should by now be written in ink on every motoring enthusiast's calendar.

Thursday evenings to be precise, to tune in to the next episode of BBC's Ashes to Ashes. Whether you buy the time travelling thing or not, or DI Drake's shoulder padsor not, it's well worth switching on just to catch sight of some of the fabulous cars of the 1980s, including character Gene Hunt's beautiful red Audi Quattro.

There's no doubt about it, the Audi Quattro was the car to own, if you could get your hands on one. Introduced in 1980, it was an amazingly high-tech car at the time although only available in left hand drive - despite Gene Hunt's mystical right hand drive version in the series.

It was the first vehicle to feature Audi's Quattro four-wheel drive system and it was the first time the system was mated with a turbocharged engine.

Other favourites at the time include the Lotus Esprit, best remembered as Bond's car in For Your Eyes Only film of 1983, the Porsche 911, the epitome of 80s excess, the convertible VW Golf GTI, the ultimate in yuppies travel, the Sierra Cosworth with its whale tail rear and of course the DeLorean, with its distinctive 'gull wing' doors and ability to transport Michael J Fox through time in the 1985 blockbuster film 'Back to the Future.'

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