The Audi quattro made its international rally debut at the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally and was astonishingly rapid. However, the event proved Audi had a great deal to learn about both their complex 4x4 super-car and the logistics of running a team as neither car finished. Audi sent a single entry to the next round, in Sweden, for Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz. Rivals banked on a repeat of their troubles but instead rallying witnessed the dawn of a new era as the quattro set 15 fastest times on the way to an emphatic victory.
The car modelled scored three significant 'firsts'. It was the first time the Swedish Rally had been won by a non-Swedish crew and it was the first World Rally Championship win for a 4X4 car of any sort. Most importantly, it was the first victory for the quattro; a car that would change the face of rallying more emphatically than any other car ever has or probably ever will. It would go on to score 23 World Rally Championship victories and countless wins in National Championships the world over on the way to making quattro an iconic international brand.