The company that became Audi Sport was created as a means of protecting the quattro name and its associated marketing rights, but in 1984, it began selling accessories, from clothing to luggage and even model cars. Then, in 1995, Audi Sport opened customization programs and later helped create the Audi “Picasso” cabriolet. The following year, the company became a registered vehicle manufacturer and unveiled the S6 plus. In 2007, the first R8 arrived, and its GT3 variant was the first of Audi’s customer racing cars, which now also include the RS3 LMS, the R8 LMS GT4, and the R8 LMS GT2. Audi Sport customer racing vehicles have, to date, clinched over 400 motorsport titles, but don’t expect many more wins in production-based cars.
Audi is said to have dropped its customer racing programs to focus solely on Formula 1 and the World Rally-Raid Championship.