Following its second World Rally Championship title in three years, Audi sought to translate its motorsport dominance into US road car appeal. That opportunity arrived in a letter from Frank Beddor Jr. of Chanhassen, Minnesota—racer, Audi Club of North America founder, and head of a family that lived and breathed speed. Beddor proposed a partnership: His family, each member a seasoned driver, would represent Audi’s racing spirit in America. The ask? Five Audi Sport quattros—one for Frank Jr. (60), his wife Marilyn (50), and their sons Frank (26), Steve (24), and David (22)—to match their need for speed and showcase the brand’s performance pedigree.

Driven extensively—and with record-breaking success—by David Beddor between 1986 and 1998, “The Red Devil” is offered today from the Beddor family’s continuous ownership and is surely among the most fascinating examples of Audi’s revered homologation special.

One of only 164 Sport quattro produced, Hoppen organized the Red Devil’s delivery to Andial’s Dieter Inzenhofer for federalization in March 1986. Legendary Audi Sport engine builder Heinz Lehmann was subsequently charged with providing the car with suitable motivation. His modifications included a ported-and-polished cylinder head, hotter cams, a Motronic ECU, an optimized K27 turbocharger, as well as proprietary exhaust and intake manifolds which improved the car’s maximum torque to 466 newton-meters at 5,400 RPM and 449 horsepower—more than 145 horsepower over the stock unit!

Always regarded as the most naturally talented Beddor brother regardless of the competitive endeavor at hand, Jo Hoppen elected to send David for training with rally legend and Audi Sport works driver, John Buffum. Hoppen’s logic tracked that David, on account of his raw talent, would be best positioned to receive Buffum’s teachings, adapt his driving habits accordingly, and then effectively relay them to his brothers.

The results of Buffum’s training course—and Hoppen’s sound logic—speak for themselves. From 1988 to 1998, David Beddor and the Red Devil terrorized Audi club autocross events throughout the Midwest. Nearly every event was a Beddor family exhibition where the operating question became, “Which one could go fastest?”

But the Red Devil’s most notable showing came during June 1991 at the Ferrari Club of America’s famous 5.2-mile Virginia City Hillclimb. Against a comprehensive entry list of Maranello’s finest road cars, the Red Devil surprised everyone by finishing 1st—12 whole seconds ahead of a Ferrari F40, and four seconds ahead of brother Steve Beddor’s white Sport quattro, “the F40 Killer.” Later that year, David and the Red Devil broke the lap record at Minnesota’s Brainerd International Raceway, with a time of 231.788 seconds.

In retirement, this phenomenal Sport quattro has been sparingly driven and maintained by marque specialists. Supplied with a fascinating trove of Audi correspondence and technical documentation, the Red Devil is a tremendous prize to be cherished but also enjoyed—in anger—at hillclimbs, autocross events, and road rallies. Modified from new by some of the most important gurus in Audi motorsport history, the Red Devil brought to bear the unprecedented effectiveness of the quattro all-wheel-drive system, humbling some of the period’s most capable supercars in spectacular fashion.