Audi recently hosted a group of journalists for a drive from Munich up into the Austrian Alps to Sell am See to show off the superior grip and roadholding of the latest generation of Audi Q5 and SQ5 models. A picturesque region that attracts visitors from all over Europe and indeed the world, Sell am See is also the home of the annual FAT Ice Race, a celebration of all things automotive, pushed to the limits on the ice. Audi is a regular at the ice race event and this year, the famed Audi quattro Rallye headlined the brand’s presence at the event, in the very capable hands of a professional rally driver by the name of Harald Demuth. 

This was not Demuth's ‘first rodeo’ by any stretch of the imagination, the dual German rally champion having piloted plenty of Audis in his time, including a number of appearances at the ice race event.

Of course an event on ice and snow half a world a way can be hard for Australians to comprehend at this time of the year. But with the country’s attention currently turned towards the stunning alpine regions of northern Italy for the Winter Olympic Games (not far as the crow flies from the Austrian Alps), it seemed a fitting time to revisit another outstanding feat that captured the imagination four decades ago this year.

Widely considered one of the most famous automotive advertisements of all time – the ad shows a car being driven up the impossibly steep incline of a ski jump, perfectly demonstrating over the course of just 60 seconds, the extraordinary capabilities of quattro all-wheel drive.

This was produced at a time before AI and CGI made everything appear possible, and called for real people to perform real feats of bravery and skill to create imagery that in this case has very much stood the test of time.

Shot entirely on location at the Pitkävuori ski jump in Kaipola, Finland, the production required the unmodified Audi 100 CS quattro, to be driven by the aforementioned Harald Demuth, up the snow-covered ski jump.

But even for the hugely experienced Demuth, driving a car up the 37.5 degree gradient (80 percent incline) of the snow-covered ski jump, must have felt a world away from anything else he had done before, parking the car at the top of the jump, some 47 metres off the ground.

The feat is simple yet supremely effective, illustrating just what quattro can do, without the need for complicated descriptions, technical information or compelling voiceovers.

The ad was recreated in 2005 to celebrate 25 years of quattro, this time with a grey Audi A6 4.2 quattro adopting the lead role with engineer and racing driver Uwe Bleck at the wheel. Faithful to the original, it was filmed on the same jump, which had to first be brought back up to specification, having spent many years out of commission.

Both efforts are testament to what can be done with creativity, the right people and the right equipment, but the unique quality of Harald Demuth and the Audi 100 CS quattro can never be duplicated, and still makes an impression 40 years later.