Audi 2013 Annual Report Download - page 99

Just where is this “Land of quattro” ? This question was
answered very precisely in September and October of last year :
It stretches between 7° 25' 38" and 14° 20' 16" east longitude,
in other words from Monaco in the west to Klagenfurt in
the east, at an altitude from zero to 2,715 meters. Its northern
boundary is where the first fall showers get caught on the
northern flanks of the Alps. And at the southern border, the
still-mild Mediterranean sun greets you as you come down
out of the mountains.
Its road system comprises 4,440 kilometers of small and
tiny mountain roads and 44 passes, interrupted only by
a few fast stretches of freeway. In other words : curves, curves
and more curves, which have been given melodious names
such as Col de Turini, Col de la Bonette, Gotthard, Susten, Julier,
Falzàrego or Grossglockner to tell them apart better.
Its residents, masters of curves and long-distance jaunts alike,
also have names that are equally distinctive and exclusive :
RS 6 Avant, RS 7 Sportback, RS 5 Cabriolet and, most recently,
RS Q3. Their ancestors – Urquattro and Sport quattro – proudly
testify to their legendary history. And even the younger member
of the family, the Sport quattro concept, flaunts its genes
in its name.
Just like any other country, “Land of quattro” also has its own
national anthem, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” Trumpeted down
from the mountains each morning from raspy muers, the
melody crashes against the rock walls of the valleys with the
roar of the engine revving in unmistakably clear testimony
to the nature of this land.
To make sure that the world gets to hear about this extraor-
dinary country, Audi invited 250 journalists from all over the
world to get to know “Land of quattro,” its roads and its
residents over a total of 12 stages. Klagenfurt to Monaco and
back. The fleet : 24 RS models, all equipped with quattro
drive as standard, and four classic cars. Over a period of two
weeks, they will cover a distance more than three times
the circumference of the Earth.