Audi Ur-Quattro test car from PON Automotive

When it comes to many classic cars, it’s all about the history and provenance. Often, you’ll come across a fairly ordinary car, but it’s the story behind it that makes it truly remarkable. That’s certainly the case with this Audi Ur-Quattro bearing license plate GL-79-XB. You see, this happens to be the first one registered in the Netherlands by Pon, the Volkswagen and Audi importer for the country. Naturally, that makes it particularly enticing for collectors.

Back in those early days, this car served as a test car for the press, so you’d often spot it in the magazines of that era. All the journalists back then were absolutely gushing over its performance and the pioneering 4WD system, better known as Quattro, which Audi has since become synonymous with.

It’s precisely these tales behind the cars that make it enjoyable for me to delve deeper than just the exterior appearance of the car. I spotted the car in the cellar at the Gallery Aaldering in Brummen, a place in which you never know what you might find.

BMW 2002 Turbo at Gallery Aaldering

Every car enthusiast in the Netherlands knows about Gallery Aaldering, whether from TV or their showroom in Brummen. Since its establishment in 1975, Gallery Aaldering has grown into one of the largest classic car dealerships in Europe. They’ve kept their garage in Brummen all this time, and funnily enough, that happens to be the town I grew up in. Nowadays, I live just a stone’s throw away.

So, whenever something new comes in that piques my interest, I know the way to their showroom. In this case, I spotted an original BMW 2002 Turbo had arrived, time to get up close and personal. This particular model is from 1975, coincidentally the same year Gallery Aaldering was founded.

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