19821980s

Audi launches the C3 with a 0.30 Cd — a record for production cars.

474
Variants this year
90 hp
Average power
8.4 L
Avg consumption
14.5s
Avg 0–100 km/h
Sedan
Top body · 37%
01 — Body mix

What shape dominated.

Distribution of 474 1982 variants by body type.

sedan37%
hatchback34%
wagon17%
coupe8%
Sedan
36.9%
Hatchback
34.2%
Wagon
16.9%
Coupe
8.4%
Suv
3.0%
Cabriolet
0.6%
02 — Fuel mix

What moved them.

Petrol still dominates in absolute volume in 1982, but the share is sliding to electric and hybrid year over year.

petrol79%
diesel21%
Petrol
78.7%
Diesel
21.3%
03 — Top picks

The standouts of 1982.

Quickest, most powerful, most efficient — from variants documented with a 1982 model year.

In context · 1980s

Boxy sedans. Carburetors. Leaded petrol.

Before catalytic converters were mandatory. Before electronic fuel injection became universal. The 1980s belonged to the wedge, the three-box sedan, the steel bumper. The Audi 100 broke aero records at 0.30 Cd in 1982; almost nobody else cared yet. The hot hatch arrived (Golf GTI, Peugeot 205 GTI, Renault 5 Turbo), and so did the European turbo diesel.

Audi 100 C3BMW 3 Series E30Volkswagen Golf Mk2Peugeot 205
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