Here we have a special Audi in China. This is a C5 Audi A5 Allroad Quattro, seen in Beijing in the spring of 2017. It is the only red Allroad I have ever seen on Chinese roads and the only one with a manual gearbox. The license plate is special too with the 京Y·15995 sequence.
The red color works very well on the German wagon, contrasting nicely with the black bumpers and black cladding on the doors. The A6 Allroad Quattro was in super shape in any way, with a clean body without any rust or busts. The five-spoke alloy wheels were factory standard.
The interior was in dire need of a good cleanup. Lots of dirty black crap! But it still has the original leather seats and wood trim in the doors. The owner added seat covers that don’t cover much. He also has a ‘Starbucks’ mega cup. But the best thing is on the center tunnel: a manual gearbox! That’s a total rarity in China.
The C5 Audi A6 Allroad Quattro was manufactured from 1999 until 2005. It was a semi-offroad variant of the Audi A6 Avant station wagon. It came with slightly jacked-up suspension, black cladding, wider wheel arches, wider wheels, side skirts, and roof rails. It was officially imported into China, starting in 2004, near the end of its production.
Audi offered two engines for the Chinese market: the 2.7 turbo V6 and the 4.2-liter V8. The 2.7 liter turbocharged V6 had an output of 250 hp and 350 Nm, good for a 234 km/h top speed and a 0-100 in 7.7 seconds.
But, as far as I can see, Audi only sold this car with a five-speed automatic, and it didn’t offer the manual version. So how did this manual version end up in China? Perhaps it was a special-order import, Audi did that at the time, or it could have been a gray-import car. No matter how, it is a looker and a rare one.