On February 21 Audi AG held a 25th Anniversary of quattro celebration at their headquarters in Ingolstadt. Dubbed "quattro Night" it was a celebration of Audi's past as well as a look into the future. Attended by 400 members of the media, mostly from around Europe, the Audi Club North America was lucky enough to have four representatives in attendance; Karen Chadwick, Keith and Kent Anderson, and Matt Daniels. Along with John Stahmann (also a Club member) covering the event for AudiWorld.com, we were the only members of the North American media in attendance.

Held in the piazza in front of the Audi Museum, the normally wide-open area was transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with pathways of snow, an ice-rink and the centerpiece, a 6-story replica of an Olympic ski jump. This new ski-jump was in honor of the famous commercial of an Audi 100 quattro climbing the ski-jump in Kiaploa, Finland. It would prove to play a central roll in the night's activities.

With a light snow falling throughout the evening, the event started off with a group of ice skaters performing their routine with images of Audi rally history playing on the large screen. With their silver body suits featuring the four rings on the back and Audi's new signature grill icon on the front, the skaters provided an entertaining start to the nights festivities.

But the real entertainment was about to start. With the skaters cleared of the ice, the crowd was parted and a red Urquattro rolled onto the ice. At the wheel was legendary Audi rally driver Michèle Mouton, after a brief interview (one of the few to be in english) Michèle headed off to the enjoy the rest of the evening from the warmth of a tempoary chalet built for the evening.

The Urquattro was taken off the ice and then three more stars from Audi's rallying past took center stage, including an Audi Rallye quattro A2 and one of the early Audi S1's. The drivers of these vehicles included such notable Audi drivers Stig Blomqvist and Hannu Mikkola as well as other members of the rally teams.

When these were escorted from the ice, the unmistakable sound of the Audi Sport quattro S1-Pikes Peak was heard in the distance. On the big screen we were shown the S1 Pikes Peak blasting down the temporarily blocked off public road toward the event. The gates opened and the S1 rushed onto the ice with Walter Rohrl at the wheel. Walter was interviewed then headed over to the chalet with the rest of the evening's guests. Another notable guest appearance was Emanuele Pirro piloting an Audi 80 quattro circuit racer from out of the Audi Museum Mobile.

With the past history of quattro covered it was time to take a look at the present and future. Attention was directed toward the big screen where the world premier of a new quattro commercial was shown - a remake of the famous ski jump commercial this time with a new A6 quattro making the trek to the top of the very same ski jump in Finland.

Then, the star of the show made an appearance. From the top of the temporary ski-jump, two headlights lit up the white curtain that had been hiding it all evening. Like the Incredible Hulk ripping through a shirt, the new Audi RS4 tore through the curtain and slowly descended the ski-jump. With flashes popping off from every direction, the RS4 made a couple of turns on the ice and stopped for all to see. From the drivers seat immerged Audi AG Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn. During his interview, members of the media swarmed all over the RS4 to get a better look. It was difficult to get a good overall impression of the RS4 with so many people gathered around it, but needless to say it's impressive and we look forward to spending more time with it in the future.

With the commotion around the RS4 in full swing, Dr. Winterkorn announced another surprise guest for the evening. With that, Audi's upcoming SUV the Q7 made its first official appearance as it inched out of the Museum. Only the front half the Q7 made an appearance, and a short one at that. Before most could get a good look at it, it was quickly pulled back into the Museum. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a photo of it.

The frenzy was still going strong when we were asked to leave the ice so the RS4 could make its exit. Showing off a little of its 420 horses, the RS4 had a little fun by doing donuts on the ice, before pausing momentarily, then making a dramatic accent back up the ski-slope. As it rose, fireworks exploded in progression, near the top the RS4 came to a stop and a dramatic "25 quattro" sign burst into flames signaling the end of the nights formal presentation.

The remainder of the evening was held in and around the Audi piazza, with drinks, appetizers, and a strolling dinner served in the lobby of the Audi headquarters, the temporary chalet and in the restaurant in the Audi forum. It was a time to be able to meet the many guests of the evenings, including other famous Audi drivers such as Frank Beila who were not part of the official program.

Keep an eye out for your Quattro Quarterly with more on this event and other quattro events Audi is planning throughout the year.