The ELEGEND EL1 Is a 816-HP Electric Tribute to the Audi Quattro

This limited-edition stunner is a modern reimagining of a rally car legend.

Startup German electric vehicle manufacturer is creating a tribute to, well, a legend with the potent EL1.  

If you can’t tell from the imagery, it’s a modern creation of the Audi Quattro, a classic Group B rally car produced between 1980 and 1991, as Acquire notes. It’s all-wheel drive and boasts a softer, more rounded interpretation of the original Quattro’s boxy shell, but that’s about where the similarities end. 

Instead of a straight-five internal combustion engine, the EL1 runs a 90 kWh-battery mated to an unspecified electric motor platform that cranks 805 horsepower to both axles. 

Projected performance specs include a 2.8-second zero-to-60 mph time, a top speed of 158 mph. Ensuring the EL1 is suitable for track day outings, ELEGEND says the EL1 will be able to complete two all-out laps at the 13-mile Nurburgring without losing any power in sport mode. In standard mode, it’ll go for nearly 250 miles on a charge.  

Other details are more vague, the EL1 will also be equipped with lightweight carbon monocoque chassis to keep weight down to 3,704 pounds. The inside will be furnished with an infotainment system, air conditioning, parking sensors and a backup camera. Traction control, ABS, and electric safety program, a “high performance braking system” will all be offered as standard.  

Only 30 ELEGEND EL1s will be sold for $1.3 million each on the European market, where it will be street legal, according to Car and Driver. The good news for Americans is that an EL2 and EL3 are in the works, one of which will hopefully be offered stateside.