Following its second World Rally Championship win in three years, Audi executives pondered how to connect motorsport success with its road cars in the United States. Enter Jo Hoppen, Audi’s special vehicles manager, who tapped Frank Beddor, Audi Club of North America founder and racing dynasty patriarch, to form a partnership that aligned perfectly with the corporate vision. Who better to be the face of Audi’s US motorsport efforts than a family to which “wearing your Sunday best” meant donning a Nomex racing suit? Once onboard, the Beddor family requested no less than five Audi Sport quattros, a model not even available in the United States at the time.

Offered today from the Beddor family’s continuous ownership since new, and affectionately called “The F40 Killer,” this Sport quattro is among the most fascinating examples of Audi’s highly coveted Group B homologation special.

One of only 164 road variants produced, Hoppen had chassis 5035 delivered to Andial’s Dieter Inzenhofer for federalization in late 1985. Legendary Audi Sport engine builder Heinz Lehmann was charged with providing suitable motivation. He enhanced the Sport quattro’s 2.1-liter turbocharged inline five-cylinder with a ported-and-polished cylinder head, hotter camshafts, Motronic ECU, optimized turbocharger, and proprietary exhaust and intake manifolds. Engine dynamometer readings on file show Lehmann’s work improved maximum torque to 342 pound-feet at 5,400 rpm, while horsepower jumped to 435—more than 130 horsepower over the stock unit.

Audi transmission specialist Heinz Kluge upgraded the five-speed gearbox with stronger synchromesh and shorter gearing for better acceleration. Hoppen provided Audi Sport suspension parts and a bespoke roll cage to enhance the car’s racing capabilities. Wanting to visually set the Audi apart from a sea of red Ferrari competitors, Frank Beddor had this car resprayed from the original factory finish of Toronado Red to Alpine White.

Duly prepared, chassis 5035 was assigned to Frank’s son Steve, aptly nicknamed “The Sky Driver” for his adrenaline-pumping habit of skydiving into racing events, sometimes with a massive Audi banner in tow. Between 1991 and 1993, Steve Beddor and 5035 terrorized numerous Audi club autocross events throughout the Midwest to great success.

The pair made their primetime debut together in June 1991 at the Ferrari Club of America’s famous 5.2-mile Virginia City Hill Climb, where the so-called “white box” surprised everyone with its insane grip, raucous engine noise, and respectable fourth overall finish.

Returning to Virginia City in 1992, Steve Beddor stirred chassis 5035 to a jaw-dropping overall victory which earned the car its notable moniker. Literally skydiving into the starting line, Beddor hopped in his Sport quattro and promptly demolished the times of two competing F40s by breaking the course record with a time of 3:31.4. In 1993, The F40 Killer successfully defended its title at Virginia City, further cementing its legendary status.

In retirement, the car has been sparingly driven though regularly maintained. Modified from new by some of the most important gurus in Audi motorsport history, The F40 Killer brought to bear the unprecedented effectiveness of the quattro all-wheel-drive system, humbling some of the period’s most capable supercars in spectacular fashion.