Poring over the photos from our May 2010 cover shoot, we were struck by a sequence of frames showing ace photographer Paul Barshon at work. We’d gathered together eight of the greatest Quattros ever conceived by Audi to celebrate 30 years of fast four-wheel drives and writer Jethro Bovingdon was out to prove a point. Namely that Quattros will drift. If you’re violent enough with the throttle/wheel/angle of attack.
But as well as a stunning sequence of sideways shots, we were impressed by just how close Barshon was to a very crossed-up, 1.7-tonne Audi supercar. Designer Alex Tapley, who rattled off the behind-the-scenes shots above, reckons he was less than six feet away from a £112,000 accident.
‘Get close, close your eyes and hope for the best,’ laughs Barshon. ‘You just go by feel. When I shoot bikes, I get them coming one foot away from me. In fact I’ve been hit twice by motorcycle mirrors – one hit my camera and left me with a black eye for a week.
‘It’s all about creating drama. You want to put yourself in a position that creates drama and that’s why I get as close as possible to the subject. You have to have a driver who knows what he’s doing and whom you trust. Jethro was inch perfect.
‘I like to shoot at slow shutter speeds to create drama and actually wanted to get closer still.’
Oh, and one last thing for us mere amateurs. Don’t forget to take the lens cap off.
>> Check out the new March 2010 issue of CAR to see the full 28-page Quattro at 30 feature
>> Which is the greatest Quattro ever? Vote in our poll below