Audi has reproduced a 1980s television commercial showing a ‘gravity defying’ Audi quattro saloon climbing the 47m Pitkävuori ski jump in Finland. It has been remade using a new A6 saloon and marks the 25th anniversary of the quattro system.

Audi engineer Uwe Bleck used a V8-powered A6 4.2-litre quattro to highlight the traction advantages of the four-wheel drive system.

He reached a height of 47 metres on a gradient of about 80%. The car was fitted with a special ‘roll-back safety device’ to stop it sliding back once it had stopped, the automatic transmission was fixed in first gear and the wheels were fitted with rally-style tyres with 6mm spikes.