The End of the Road

1,616 20v Avants were produced, with just 149 of those making it to the states. After years of gathering information and tracking down what remains of these cars, we may very well have the closest thing we’ll ever get to a brand new example… Outside of stealing the one at the Audi Tradition museum, that is. Obtaining this car was an investigative journey that took about all the patience and perseverance one can possess. The “final” boss of T44Brian is here: the seventh 20v Avant to join the lineup, and likely the final vintage Audi that I’ll likely ever need obtain.

SEPTIMUS OVERVIEW

Personality Profile: Looking beyond a checkered past, this is a car that is still full of life and ready to see the road again. While we admittedly will be selective with our trips, I have no doubt that this car is happy to provide the best of what there is to experience from a 20v car.

1991 Audi 200 20v quattro Wagon (Production 07/90)  2.2L Turbocharged I5 (3B) | 5-Speed Manual (016)  

Pearl White L0A9 | Platinum Comfort Seats 

MSRP: $43,905

Origin Dealer: Unknown

Dealer Delivery Date: Unknown

Factory Options: None

Dealer Installed Accessories: None

In Collection Since: 9/8/2026 (33rd of 33 Audis Owned)

Special Plate: 20v

Status: Restoration Complete, Permanent Collection

Usage: Show Car/Seasonal Driver

Odd & Unique About This Car: Road time was cut short due to a tree fall in 1994, with damage to the windshield, hood, and fenders. It took nearly two decades before being reassembled in Latvia, then returning to the US. As of 2026, this is the lowest mileage example known to exist of the US-bound cars.

Name Origin: Septimus (or shortened to “Seppi”) is Latin derived meaning “seventh,” as this is the seventh 200 20v Avant that I have owned.

While it seems nothing tends to get past me when it comes to knowing about these cars, this one is proving to be a mystery. Unfortunately, the original “red” service booklet is missing for this car, which means we don’t know the original dealer or delivery date (this was always stamped and noted along with its build sticker). Our best guess on the limited history is the car was purchased originally in New York near Elmsford. There was an Audi dealer in Elmsford at the time, but we can’t confirm if it was sold here or another dealer in the area.

Seppi accumulated around 25k miles before what is believed to be a tree that fell on the car totaled him out. The date of the incident is unknown, but assumed to be Winter 1993-1994. This left the nose of the car damaged with a smashed windshield. Shokan Audi, a dismantler out of Shokan, NY purchased him after a salvage title was issued. The owner of Shokan kept the car with plans to reassemble, but that never happened. When Shokan closed and its inventory was bought around 2018, this was one of the cars that was part of the liquidation.

Around 2021 images of the car surfaced online. All of these images were angled to feature the rear, as the front of the car was still damaged and disassembled. For a couple years the car disappeared with no mention.

There were only two 200 20v Avants that were unearthed from the Shokan collection. While they had received other 20v cars to dismantle, these were kept with the intention to rebuild. Along with this Pearl/Platinum car was a Lago/Platinum example, which also was involved in a salvage incident almost around the same time. According to a former employee of Shokan, this vehicle was acquired and being driven by a family member of the company, who was involved in an accident with the car where it hit a tree after sliding off the road. The car was deemed salvage and then Shokan rebuilt the car – though the quality of the build was not perfect. I was offered this car in 2024 but after careful inspection I deemed the repairs and refinish quality to be marginal at best. This Lago car was later sold on Cars & Bids site in August 2024.

After acquiring my fourth 20v Avant shortly after (Alpine/Travertine), I revived the 20v registry and focused some effort to track down as many examples as possible. We continued to run the Alpine 20v as a daily driver while pursing other Audis, and then in 2026 I successfully located and purchased what I would consider to be the best Lago 20v left. We also were surprised with an opportunity to rescue a Pearl/Platinum vehicle out of New Jersey as a side project.

Just days after brining my Lago 20v Avant home from Nashville, Seppi reappeared online in a post that showed off his completed “restoration.” While I wanted to investigate further, the car was sold instantly to an unknown (at the time) party.

Make no mistake: I was plenty content with the Lago 20v as the “nice” one in my fleet; I was indifferent with Seppi’s rediscovery as I had my plate already full with my other cars.

When the Lago car came home, I knew it was game over for my other two 20v Avants. There was no real need to have three examples running at the same time, along with five other cars that had their various needs and challenges. In July 2026 I began to create a plan to edit the collection back down to a manageable size and only keep what was most important.

My Pearl and Alpine 20v Avants were listed first and purchased by two parties who were both enthusiasts, so I couldn’t be happier that they both went to good homes. Also on the chopping block was Scheffler, the 1980 C2 5000 which, in all honesty, proved that at the end of the day I’m best left to dealing with C3 cars as projects and daily drivers. Our relationship never fully repaired after being dangerously left stranded on the Saw Mill Parkway in NY while trying to head down to Carlisle. While it was a fun car to experience: it’s no 20v. An offer I couldn’t refuse was made and Scheffler was the last of the three to be loaded for transport.

This cleared up plenty of garage space and some funds for whatever was next, and for a brief moment I was ready to dive in to my next goal of a French car: a Citroën CX, specifically. At the time I felt there wasn’t anywhere else to go up from in the Audiverse. I remained disinterested in going newer into something like a UrS6 Avant, or spending money on something like an RS2 or an UrQ. I also did not believe that going older into a C1 100 or doing something more obscure like an NSU Ro80 was smart if I wasn’t really warming up to the C2s in the way I hoped. In August 2026 I felt I had exactly what I wanted: a nice 4000, a quad-headlight 5000, a V8, a 100 wagon in my signature Alpine White, and a solid 200 20v Avant in my favorite color.

So… What happened that I felt it necessary to do a complete 180 on a French trajectory and go right back into another 20v Avant? The answer is simply that I love these cars and felt it was important to experience one that was as close to untouched and new as possible nearly 35 years after production.

Cars are only original once, but even this 26K mile car is not all original, so at this point there just may not be one left that hasn’t been repaired or restored in some way. That is something I was happy to accept; if after inspecting the car the only damage was truly from a tree fall and not a major collision.

Further information revealed that a new right fender was sourced, and original factory Pearl hood and left fender were found when Shokan got in cars to dismantle. A new Pilkington brand windshield was installed, and Euro lights were nicely wired and installed to round out the assembly.

Stating this car had a total restoration would be highly inaccurate. Seppi had a reassembly, and outside of a few deferred maintenance items and mechanicals from sitting, he was left as a truly original. There were a couple glaring inaccuracies that might not be caught by a nitpicker like myself. An incorrect cargo cover and a rear wiper arm… A quattro grille badge with script from an earlier model. Even the wiper motor arm trim was missing, which to me, was unacceptable. Thankfully, I had all the parts on hand to easily correct these oversights.

The major drama of Seppi is how he was presented and marketed initially. Understandably there is still a huge collector car bubble that has not quite burst yet, so these are (have never really been) cheap cars to pickup unless they’re total restorations or rough drivers. I’ve heard some rumors about what was paid for the car once it came back to the States, and therefore was offered the car for almost triple its market value. It was worthy of a good laugh. And even though I’m impulsive and enjoy a good conquest, I paid a fair price for my Lago car in perfect shape, so I wasn’t going to easily be swayed to overpay.

I also found it rather interesting that the car was bought in May 2026 and then ready to be sold again with less than 3 months of ownership. Apparently, the prior “placeholder” entity was gunning for funds to do something else (I was told a Sport Quattro).

Regardless, when Seppi came up on BaT there were titling concerns, as he now possessed a clean Vermont title after holding a rebuilt title from NY. Title washing? We’ll never know the true story. But the title was revoked on the car just as the auction was closing.

I was expecting a bid war, and was fully ready for it. But I experienced one of the most lackluster last two minutes of any auction ever: I cautiously placed a bid and just watched 120 seconds count down with no action. Obviously reserve was not met, so I was able to work out a deal after which I felt was fair.

I picked up Seppi a few days later. What I didn’t realize is that Vermont wouldn’t issue a new, correct rebuilt title on the car without an inspection. But, because of the potential fraudulent actions surrounding the title, I had Connecticut State Police and an inspector from the NCIB at my humble Suffield garage to make sure the car was not reconstructed with stolen parts or otherwise had modifications to VIN plates etc. Thankfully, both gentlemen who visited were car nuts and were happy to help get the inspection done.

So… Almost a month later, we have legitimate tags and a proper title. Time to get some miles on this car! We’ll keep improving on what’s here as needed. But right now, we’re very happy with how things have come along.

Notable Mods & Changes

2026: New Purchase

• 16” Euro BBS Wheels
• New Front Mudflaps
• Upgraded 2w Cluster Bulbs
• Correct Platinum Cargo Cover
• Correct quattro script Grille Badge
• Replacement Rear Wiper Arm
• New Front License Plate Bracket
• New Spark Plug Cover Plastic Screws
• New/Added Various Stickers/Decals
• Replacement Right Zebrano Dash Trim
• New Cigarette Lighters
• New Shift Knob
• New Radiator Mounts
• New Voltage Regulator
• Replacement Wiper Motor Arm Trim
• Black/Grey Checkered Coco Mats
• Replacement Platinum Center Console
• Replacement Electronic Climate Control Unit
• New Clear Headlight Corner Reflectors
• Replacement Top Radiator Cover