Audi was never a real volume car manufacturer pre 1970s. In the early days Audi released to the market very specialized cars and this 100 LS (C1) drop top Cabriolet was one of them. Osnabruck-based Karmann Coachworks was commissioned to build and delivery all the bodies and they already had their own business with Volkswagen, building special models like the Karmann Ghia though this would have marked new space for Audi. Though not quite as exotic in appearance as the Bertone-penned Coupe S, the 2-door notchback body style of the 100 likely marked an easier design from which to engineer a convertible. A prototype was built and the car debuted on the 1969 Frankfurt IAA.
Alas, the car would never move beyond the prototype stage but it certainly marked an interesting page in the history of the C1/F104 architecture. Karmann would produce coupe and convertible models for the Volkswagen Group for years, including the B3-based Audi Cabriolet (1997-2000) and A4/S4 Cabriolets (2002-2008).
(pictured above is the coupé)
By 2009 the company had fallen on hard times and was eventually purchased by the Volkswagen Group. The Karmann-built 100 LS Cabriolet remains today in the collection of Audi Tradition, occasionally pulled out for classic car events.
