Vorsprung Durch Technik - As They Say In England...

"Vorsprung durch Technik" - what?!! Apparently, it means something along the lines of "advancement through technology" in German, and has long been the slogan of the Audi company. In 1984, the slogan achieved fame here in England, with actor Geoffrey Palmer telling viewers that an Audi 100 was needed if the Germans were to be beaten in the race for the swimming pool. "Vorsprung durch Technik, as they say in Germany," said Mr Palmer in droll posh English tones, and it rapidly became one of the ad catchphrases of the mid-to-late decade.

Mr Palmer, already a TV favourite (remember him in Butterflies?), now had a new claim to fame.

The idea to use the "Vorsprung durch Technik" slogan in English language Audi ads came about when Sir John Hegarty, of the Bartle Bogle Hegarty advertising agency, visited the Audi factory in 1982.