Hi Chris, maybe this help you.
Type 81 or Type 85?
In fact, this question still moves the minds of the scene to this day;
a definitive and clarifying answer could not be found for a long time.
The fact is that chassis and part numbers of the coupé bodies start with 85...,
that of many notchback bodies (regardless of whether it has two or four doors) with 81...
Nevertheless, the inscription "Type 81" is clearly recognizable on the type plate,
if it is a front-wheel drive vehicle, regardless of year of manufacture or body style:
What the logisticians of the still young Audi AG (officially still "Audi NSU Auto Union AG" at that time)
may have thought almost 40 years ago when they assigned the product codes for the B2 models,
will probably remain in the dark of history.
Many misinterpretations circulate about the numbers 81 and 85 in the scene;
so the numbers do not represent the year of release, nor do they differentiate coupes from sedans,
and neither mean "before" or "after" the facelift of the B2 series in 1984.
For example, the predecessor model Audi 80 B1 (1972-1978) is listed under the model numbers 80 and 82...
It was agreed today to call the front-wheel drive models in the series the Type 81,
the all-wheel drive models accordingly as Type 85.
This applies regardless of body shape and number of cylinders.
They all have the series designation B2 in common.
This nomenclature is also represented by the manufacturer himself.
https://typ8185ig.de/wp-content/uplo...Audi_Coupe.jpg