Return of the Audi TT Clubsport Quattro
A NEW version of the crowd-pulling, speedster-style Audi TT clubsport quattro show car makes its debut this month at the Wörthersee Tour, the annual gathering of Audi and VW enthusiasts in Austria.
The latest generation of the car that caused a sensation at the event in 2007 bears slightly more resemblance to the road-going TT models, but its classic speedster inspiration is still very much in evidence, as is the extra special, 300PS version of the 2.0-litre Turbo FSI petrol engine - the most powerful example of this popular unit to date.
The show car’s A-pillars are nearly invisible, making the continuous window strip appear to be a single casting. Instead of the compartment for the soft top there are two humps behind the passenger compartment to further emphasise the speedster theme. Mounted in front of the humps are two massive rollover bars, which together with the strong A-pillars protect the driver and passenger if the car should roll over.
The front end is dominated by the powerful single-frame grille painted in high-gloss black. Beneath the headlamps, which feature a strip of LED daytime running lights, are large air inlets covered by horizontally split black grilles.
A distinctive spoiler lip optimizes downforce. When viewed from the side, the sharp contours in the sill area are every bit as striking as the boldly accentuated wheel wells, which house polished 19 inch wheels shod with 255/35 tyres. The track has also been widened by 66 millimetres (2.60 inches) compared with the production TT, giving the car an even more squat, purposeful stance. The fascia between the two large tailpipes of the stainless steel exhaust system emphasizes the horizontal lines and makes the car look even wider from behind, as does the rear bumper, which doubles as a diffuser.
The purist style of the exterior carries over to the interior of the Audi TT clubsport quattro. The newly designed sill area emphasizes the width of the vehicle. The driver and passenger sit in racing bucket seats that offer excellent support even in extreme driving situations.
© Motopia™ 2008