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Audi developing production TT Clubsport speedster

Written by Nelson Ireson

Friday, 16 May 2008

Audi surprised many when it rolled out the TT Clubsport quattro concept at Germany’s Wörthersee tuner show in May of last year, and few would have suspected the radical concept would eventually enter production. Now, exactly 12 months after the debut of the original concept come new spy shots of a production-ready roofless TT driving inside an Audi facility in Germany.

Although Audi’s TT has never been the equal of competing cars like the Mercedes-Benz SLK or BMW’s Z4 thanks to its considerably less powerful engine range, the company has seen fit to continue to release a series of special-edition and higher-performance models.

Unfortunately, even the hotted-up variants do little to encroach of the territory of the SLK or Z4. Even the recently unveiled TT-S only generates 197kW, a gain of 13kW over the most powerful standard TT and 50kW over the base model, but still well short of the 252kW engine found in the Z4 M .

Classic design heritage, all-new performance
The concept for the new Audi TT Clubsport sported a 223kW turbocharged variant of the 2.0-litre TFSI engine in the Audi S3 under its bonnet. Designed around the theme of the classic Porsche 356 Speedster, the car’s chop-top looks added to the already low and sleek design of the TT, and it was generally well received.

Along with the dramatic looks, Audi was working to add dramatic performance, something the standard TT, despite its wonderful balance and brilliantly liveable design, was lacking. The production model looks to carry forward much of the concept’s intention in both aspects, though in predictably toned-down form.

The production model features the same chopped windshield and open-top design of the concept, including the missing roof-supports and rear-view mirror. The car does however have a few unique features of its own. New to the production version is a unique front bumper design with split air-intakes positioned on either side of the apron, a new grille, taller rollover bars and bigger brake lights.

Limited edition status, high-tech options likely
The new speedster is yet to be announced by Audi but it's expected to be a limited edition model with the only powertrain option being the same 223kW turbocharged 2.0-litre TFSI unit found in the concept car. The quattro title also implies this TT will get Audi’s famous all-wheel drive technology.

Audi’s S tronic dual-clutch transmission will likely handle shifting duties, while carbon-ceramic brakes may also be an option. As this latest prototype looks almost production ready we could see the new car launched as soon as the end of this year.

Audi's current top of the line TT is priced at $93.300, however due to the special modifications and extra power we expect the Clubsport model to be priced closer to $110,000.

Audi TT Clubsport Spy Shots

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