It’s is always interesting to witness the results when an automotive manufacturer’s out-of-the-box engineers get together. This is one of those results…
Audi has taken one of its most powerful engines and squashed it into the front of its smallest car, the A1. The engine in question is the 2,5-litre five cylinder unit already doing service in the TT RS, and due in the upcoming RS3. The engineers have put their heads together to get a full 370 kW and 660 N.m from this turbocharged unit. These are figures we would normally associate with the V10-engined version of Audi’s R8 supercar!
To achieve these numbers, the turbocharger, intercooler, intake porting and exhaust line have been optimised for better performance. Audi has also taken a subtle hint from its A4 DTM racing car, with the tailpipe that exits just before the rear wheel.
R8-rivalling performance
To rein in all of that power, Audi has implemented is quattro technology on the A1 Clubsport. This means the torque is distributed to all four wheels. Apart from the (theoretical – concept, remember?) dynamic capability of this car, the quattro system assists in getting this A1, with a manual six speed gearbox, from rest to 100 km/h in 3,7 seconds before hitting 200 km/h in 10,9 seconds. Thankfully top speed is limited to 250 km/h.
The braking system comprises perforated carbon fibre-ceramic discs at the front and steel discs on the rear axle. An interesting combination that makes sense, although this is the first car that we know of that has this brake combination.
Not only has the body been redesigned for better airflow to cool the engine – such as the bonnet louvres – but different materials have been used. An example of this is the carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) roof. The body of the Audi A1 clubsport have also be widened by 60 mm.
Audi has incorporated several lightweight features, such as the bucket seats from the stripped -down version of its supercar, the R8 GT. The result is an all-out weight of just 1 390 kg – factor in the power on offer and you have one serious little performer.
The Audi A1 Clubsport quattro will be on show this week at the annual Wörthersee Tour in Austria.
