Audi fans can look forward to hot new models in 2008 and 2009, because the word is out that the Ingolstadt firm is developing a brace of souped-up TTs The TT-S (Sport) and TT-RS (Race Sport) will give some much-needed clout to the lithe sports coupé, while those after an oil burner alternative will be glad to hear that a four-cylinder TDI model is also in the pipeline.
The Audi TT-S is a hotted-up version of the TT that will make its debut at next year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. Few have seen images of the TT-S, but spy photographers have managed to spot a prototype at play on a section of the Nürburgring.
According to pictures, the TT-S inherits Audi’s signature S front-end styling – including a deeper front air scoop and larger air intakes. Although Audi would do good to define the rest of vehicle with harder, sharper lines and provide the TT-S with sportier alloy wheels to distinguish the S from the standard car, the recent addition of LED headlights, similar to those seen in the RS6 Avant, do add nicely to the car’s appearance. The white TT-S pictured has a white strip on the lower part of the headlamps hiding the LED technology underneath. The TT S also sports a quad exhaust set up at the rear of the vehicle.
There is a good deal of speculation surrounding the nature of the powerplant, but it is widely believed that the TT-S will receive a tweaked version of the Audi S3’s 2,0-litre TFSI which will develop around 210 kW. Not much else is known, but a logical approach would be to assume an uprated braking system, four-wheel drive and the company’s dual-clutch gearbox.
Potential competitors on the local market include the Z4, Porsche Cayman S and 350 Z Roadster.
If the TT-S isn’t mean enough to take down these rivals, then there is always it’s big-brother, the TT-RS. Much as the case with its lesser sibling, the exact nature of this car’s powerplant is still open to debate, with some sources suggesting a 3,6-litre twin-turbocharged V6 or a 2,5-litre five-cylinder unit – both of which are thought to develop 260 kW.
While it may not approach the sheer brawn of the TT-RS, The proposed TDI model will also pack a fair punch with a power output exceeding 125 kW.