At the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi clinched its sixth overall victory with an R10 TDI-a 650-horsepower prototype race car propelled by a twin-turbodiesel V-12-making it the first diesel-powered car ever to win Le Mans, the world's most historic endurance race.
What does this have to do with the 2008 TT? Not much, really. Except for the fact that a TT led the race, giving the two front-row R10s a good look at its curvaceous posterior and new square-light-cube taillamps. Okay, so it was the official pace car, and it was for only one lap.
2008 Audi TT
Base Price: $35,000-$42,000 (est)
Vehicle Layout: Front engine, FWD or AWD, 4-pass, 2-door hatch
Engines: 2.0L/200-hp/207 lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4; 3.2L/250 hp/236 lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6
Transmissions: 6-speed manual; 6-speed auto-clutch manual
Curb Weight: 2800-3200 lb
Wheelbase: 97.2 in
Length X Width X Height: 164.5 x 72.5 x 53.2 in
0-62 MPH: 5.7-6.4 sec (est)
EPA City/HWY Fuel Econ: 18-22 / 25-31 mpg (est)
On Sale In U.S.: April 2007 |
Besides the R10 and TT sharing a presence at this storied event, they also share high levels of shock value-the R10 for jolting the motorsport world by winning Le Mans (not to mention the 2006 12 Hours of Sebring) with a diesel, and the TT for rocking the sports-car segment back in 1998 with its striking shape and avant-garde interior.
For Audi, the TT is an icon, similar to what the 911 is to Porsche-an image leader instantly recognizable even by those who aren't car enthusiasts. The 911, though, a proven winner on road and racetrack and one of the great sports cars of its time, is a perennial benchmark by which others are measured, whereas the TT, a relative fledgling, has so far failed to measure up to yardstick status-its Bauhaus design not withstanding-falling short of some of its more able competitors.
Following a drive in the second-generation through the serpentine roads that dissect the Austrian Alps near Salzburg, it seems the TT, while still not quite the proverbial yardstick, has inched its way closer to the top, now possessing the legs and lungs to legitimately run with 350Zs, Caymans, and Z4s.
Audi estimates that the new lineup-initially composed of a front-drive 2.0 TFSI (200-horse turbo four-cylinder and a six-speed S tronic dual-clutch auto-manual) and an all-wheel-drive 3.2 Quattro (250-horse V-6 paired with S tronic or a traditional six-speed manual)-will sprint from 0-to-60 mph about 0.5 second quicker than its predecessors. The 2.0-liter makes 20 extra horsepower compared with the old 1.8, and the 3.2 is carryover. So how are the new cars that much quicker? Unwanted weight, the nemesis of performance, has been left wanting thanks to an all-new steel-and-aluminum Audi Space Frame that, utilizing 69-percent aluminum, weighs 48 percent less than an all-steel body, according to Audi. Curb weight, lowered as well by an aluminum-intensive suspension, has dropped by around 200 pounds. Moreover, the new TT is sleeker, slipping through the atmosphere with a 0.30 Cd versus 0.34 for the old model.
Race-styled cockpit gets flat-bottomed wheel, more interior room, and available Nappa leather-covered seats.