Audi will equip its new TT coupe with one half of the Gallardo's 513-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-10 to create a car being developed under the working name TT-Lambo.
The resulting 2.5-liter five-cylinder is already being used, sort of, in the 150-horsepower Volkswagen Golf and Jetta. But the quattro TT-Lambo gets a bespoke cylinder head and a turbocharger said to be capable of making it the most powerful TT ever--at more than 350 horsepower.
When will we see it? That's unknown right now, but 2009 is a well-educated guess for release date.
What does it replace? Nothing. The hard-core TT Quattrosport, a 240-horsepower, 1.8-liter turbo with no rear seat, built near the end of the old TT's production run and never imported to the U.S., is the only thing that comes close.
Apart from the engine, what else will we get? A six-speed manual gearbox for sure. A new DSG for transverse-engine Audis isn't ready to go, so that's an issue. Expect extra wings and spoilers and a brake upgrade, with optional ceramic brakes possible. Wheels will be 19- or 20-inch.
...and that's not all
Audi's model range being aggressively expanded
R8 Spyder: A convertible version of the mid-engine R8 has been approved for the 2009 calendar year.
A5: This is the next A4 convertible and a coupe, the latter of which was considered for the current A4, but never approved. All A5s will be two-doors, except...
A5 Sportback: A four-door hatch, not quite as wagonlike as the A4 Avant, this is the production version of the Roadjet 2006 Detroit show car.
DSG gearboxes: Dual-shift gearboxes specific to Audi's new longitudinal-engine cars (differentials will be moved forward of the gearbox) will have six or seven gears, depending on the power, and may replace automatics. Look for them in the next A4, A6, and A8, plus in the new A5 and Q5.