Audi TT as the base: Third generation of an icon

The world premiere of the Audi TT cup was part of the 2014 DTM finale at the Hockenheimring – perfectly coordinated with the market launch of the new Audi TT in Germany.

When the first generation of the Audi TT was launched on the market in 1998 it was a design revolution and an iconic automobile. In the second generation, not least thanks to the multi-material design with high aluminum content, the TT became even sportier. Today, the Audi TT is regarded as a modern classic and a driving machine delivering top performance.

The third generation of the compact sports car, which the company unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2014, again features a fascinating emotional design and dynamic qualities. Innovative technologies used in the powertrain and in the controls and instruments concept are hallmarks of the new coupé.

A special feature is the Audi virtual cockpit – a fully digital instrument cluster featuring dynamic animations and precision graphics with a resolution of 1,440 x 540 pixels that replaces the conventional analogue instruments.

Audi offers the new TT and TTS with three four-cylinder engine options, with turbocharger and direct injection. The power outputs range from 135 kW (184 hp) to 228 kW (310 hp). The two TFSI gasoline units and the TDI combine sporty power with pioneering efficiency. The start-stop system is a standard feature. The Audi TT cup car uses the 2.0 TFSI from the new Audi TTS. The four-cylinder engine delivers 228 kW (310 hp) in the production model and accelerates the TTS from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds.

The taillights of the new Audi TT feature LED technology as standard equipment. At the front, Xenon plus units are standard. Optionally, Audi delivers the headlights with LED technology or with the Le Mans tested Matrix LED technology featuring individual, controllable light emitting diodes that generate the high beam, which is used in the Audi TT cup as well.

Audi produced more than 510,000 cars of the first two TT generations. And racing fans are familiar with the TT as well. From 2000 to 2003, Team Abt Sportsline relied on Audi’s compact sports car in the DTM and in the 2002 season with Laurent Aiello won the championship title as a privateer team against the factory-backed Mercedes-Benz and Opel squads.

The second generation of the TT caused a sensation on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring – among others, by clinching the first and so far only pole position of a race car with front-wheel drive in the VLN Endurance Championship and overall victory in the 6-hour race in 2011. Now the third generation even receives a racing series of its own: the Audi Sport TT Cup.