The rapid evolution of the Audi TT
11/04/2018
In April 1995 , Auto Motor und Sport reported for the first time on an upcoming Audi roadster with an aluminum body. It looked sleek on the Stehrenberger drawings, reminiscences of the Ferrari 250 LM were mentioned. Presumably it was to have a 2.8-liter V6 with a five-valve head and 193 hp, mounted in front of the rear axle. All-wheel drive was of course also on board the sports car, which cost around DM 60,000. A quantum leap in terms of weight and fuel consumption was expected thanks to extreme lightweight construction.
When the Audi TT Coupé was shown for the first time a few months later at the IAA in Frankfurt , some dreams had already been put to bed. The engine was now located at the front and had a displacement of 1.8 liters, the entire technology came from the Audi A3 / VW Golf modular system. The TT had become rounder, but still looked attractive.
In February 1996 , there were even driving photos of the open and closed TT prototype variant.
However, it would be another two years or so before you could put an Audi TT in your garage. The design underwent further changes, and the coupé was given a different roof structure with an additional window behind the A-pillar.
On the whole, however, the first Audi TT retained its rounded shapes as presented at the IAA 1995. And its fan base grew quickly, even the driving stability problems and the hastily retrofitted rear spoiler could not change that.
In retrospect, it is always exciting to trace these project changes, and our large magazine archiveprovides a useful source of data and images.
