Technical Features
Project TT Coupe: Introduction
By by: Joe Lucchio, photos by author
Jul 7, 2005, 13:51

Ten years. It sure doesn’t seem like that long ago, but it was in fact 1995 when I first saw the concept of the car I would lust over for years. While others were preoccupied with the circus that was the O.J. Simpson case, some of us were awaiting the official unveiling of the car that would set Audi’s design direction for the next several years. I must have bought every available automobile publication in a vain attempt to get as much information as possible about this potential Ur-Quattro successor. There were some drawings and spy photos out there, but unlike today, there weren’t online car forums overflowing with pictures and information of upcoming cars well in advance of the car shows.

The day finally came, and Audi unveiled the coupe concept originally named the A3C and officially named TT, at the 1995 Frankfurt Auto Show. It was simply stunning and unlike any other car on the market at the time. Audi followed this up with the unveiling of the roadster version - the TTS concept at the Tokyo Auto Show.

The word from Audi AG was that any production model was going to be very close to the concept car in terms of design and materials, but it was going to be at least three years until the automotive world would see if they would make this statement a reality. As with most cars, I figured all the cool aluminum interior trim and the intricate detailing like the baseball glove like stitching on the seats and numerous other items would be dropped for the production model. However, Audi stayed true to their word, and when the production model was released in 1998 it had very few changes to the original concept. In fact, I’d say that the production model was even better in some ways.



Although the front wheel drive cars were released first, announcements that a more powerful quattro version of the car was to follow really peaked my interest. Could this car be a true successor to the Ur-Quattro? When the TT finally hit the U.S. shores in 1999, I couldn’t wait to see it in person. It was at the 1999 Monterey Historic Races, where Audi was the featured marque, that I finally had the opportunity to spend some time in and around the TT. The car definitely exceeded my expectations. The attention to detail was incredible and the car's proportions were perfect. It was one of those cars that you put on the “must buy someday” list.

That “someday” turned out to be two years later in the spring of 2001 when I finally had the opportunity to purchase my very first TT. It was a used; early build 2000 TT 180-hp quattro in Raven Black metallic with Ebony interior. It was all original with 5,000 miles on it. It had no spoiler, no optional recall suspension modifications and no ESP retrofit. I couldn’t believe I finally owned the car that I had lusted after for six years. Unfortunately, I was unable to keep the car and was forced to sell it in 2003 due to changes in my life that required a more practical vehicle.

Fast forward to February 2005. Once again I found myself in the position to purchase a car a little less practical than my A4 Avant. Always the German car fan, I started looking at variety of different cars including Porsche 911s, Volkswagen R32s, BMW M coupes, M3s etc. However, I kept being drawn back to the TT. Being familiar with the TT, I knew its strengths and weaknesses as well as it’s ultimate potential. Not to mention, I still loved the design and good used examples were well within my price range.

So I focused my search for 2001 or newer 225-hp TT quattros. After doing the Autotrader.com and classifieds thing and not finding any suitable vehicles, I reached out to Ernst Gosch at Oakland Porsche Audi - the salesman from whom I had bought three previous Audis. Ernst informed me of an “as new” 2003 Brilliant Black and Ebony 225-hp TT quattro that they recently received as a lease return. As with most U.S. models, it was equipped with the Premium Package that included heated seats and Xenon lighting as well as a Bose Stereo upgrade complete with the six-disc CD changer. It was also fitted with the 17” five spoke lightweight forged wheels.



Although the asking price was out of my range, after seeing and test-driving the car, I knew it was the right car. Weighing my options, I made an offer on the car. After a little back and forth haggling, we settled on the price. While it was more than I originally wanted to spend on a car, Ernst gave me a very good deal. The fact that the car was a 2003 Audi certified pre-owned car with plenty of warranty left convinced me it was worth the extra money I spent. I drove it home that day.

So that brings us to the present day. With the increasing popularity of leasing, and the resulting certified pre-owned cars, Audis like this TT are starting to find their way into the hands of enthusiasts like myself who probably couldn’t have afforded to buy one new or needed more practical cars for every day use. In a sense, these cars are experiencing a rebirth of sorts. Equipped with an extremely stiff chassis, a beefed up version of the highly tunable 1.8T and Haldex all wheel drive, the TT offers plenty of potential. In addition to all the things that the TT has going for it, an extensive enthusiast-based aftermarket parts industry built around the TT has blossomed over the past few years. Considering the fact that the total number of TTs sold in the U.S. since its introduction is much less than the number of Volkswagen Golfs and Jettas, it’s amazing that these companies exist at all.

With all of this in considered, we have selected the TT as a project car for Fourtitude. With one slightly used 2003 Brilliant Black 225-hp TT Quattro coupe in the garage, we’ve set out to find ways to personalize the car, improve it’s overall performance and enhance, but not overwhelm, its clean design.

Over the course of the next year or two, we will bring you a series of articles chronicling the transformation of the TT into a car that would be suitable for daily use as well as occasional hot laps around the local race tracks. We are looking to build a car that’s equally comfortable at a car show as it might be on a racing circuit. Modifications will be made to enhance the performance of the engine, brakes, and suspension first. These will then be followed by changes to the lighting, interior and exterior of the car.

A number of parts will be sourced from those enthusiast-based businesses developing TT specific parts and from companies that are dedicated to selling parts solely for the TT. In addition to those TT-specific parts, we’ll explore the large selection of aftermarket products out there that fit the car, in part due to its relationship to Volkswagen's Mark IV A-chassis cousins. We can also thank the large TT contingent in the UK for a burgeoning market for Audi's small sportscar and we’ll look to that side of the pond for some parts as well. So as not to bore you with a never-ending dialogue focused solely on the technical aspects of the project, we will also provide insights into the companies that will be involved in the transformation, hopefully providing our audience with a glimpse into the cottage industry created around the TT and the aftermarket industry surrounding Audis in general. It will be a fun journey and like any trip, we will probably take a few unknown roads along the way and may even ask for some directions, which hopefully will provide many unexpected but welcome surprises.

For more discussion on this story, click on the link to our discussion forums to the left.	For more photos of the car in this story, click on the link to our gallery at the right.

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