Every once in awhile, a car comes around with fluid lines, the power to smoke tires and the overall package that turns heads as they smile in the direction of the vehicle. In 2008, one of those cars is the Audi TT Coupe 3.2. I experienced this first-hand as I test drove a Brilliant Red model throughout Central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland during the summerlike days and sultry nights of early fall.
The TT is an automotive icon with a misunderstood name. The TT delineation does not indicate “twin turbo,” as many presume. But then, many also presume that Audi’s famous 4-ring badge is an homage to the Olympics. It is not. The four rings symbolize the joining of four formerly independent motor-vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, into a single company in 1932 -- August Horch established the company A. Horch & Cie. in 1899.
The first-generation TT took only three years to sprint from concept car in 1995, to rolling off the production line in 1998. This blazing pocket rocket is named for the NSU Prinz TT, a small rear-engine model produced by Audi forerunner, NSU (Motorenwerke AG Neckarsulmer Strickmaschinenfabrik Union) that was a terror on the track from 1967-1972. That car resembled an American Corvair, and won 29 national championships during its six-year reign. The four-car union merged with NSU in 1969, became known as Audi NSU Auto Union AG, and assumed the Audi name in 1985.
The Audi TT looks nothing like its namesake, which took its name from the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) motorcycle races that have been a European test of riders and machinery for a century.
We’re not through with history yet, as this second-generation version of the Audi TT is a striking all-wheel-drive with German Bauhaus styling. Bauhaus refers to the Staatliches Bauhaus art and architecture school in Germany that operated from 1919 to 1933. Its unique approach to design influenced modern architecture, art, graphic design and industrial form.
Back to the present, my test vehicle was an all-wheel-drive TT Coupe quattro, with a 3.2-liter V-6 under the hood. Powered by a responsive, throaty plant that warbles out 250hp and 236 lbs.-ft. of torque, mated to a six-speed manual transmission, my 3218-lb. performer jetted from zero to 60mph in 5.7 seconds en route to a 14.5-second quarter-mile. I found no hesitation, and solid acceleration throughout the ranges, in a broad, flat, European torque curve. On the highway, as I shifted into sixth, and reached speed limit, the power rear spoiler lifts into place and the car slices through the wind.
When it has risen, the spoiler, which can also be lifted into place via a cockpit button, almost interferes with the stunning and liquid lines of the car when the wing is down. The car is so dynamically designed that I wonder if the wing is really a benefit, or just a cosmetic nicety. While it could create downforce and a positive Bernoulli Principle, I would believe that wind tunnel tests with the spoiler down might indicate an even lower co-efficient of drag, which Audi rates at 0.30.
With a nose-heavy front and enough torque steer and understeer for exciting driving, the TT performed admirably on a local auto-cross track and accelerated and handled smoothly on long highway tests, scenic country cruises and stop-and-go in-town treks. McPherson struts, four-link rear suspension, electronic stabilization, anti-slip regulation, anti-lock brakes and Servotronic electromechanical steering aid the TT in its stable and alert tours of the asphalt. Easy to park, I glided into a parking space on my way to lunch at a trendy Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, trattoria with a local TV executive, and turned more heads in doing so.
Built with safety in mind, the TT has full-size threshold airbags for driver and front passenger, seat-mounted thorax side airbags, front knee bags, rigid body shell with energy-absorbing zones, side intrusion protection, and LATCH system for children.
In the cabin, well, there is a backseat, but it really is tight for anyone but the youngest of children. In the front, however, the heated, 10-way power sport seats are comfortable and form fitting; the driver-oriented cockpit offers its controls ergonomically and intuitively. The cabin is outfitted with leather, aluminum trim, multi-function flat-bottom steering wheel, electronic cruise control, HomeLink, driver information center with on-board computer, autodimming interior mirror and automatic air conditioning. Visually, you sit low and are one with the road, but thick rear roof pillars cause unsettling blind spots for the driver.
Base price for the 2008 Audi TT Coupe 3.2 quattro MT6 is $41,500. Audi magnetic ride suspension adds $1400; the enhanced leather package of fine nappa leather seats and trim adds $1100; the audio package of Sirius Satellite radio and Bose Premium sound system (12 speakers, subwoofer, 255 watts and sound compensation) pops on another $1000; 18-inch alloy wheels and high-performance tires are $800; Bi-xenon adaptive headlights cost $800; Bluetooth phone preparation is $450; iPod interface is $2540 and destination charges add $720, for a price as tested of $48,020.
With or without the history lesson, the 2008 Audi TT is historic.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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