Why the Audi TT Is a Future Classic
Audi
The Audi TT is a tale of two cars. In its most benign form it is a timelessly attractive grocery getter you can park in your garage for a third of the cost of the average used car in America. The range-topping TT RS, however, represents five cylinders and four wheels of turbocharged muscle wrapped in aggressive bodywork that can hit 60 miles per hour in just 3.6 seconds.
Between those diametrically opposed bookends rest a slew of coupes and roadsters designed to appeal to performance-minded drivers who value distinctiveness over practicality. The Audi TT is a design icon in any form, and one that looked so much like the concept that preceded production that the motoring public could hardly believe Audi wasn’t pulling a fast one on them.
The 1998 Audi TT shared much of its chassis with the humblest of hatchbacks: the Volkswagen Golf. But if a few tweaks can turn a Beetle into a Karmann Ghia (not to mention the Porsche 356, though that was admittedly more than a subtle overhaul), so can fresh duds and a bevy of bolt-ons borrowed from the GTI turn a Golf into an Audi. If the TT’s unpretentious bloodline bothers you, consider that the contemporary Golf actually used underpinnings that debuted with the Audi A3.
Origin story aside, the Audi TT deserves its spot on our list of future classics if for no other reason than its place in history as a design darling. Here are five more reasons you may want to park a TT in your garage for safekeeping.
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The TT RS Is a Bona Fide Sports Car
Image Credit: Audi The original TT was a looker, but the redesigned version for 2008 was a better car. A desirable 250-horsepower 3.2-liter V6 carried over from the first generation, and the 2009 TTS brought with it a 265-hp turbocharged four. But it was the TT RS that came shortly thereafter that combined the nameplate with Audi’s legendary five-cylinder turbo engine, which spun out a healthy 340 hp in this generation.
For the ultimate Audi TT experience, look no further than the third-generation RS that came in 2017. Lighter than before, the final version of the TT was a perfect place to put Audi’s ultimate 394-hp 2.5-liter engine. Its run to 60 in 3.6 seconds is impressive, its 174-mph top speed is overkill, and its high-tech and stiff chassis is a delight to throw around both racetracks and backroads alike.
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It Traces Its History Back to the Audi Quattro
Image Credit: Joe Scarnici Audi’s love for the five-cylinder runs deep. The original Quattro featured a 2.1-liter inline-five that divided its 172 horsepower evenly to all four wheels. It was a rallying revelation and certified collectible today, and the atypical engine format made its triumphant return in the TT RS.
When the Audi TT RS exited the US market in 2022, Audi launched a special edition of the model that commemorated the Ur-Quattro with five heritage colors inspired by its forebear. It was a fitting farewell to two cars intrinsically linked by five plumb pistons.
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It Introduced the Motoring Masses to the Dual-Clutch Gearbox
Image Credit: Audi The Volkswagen Group’s DSG — DirektSchaltGetriebe or Direct Shift Gearbox — is today a well-known quantity. But when it was first introduced to the world bolted to the VR6-based engine in the 2004 Audi TT, it was practically black magic. The idea of twin clutches that take turns sending torque through a single output shaft makes perfect sense on paper and works just as well in the real world.
In recent years, automakers such as BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Hyundai, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Porsche (the Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, or PDK for short) have jumped on the dual-clutch bandwagon, and for good reason. It’s almost universally acclaimed as an excellent transmission design for performance cars. But it’s Audi (and parent company VW, of course) that got to production first.
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It’s Named for the Infamous Isle of Man Tourist Trophy
Image Credit: WPA Pool The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is known as one of the greatest and most dangerous racing spectacles in the world. Each year, brave riders take to the island’s notorious Snaefell Mountain Course in search of victories and lap records … on two wheels, not four. So why would Audi choose to name one of the most exciting cars it had produced in years after a motorcycle race?
Audi traces its history back across a wide array of vehicle manufacturers, two of which were NSU and DKW. Back when Audi was part of the Auto Union foursome, NSU and DKW earned their two-wheeled competition stripes with motorcycles that daredevils piloted at the TT. In fact, NSU notched trophies as early as 1907. While the Audi TT may not have been designed as a true racer, TT was seen by executives as a fitting diversion from the brand’s traditional naming scheme.
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It Helped Rebuild Audi’s Reputation in America
Image Credit: Audi By the time the TT Concept hit the stage in Frankfurt, Audi needed a makeover of both its reputation and staid lineup. The TT joined the first-generation A4 in introducing Audi’s Bauhaus styling philosophy and reinvigorated the German automaker’s “Vorsprung durch Technik” motto. Progress through technology, as it’s generally translated in English, is exactly what the TT brought to people’s minds.
A whole lot of people remember the Audi 5000 unintended acceleration debacle. Conversely, with Audi’s reputation in the States suitably patched, the TT’s early recall to correct some high-speed instability issues with software and suspension updates and the addition of a tiny spoiler is little more than a whisper in history.
What history will never forget is the impact the TT had on Audi’s trajectory. It was a cultural icon and remains a key turning pointn in the brand’s status as a true competitor to BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and even Porsche. Low-mileage examples of the first generation and the final TT RS are the most likely candidates for future collectability.
