ABT TT RS-R: Too Fast. Really.
ABT TT RS-R
TOO FAST. REALLY.
Words by Tommaso Mogge
Just a few months ago we were lucky enough to try first-hand the quality and commitment that ABT puts into every of its project. Today’s accomplishments are the well-deserved result obtained during its long years of activity (the company was officially founded in 1970), making sure that ABT-Sportsline is one of the most long-lived brands in the history of tuning and international motorsport. Circling around the whole VW group, the cannot miss the little but aggressive TT, which thanks to the RS treatment already manages to draw impressive performances, strong of an in-line 5-cylinder with 400 horsepower and 480Nm of torque, obviously grounded on all four wheels.
If these are by themselves numbers that make us waver from the chair, it will be better if you start to hold on to it, because ABT’s vision does not know half measures and being able to work on one of the most interesting turbocharged engines of the four-ring range gives chance to bring out the beauty of 500 horses from the 2.5cc of the TT RS – 100hp more than the original model. Torque undergoes a consequent increase in power too, passing from 480 to 570 Nm and this is precisely one of the aspects that could make every throttle action a close encounter with the end of your days. In fact, the short wheelbase, an excellent weight balance and the QUATTRO traction make the TT RS-R a beast not at all impossible to tame, using an even more powerful braking system and optimized aerodynamics, just for making clear that this is not “any TT”, fundamental to meet the performance leap generated by the mechanical modifications from ABT. We are talking in terms of real supercar-like acceleration, burning the 0-100 kph in just 3.4 seconds and touching 300 per hour as a top speed. A TT had never puffed its breath on the neck of the bigger sister R8 and I really have to say that stopping the scale just under a ton and a half (a few kg has been saved with extensive use of carbon fiber) I would not know which of the two to bet on while attacking a winding road. Without wanting to make any comparisons, the charm of the naturally aspirated V10 of the R8 is still incomparable for the small TT RS-R, which, however, has a very sharp look and the fact of being produced in limited series. There are only 100 units available, of which 50 as a coupe and 50 as a roadster, the latter the ideal way to allow the sound of the new sports exhaust to slap your eardrums without anything in the way.
To help keeping the TT RS-R glued to the ground there are new 20-inch wheels, while the 7-speed dual clutch gearbox is not only able to handle the overwhelming power delivered by the 5-cylinder pot, but also allows a more relaxed use taking advantage of the maintained driving modes Audi provides. In the cockpit we find the sober and impeccable environment made available in origin, here with numerous badges and details that recall how special the ABT version is. It is impossible not to fall in love with its leather seats with red rhomboidal stitching, a detail that is kept on the central tunnel, on the door panels and on the dashboard. The TT RS-R manages to maintain its nature of a small supercar, just like the model that is used to make a 2+2 suitable for everyday living and perfectly capable of blasting on some mountain pass. After coming out of the tuner’s gates in Kempten, you perceive that magic usually belonging to supercars in the most traditional sense of the word and every moment spent driving will be a continuous battle between the desire to let the inner instinct take over and speed like a maniac or give a break to the passengers in the car with you – if necessary – exploiting driving skills that allow you to appreciate what is outside the window.
ABT TT RS-R
Layout – front-engined, all-wheel-drive
Engine – in-line 5 cylinder 2.480cc – turbo
Transmission – 7-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 500 hp / 570 Nm
Weight – 1.450 kg ca.
Acceleration – 3,4 sec.
Top Speed – 300 kph
Production – 100 units