The Audi TT was the best highlight of the 1998 car year

What was the start-up process like?

In the 1990s we mainly knew Audi as a thoroughly German car manufacturer, which had to convince more with its technology than with its design. Although the 80 and the Coupé were striking appearances in their time, they were not really extravagant. However, Audi’s somewhat down-to-earth undertone would be resolutely silenced in 1995 when the curtain was pulled off the TT Concept, a compact coupe with Bauhaus-like design influences and proportions. A design that was clearly not put on paper in Germany, because it happened in sunny California. It will not surprise you that the Volkswagen New Beetle was born in the same studio. The TT Concept had more power than all Audis of that time combined. The German Peter Schreyer is usually credited with the design, but he worked on it together with the Americans Freeman Thomas and J. Mays, who are said to have laid the foundation with the first sketches. So not an entirely German party.

The interior is largely the work of the Romanian Romulus Rost. That interior should have been even more visible on the exhibition floor, because initially the TT was intended as an open study model. Ferdinand Piëch, the then CEO of the Volkswagen Group, had reportedly heard of other open concept cars that would be in Frankfurt in 1995 and therefore wanted the TT to become a closed car. That is why the first TT Concept had a fixed roof, which still somewhat resembled a hardtop. Later that year, an open version appeared in the form of the TTS Concept. The name TT refers to the Tourist Trophy races (TT) on the Isle of Man, in which Audi predecessor NSU had achieved great success. This immediately made it clear that Audi linked sporting aspirations to the TT. The production version was released in 1998. In principle, it was still very similar to the concept version, both inside and out, with the window line extending further back as the biggest difference.

The Audi TT Concept.

The Audi TT Roadster Concept.

How revolutionary was he really?

The TT was not only remarkably designed for an Audi, it was also a very special appearance in itself. The combination of sharp lines on the one hand and very round shapes on the other heralded a new design era for Audi, but also for other brands within the group. Not only that; it was one of the first cars to express this unusual combination. The Ford Focus, released in the same year, was another example. Both clearly broke with the prevailing design philosophies of the 1990s and ushered in a new era. On a technical level, the TT was not really revolutionary. It was mainly the design that earned it a prominent place in automotive history.

How was the TT received?

The TT Concept was mainly received with admiration at its presentation in 1995 and the production TT was also received three years later. That was mainly because it was a daring design, because it was also very sensitive to taste. There were people who fell madly in love with it and others who despised the TT. There didn’t seem to be a middle ground; it was simply a car that aroused many feelings.

This applied to both the outside and the inside, because some people loved the many (mostly silver-colored) design details that were hidden in the cockpit, while others found the TT kitschy. What everyone who drove the TT at its introduction seemed to agree was that the TT did not quite live up to its sporty appearance. After all, it shared its basis with, among others, the first Audi A3 and the Volkswagen Golf IV and that did shine through somewhat despite the somewhat stiffer suspension and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. The TT felt more comfortable than really sporty and although it was certainly smooth with the blown 1.8 twenty-valve engine, it did not invite too rough racing. The optional quattro all-wheel drive changed that somewhat.

What were the choices during the market introduction?

The Audi came onto the market with the turbo version of the 1.8 5V four-cylinder, introduced in the mid-1990s, an engine that Volkswagen and Audi included in numerous models and was considered the perfect option for the TT. In fact, for a long time it was the only choice you had. In the beginning there were two powers to choose from: 180 hp and 225 hp. There was also the option to go for four-wheel drive (with Haldex coupling). The 225 hp version was a Quattro as standard, the less powerful TT was front-wheel drive and could be optionally had as a Quattro.

Shifting was always done with a five-speed manual transmission, which was also found in many other cars from the Volkswagen Group. The 225 hp Quattro was not only technically the best equipped TT. You also got two exhaust pipes, 17-inch wheels and xenon headlights with headlight washers as standard. Every TT had automatic air conditioning, heated seats and power windows and side mirrors as standard. For the rest, putting together a TT was mainly custom work instead of ticking an option package. For the upholstery you could choose from black, gray or blue colored leather for the seats or Alcantara in the same colors. Did you want to listen to music? Then there was the choice of Radio Chorus (radio only), Radio Concert (with CD player), Radio Concert with Bose speakers and there was also a CD changer for six CDs on the order list. A anti-theft alarm was optional.

What were the competitors?

Audi itself would have preferred to see the TT as the perfect answer to a sporty rascal like the BMW Z3 Coupé, but in practice this did not always turn out to be entirely the case. That is to say: if you had the then top version, we thought that the TT, for example, was the boss of the Z3, but without all-wheel drive and with the 180 hp 1.8, the TT just missed that edge of sportiness. Then he suddenly came more into the waters of cars such as a smooth motorized 3-series Compact or Mercedes-Benz C Sports Coupé. Anyone who went shopping for a coupe with a comparable power as the TT in the first full year of sales of the Audi TT could also keep some money in the bank and go for an Alfa Romeo GTV. It was even cheaper with a V6 than the entry-level TT. The Fiat Coupé may also have been a more affordable alternative. If things were a bit bigger, you could also leave the TT for a roughly equally expensive Peugeot 406 Coupé with the 3.0 V6 or – if it had to remain German – a BMW 3-series Coupé with an inline-six. Only when the Audi TT became available with a 3.2-VR6 engine did it really enter sporting territory and compete with cars such as the Nissan 350Z and (as a Roadster) the Porsche Boxster. As a Roadster, the TT also met the Mercedes-Benz SLK, the BMW Z3 and the Mazda MX-5 in its path.

How was it received by consumers?

As mentioned, the TT was from the outset a car that divided opinions considerably. While one person immediately rammed his piggy bank against the wall when the first TT was placed at the dealer or had a poster hanging above his bed, the other swore that he ‘wouldn’t be caught dead in it’. Some thought it was a ‘hairdresser’s car’, others thought it was a style icon. In any case, in the first full year of sales, 1999, the TT 834 managed to convince Dutch people to purchase it. A number that would never be surpassed, not even by the second and current generations. In 2000 it came close, with 804 units, but after that sales quickly collapsed. In 2001 there were still 456, in 2002 270. The facelift in 2003 and of course the arrival of the 3.2 Quattro increased sales very slightly, to 286 units. In the last year of the first generation, 2005, 104 TTs were sold, bringing the total to more than 3,000 in the Netherlands. About 260,000 copies of the first generation Audi TT were delivered worldwide. A household name was born and Audi thought that the TT left people wanting more. The second generation was therefore released in 2006, with a much less unique design.

Any special details during the life cycle?

Certainly! A year after the introduction of the TT Coupé, the TT Roadster appeared, which, if possible, looked even more like the concept version than the Coupé. The Roadster was, as it should be, a two-seater, the Coupé was a 2+2. Despite the arrival of the Roadster, 1999 was not really a year of celebration. It was also the year in which the TT came under fire due to several fatal accidents. At high speed (180 km/h and more) the TT suddenly lost grip on the rear wheels, with all the consequences that entailed. One of those consequences was a recall, in which Audi equipped the TT with ESP and a spoiler on its round rear. This caused a bit of a break in style and that is why not everyone decided to respond to the recall. So you can still come across ancient TTs without a rear spoiler, although they are rare. By the way, the spoiler has been factory fitted to new TTs since the recall, so a copy without a spoiler is always one of the first years of construction.

Which version appeals most to the imagination?

Although the 3.2 VR6 engine didn’t make the TT that much faster, it is the engine you want. There is nothing wrong with the 1.8 Turbo, but the six-cylinder engine gives the TT just a little more character. This cannot do any harm in a car that is not very pronounced in terms of driving experience. Preferably take the TT 3.2 Quattro with a manual gearbox, although that is like looking for a needle in a haystack. After all, it was also available with DSG and that was more popular, but with a manual gearbox it is more fun and less prone to problems. If possible, a nice bright red or blue color is the icing on the cake. Go for the TT Quattro Sport (not newly delivered in the Netherlands) if you need to go a little faster.

What has been the impact of the TT?

The TT seems to have sparked Audi’s zest for life. It turned out to be a manufacturer of more than business-oriented sedans. Following the TT, for example, came the much more unusual A2, which adopted some style elements. The TT also paved the way for an Audi sports car that went much further: the R8. The TT also left its mark outside Audi. At the beginning of this century, Daihatsu introduced the Copen, loosely inspired by the TT Roadster, and Peugeot would later launch a lookalike with the RCZ.

How many are left?

In total, more than 3,000 first-generation TTs were sold new in our country. According to figures from Vinacles, there are currently surprisingly more. There are more than 5,300 TTs from 1998 to 2006, which may include some of the 2006 second-generation units. It has proven to be quite a popular import car and that explains the increased total number. There are slightly more Coupés than Roadsters: barely 3,000 to about 2,300.

Year of construction Coupé Roadster Total

1998 199 – 199

1999 1,140 136 1,276

2000 604 980 1,584

2001 257 457 713

2002 219 250 469

2003 247 236 483

2004 175 161 336

2005 83 94 177

2006 39 36 75

Source: Vinacles