An incredible clean first generation Audi TT 1.8T quattro roadster, fitted with the factory hardtop, and painted in the iconic ‘Audi-silver’ shade.
So beautiful it almost made me cry. Almost. The first generation Type 8N Audi TT Roadster was made from 1999 until 2006 with a facelift in 2003, this car is a pre-facelifted example.
The Audi TT was designed by none other than Peter Schreyer, the man who is now at the helm at Kia, with great success. The TT was based on Volkswagen’s PQ34 platform, which also underpinned, among others, the Audi A3, the Volkswagen Golf Mk4, and the Volkswagen New Beetle.
The interior of this particular car was ultra sexy, with heavy-leather seats with very visible stitching, a brown-red steering wheel, and of course the standard Tt plague above the aircon controls.
The Audi TT was available with either a 1.8 turbo or a 3.2 liter V6. Our Beijing car has the 1.8 turbo under the bonnet, good for 225 hp and 280 Nm. Gearbox is a six-speed manual, sending power to all four wheels via Audi’s quattro Haldex 4WD system.
The first generation Audi TT was never officially sold in China, but some arrived via diplomatic channels, the gray market, and other misty ways.
An ass to die for. Note the third-brake light just free of the hardtop. On the boot lid the infamous wing that Audi added after the original wing-less TT proved prone to dangerous accidents during sudden changes or direction at high speeds.
The TT badge with a red background for the T’s.
Big round pipes to get the smoke out. License plate is as old as the car, so this one has probably been in China for a long time.
A badge so subtle one might miss it. Audi always spells quattro without a capital Q, while it really is a name.
The current Audi TT didn’t move away as much from the original as the BMW Z4 did, but still; there is only one to have and this is it!
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