Spy shots: Audi TT-RS nears launch

The Audi TT-S made its official debut at the Detroit auto show earlier this month, but an even more powerful model is undergoing the final stages of testing — the TT-RS. Spotted during cold weather testing in Sweden, these latest photos show a production-ready RS parked for a break.

Output for the TT RS is expected between 340 and 365 horsepower from a 3.2-liter turbocharged V6. The car pictured has a manual transmission, but a seven-speed DSG will also be available.

Although the exterior of the RS appears similar to the S model, there are a few subtle changes. The TT RS forgoes the S' fog lights in order to accommodate larger air intakes, allowing for better airflow to the engine. In addition, the RS also sports bigger wheels and brakes. Out back are a set of oval exhaust outlets, a signature design cue for Audi's performance range of vehicles.

Sales of the Audi TT RS are expected to begin sometime in 2009.

[Source: LeftLaneNews]

ARCTIC CIRCLE — On deck to become leader of the Audi TT lineup, spy photographers caught the 2009 Audi TT-RS roadster prototype spinning its wheels in the snow.

Like the TT-RS coupe, the roadster will receive a new turbocharged version of parent company Volkswagen's 2.5-liter five-cylinder said to deliver near 365 horsepower.

As with the Audi TTS, the TT-RS will place its power to the ground via either a standard six-speed manual or an optional seven-speed version of Audi's S tronic double-clutch gearbox, with a Haldex-style four-wheel-drive system, which uses a multiplate clutch instead of Audi's more traditional Torsen-based arrangement, apportioning drive to all four wheels.

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Posted on Wednesday 30 January 2008

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Audi just took the wraps off its new - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER range at the recent Detroit Auto Show, which means we can now look forward to the model we’ve all been waiting for. The new car is the performance RS variant of the new TT and it’s set to be the fastest production TT ever.

There’s been much debate about the power source for the new super-coupe with most suggesting either a twin-turbo version of the current 3.2L V6 engine or a brand new five-cylinder turbo unit. However, a reputable source at Audi has revealed the powertrain will in fact be a 2.3L VR5 engine fitted with a turbocharged. Final output will be about 308hp (230kW), and the car could simply be called ‘TT-R’.

Previous spy-shots revealed a prototype with huge cross-drilled brake discs and upgraded calipers as well as an electronic rear-spoiler covered with a strip of carbon-fiber. This latest rendering of the car gives a preview as to what the final version is likely to look when it’s unveiled later this, possibly at March’s Geneva Motor Show. Key features are the extended wheel arches, new bumpers and lowered ride-height.


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So, we still don't know for sure if it's going to receive a turbocharged V6 or a turbocharged VR5.

What Car? says that the upcoming TTRS will have a high revving 3.2 lt engine with 340 bhp output when launched sometime next year...

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If Audi keeps the price reasonable and not stratospheric like other RS cars, this is going to be one big temptation for me.

The R8 may be getting all the press as of late, but Audi’s not done with their growing performance lineup by a longshot. Several weeks ago, quattro GmbH’s director Werner Frowein confirmed to Auto Motor und Sport that his wing of Audi would be stepping up its work for 2008. The current RS 4’s retirement may be imminent, but production of the R8, RS 6 and upcoming Q7 V12 TDI will keep his team busy. So too will new projects, and two of these expected expansion models are the much-anticipated TTRS and RS5 coupes.

In the same Auto Motor und Sport piece, Frowein mentioned that the previous brew period of four years into a six year model cycle would shorten to two in the future. RS versions of both the TT and the A5/S5 have both been spotted undergoing testing, and Frowein’s math should put a TTRS on a show stand by as early as Paris in September and an RS5 sometime in 2009. Such a rapid launch plan should mean little sleep for the boys at quattro GmbH.



TTRS
Rumors of the hottest TT variant ever are rampant. Several theories on drivetrain have resulted, though our money is on a turbocharged five cylinder. Volkswagen already does a low cost and lower capacity 5-cylinder with 2.5-liters, though an Audi version sharing very little with the base VW engine will be a considerably more costly and possibly a different displacement (we’ve heard 2.3-liters from one source) – built up to meet a power rating of 350-hp says a high-ranking source from Audi in Germany.

What else can we guess about the engine? FSI is a certainty, and Audi’s new Valvelift system is likely – aiding in both torque and fuel economy. 2.0T engines we’ve driven with the same FSI/Valvelift setup are burgeoning with torque and we expect no different from the TTRS’ five cylinder.

A turbocharged five-cylinder Audi engine in a performance coupe certainly pays homage to the original Quattro, though the TT’s transverse engine layout lower and closer to the center of the chassis, aluminum body structure and computer-controlled Haldex-sourced version of quattro will make it a decidedly different beast than the boxy Audi icon.

As far as U.S. sale, sources have informed us that the plan is to currently include the TTRS in the American mix. The current plan for DSG-only in the States for the recently announced TTS is likely a hint that a manual-transmission TTRS is the likely shifting choice for the RS.

Our TTRS rendering shows what the car might look like if it were launched today. Audi has been known to share design language across its sub brands and the RS nomenclature is no different. This TTRS mockup uses a similar nose and sill extensions from the latest RS6, along with the car’s 5-spoke alloys with Titanium Package finish. It’s also Avus Silver Metallic – a color Audi usually reserves for RS duty.

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Those two big fat oval pipes have made yet another appearance as the new TT RS canvas-top stretches its legs in snow. Previously we’ve spotted both the coupe and roadster versions of the top dog TT being tested, so these new pics are getting a bit long in the tooth by now.

Interesting aspect of the TT RS is precisely that both coupe and roadster seem destined for a synchronised public appearance same way as A5 and S5; these images are of a car straight out of the showroom floor, bar the oversized spotlights and other testing equipment. Are the 270kW Ingolstadt twins destined to stop the Audi show in Geneva? Audi may just toss one there, leave the other for New York City.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080225.008/audi-tt-rs-spied-again