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2012 Audi TT-RS Race Car 
The Audi R8 LMS has recently been tweaked to be able to enter in the 24H in Daytona, but that project isn’t the only thing coming out of Audi headquarters. Say the R8 LMS’ price tag of 298,000 euro (about $420,000 at the current rates) is a tad too rich for your bank account, Audi has prepared an answer to your problems with the new TT RS race car. The new Audi racer will set racing teams back at €180,000 or about $250,000 at the current exchange rates, which isn’t exactly a bargain, but it’s cheaper than the R8 LMS. The Audi TT-RS race car is powered by a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo engine mated to a sequential six-speed racing transmission to deliver a total of 380 HP. Paddle shifters allow drivers to fully concentrate on the action on the race track, while the sophisticated racing suspension with a wide range of adjustment options improves the TT-RS’ handling and stability. "In the TT RS Audi is making the next attractive customer sport race car available to interested teams," says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. "In line with the products our customers have come to expect of us, the TT RS is another car that has been designed for a wide range of racing conditions and easy handling. The TT RS perfectly mastered the load at the 24-hour race while being able to prove its exceptionally forgiving handling characteristics at the 6-hour race in the unpredictable conditions of constantly changing weather." Audi plans to bring more RS models to USA
The Audi TT-RS is a very successful model on the European market, hence the reason why US customers signed a petition to get that bad boy over to our side of the pond. Now, we have our American version which comes with a $56,850 price tag, but the RS story doesn’t look like it will be ending there. Audi has announced that the TT-RS is just one of the RS models they plan to bring to the USA. Following the more powerful TT, the US will be getting the RS5, which will then lead to a few more other RS models - the RS6 being the most logical next step. "We’re now taking the first steps with the TT RS and the RS 5," Audi sales head Peter Schwarzenbauer told Bloomberg. "I could indeed imagine that we’ll continue along that route in the future." Hit the jump for details on the Audi TT-RS American and the Audi RS5. Full story 2012 Audi TT-RS American model
Audi finally came to their senses back in September 2010 when they decided that it was time for the TT-RS to make its way back to the States, but their most recent announcement may leave some with less than what they bargained for. Along with the TT-RS’ first appearance on American soil at the Chicago Auto Show, came Audi’s announcement that we will only be getting a limited run of 1,000 units of the vehicle. Audi is obviously playing the supply and demand game since 11,500 fans expressed their enthusiasm over the TT-RS in only one month. No official details were given on the car, but Audi did confirm that it would be $10,000 more expensive than the current TTS, priced at $51,000. Sales for the Audi TT-RS will begin at the end of Summer 2011. The Audi TT-RS will be powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that will deliver an extra 20 HP compared to the European model. With a total of 360 HP, the engine will only be offered with a conventional six-speed manual transmission and will sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. We expect to see a greater top speed compared to the European model. UPDATE 07/08/2011: Audi has announced prices for the 2012 TT-RS, a model that signifies the return of the RS nameplate to the U.S. The Audi TT RS will be priced at $56,850 (excluding destination charges, taxes, title, options and dealer charges). By comparison, the Audi TT-S version is priced from $50K. UPDATE 07/27/2011: The first Audi TT-RS sold on the US market has been delivered to Forth Worth Audi dealer in Texas. The first client is veteran race car driver Don Istook. He is one of the more than 11,500 fans to sign the Audi TT RS Facebook petition drive, which helped convince Audi to introduce the 360-hp coupe in the U.S. "Having raced at almost every major track in the U.S. and Canada, I’ve pushed the limits in many cars in my 34 years as a race car driver,” Istook said. “I like my street car to give me some of that thrill. With my new Audi TT RS, I not only get that thrill, but I also get that ’race car’ sound." More details on the Audi TT-RS American model after the jump. Full story 2011 Audi TT-RS Limited Edition S Tronic
Audi has just unveiled the special edition TT-RS S-Tronic on the Australian market. This model is equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission which is usually priced at $8,460, but is being offered at no extra charge for the limited edition. So, basically, if you were thinking of buying the upgrade and you live in Australia, better make that purchase fast and save yourself the money because there will only be 45 units produced. For some extra bang to your buck, Audi is also offering the TT-RS S-Tronic with a variety of add-ons, including a black exterior styling package, metallic paint, and 19-inch 5-arm Rotor design wheels in titanium finish. Other additions include a sports exhaust system, adaptive headlights, a BOSE sound system, an extended leather interior package, and an LED interior lighting package. Under the hood, Audi has placed the usual 2.5-liter five-cylinder equipped with turbocharging and FSI direct injection. This engine will dish out 335 HP between 5,400 and 6,500 rpm and a peak torque of 331 lbs-ft between 1,600 and 5,300 rpm. The engine will be combined with Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive and a high-performance chassis. The S-Tronic transmission will also allow the driver to choose between two fully automatic shift modes, and a manual mode in which gears are changed using either the shift paddles on the steering wheel or with the selector lever. Video: BMW 1M Coupe throws down with the Audi TT-RSYou remember all those billboard wars Audi and BMW were into about a year and some change ago? In a constant game of one-upsmanship between the two brands, deciding which one is better shouldn’t be tasked on billboards, commercials, or whatever marketing propaganda they can think of. There’s only one place to settle a rivalry like this and the crew from Motor Sport Magazine found the perfect site to do so: the race track. Taking a BMW 1M Coupe and an Audi TT RS, Motor Sport Magazine brought in the two German sports coupes for a match-up that die hard fans of the two brands have been waiting for. The tale of the tape suggests a slight advantage in horsepower for the 1M Coupe against the TT RS - 340 ponies to 335 - but the Audi sportster certainly makes up for it thanks to its four-wheel drive system. So who takes the cake in this battle? It’s relative depending on how you see it, really. Motor Sport Magazine actually didn’t race the two fender-to-fender against each other, but the video still makes for good viewing simply because you are able watch these two sports cars in their natural habitat. Audi works on a more powerful TT-RS Plus Just recently, Audi announced that the TT-RS would also be offered on the US market, and the fact that it is going to deliver 20hp more than the European version was just music to our ears. Now we’re hearing rumors about a TT-RS version getting that same 20hp boost up to 360hp for the European market. What the hell?! And here we thought we were special.... A leaked internal Audi document - the Ersatz Teile Katalog Audi (ETKA) to be exact - revealed details about this new TT-RS Plus version. In addition to the the extra 20 HP, it will also get a 7-speed automatic transmission and carbon fiber parts like the ones used in the R8 GT. With the extra horse power and the weight reduction, this model will become the fastest TT-RS on the market. The document also suggests that this new version will be added in May 2011. So our joy was short-lived. Hopefully we will be able to over-joyed when we hear it’s coming to America! 2011 Audi TT-RS Roadster by O CT
The Audi TT-RS will soon be headed to US shores and what’s better is that tuners are coming up with all kinds of packages for the luxury sports car that we will soon be able to take advantage of as well. The latest package comes from O.CT Company and takes the German sports car to a higher power with some handling improvements and an aesthetic upgrade. While in its standard version, the Audi TT-RS develops a total of 340 HP and 450 NM of torque out of its turbocharged 2.5-liter engine, but O.CT has taken that power to a total of 420 HP and 570 Nm. In order to get this 80hp bump, the tuner opted for changing the hardware components in conjunction with the reprogramming of the vehicle’s electronics. The conversion kit used includes a stainless steel exhaust system including silencer and rear silencer with control valve, a charge air cooler kit, and a revised management of the TFSI engine. For the exterior, the package adds forged 20-inch 5 twin-spoke alloy rims that only weigh 13.8 kg. There is also a new KW coilover suspension V3 that provides "agility in (almost!) any situation." The makeover by O.CT Company is good, but we prefer the 472 HP engine update provided by MTM in their Audi TTRS Clubsport solely for the higher power output. If it was based on looks, then the O.CT package would win hands down. 2011 Audi TTRS Clubsport by MTM
Do you remember the Audi RS6 Clubsport package MTM revealed last year? It was 730hp of sheer awesomeness, and now MTM is bringing out that same package for the Audi TT-RS. The power output may not be as extensive as the RS6, but the exterior modifications will absolutely turn some heads. The Audi TT-RS will be revealed when the Geneva Motor Show opens its doors this week, so MTM gave away very little in terms of TT-RS package details. The Clubsport package is their biggest upgrade for the TT-RS and it received a 472 HP engine update. This update was accomplished with a modification of the control unit, an MTM turbo charger, and a new MTM exhaust system. With this upgrade, the TTRS Clubsport will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 198 mph. For the exterior the tuner is offering the same black-orange-white paint combination with racing elements and a new set of 20" Bimoto wheels. More details will be revealed when the Audi TTRS Clubsport is revealed this week at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show! Fifth Gear’s Triple Threat: Audi TT-RS vs Porsche Boxster S vs Nissan 370ZFifth Gear mainstays Tiff Needell and Jason Plato found a good way to get some burn on a Porsche Boxster S, an Audi TT-RS, and a Nissan 370Z. The problem was, there were three sports cars ready to be tested, but only two drivers to drive them. Fortunately for the two, they found another man to become the third driver. You might recognize his name, too: Ben Collins. All together, Tiff, JP, and Ben took some time on the track to test the three aforementioned sports cars in a series of three tests – an agility test, a drift test, and a hot lap - to determine which car would run supreme over the others. Being the most senior of the trio, Tiff scored first dibs, picking the TT-RS for his ride. Picking next was JP, who opted for the Boxster S, leaving the man formerly known as the Stig to ‘settle’ for the 370Z. Hit the jump to see the test results. Full story 2010 Audi TT-RS by Senner Tuning
Over the course of its life, the Audi TT-RS has been the subject of a number of aftermarket modifications and for good reason too because as the most powerful version of the TT line, it’s a definite magnet for tuning companies to try and put their own touch on the car. We’ve seen a number of these tuning firms release their takes in the past few months and this time, another one has stepped into the limelight to present their modded version of the Audi TT-RS. Hailing from Ingelheim near Mainz, Germany is Senner Tuning AG, which just revealed their new program for the TT-RS. Similar to most of its competitors, Senner Tuning’s work on the Audi sports car involves upgrades on both the appearance and performance aspects of the car. Though Senner Tuning’s work was a little dialed down compared to its competitors, it worked out pretty well for them because as far as we’re concerned, it’s not stale that it becomes redundant yet it’s also not overbearing to the point that it becomes a little outrageous. Details after the jump Full story | Find us on Facebook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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