Audi TTS by Autoforma strips the icon back to a purer form, but you can’t buy it
Brave is the company that thinks there’s lustre to be added to the original Audi TT. That company is Autoforma
When it comes to restmodding, there are a few good rules to follow. The first, perhaps, is not to pick a car that was basically perfect to start with, lest you ruin it. It might not have been the last word in raw driving thrills, but as a design icon, there aren’t many cars from the last 30 years that come close to the original Audi TT. That is the car Autoforma are turning their attention to next, to create the Audi TTS.
Happily, in the case of the TT, there is a purer version of the design vision you can pay tribute to. Namely, the original 1995 TT concept, which was carried through to production faithfully if not 100 per cent replicated.
Yes, Autoforma has taken the original concept as a north star to guide its work on the TT. They call it a ‘German design icon, refined’ and to look at, that’s exactly what the TTS is.
At the front you can see the air vents are flatter and thinner, with new grille mesh. Along the side, the TT’s iconic arches are retained, albeit now with vents aft of the front arches, which bizarrely has necessitated relocation of the washer fluid reservoir to the boot.
Look closely and you’ll see new racey wingmirrors. Look closer, low down, and you’ll see more new vents integrated into the sills. At the rear, it’s wingless as per the concept. The exhausts are also now integrated into the diffuser element, housed within a more rotund lower bumper area that continues on from the rear arches.
The TTS is obviously based on a roadster, however it no longer has a folding top, rather a composite cover that has also been styled and integrated with the car in tribute to the 1995 concept.
All the new bodywork is either 3D-printed carbon or, for the larger pieces, carbonfibre-backed to ensure the panels are strong and durable.
There’s a two-tone colourway with Nimbus Gray Pearl on the upper body and a matte grey for the lower body and arches. The car has been subtly lower and slightly widened to bring back that more concept-like stance. The interior is of course, interspersed with retro brown leather, complete with the prominent 'Baseball' stitching on the seats.
The TTS is a one-off creation for a Dutch designer who was one of the first TT buyers back in 1998. So no, you can’t have one. No word on price, but being a one-off, economies of scale simply don't exist. This passion project will have required something close to a blank cheque...
