Recently updated on November 28, 2022 at 07:52 am
Exclusive and high-performance: the special model Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition, limited to 100 units throughout Europe, will celebrate the success story of a quarter of a century of the Audi TT Coupé with its market launch. The sports car with its clear lines has been inspiring people around the world since its premiere in 1998 with its pure driving pleasure and puristic design language. In the RS version, it impresses with special 5-cylinder performance and a sound that gets under your skin. The limited edition TT RS Coupé iconic edition brings these emotional character traits together and emphasizes them with sporty design elements on the exterior and interior.
TT RS Coupé iconic edition
Timeless through time: the TT has been the design icon in the Audi portfolio for almost a quarter of a century. The Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition* now continues the history of the light and fast sports car as a strictly limited special edition and celebrates the typical TT RS characteristics: design and dynamics.
"The name says it all with the Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition," says Sebastian Grams, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. “The edition model is reminiscent of the iconic TT design language, which at the same time stands for boldness and elegance in uncompromising form. Thanks to the exclusive exterior and interior highlights, the popular performance of our ultimate sports coupé with its multi-award-winning 5-cylinder engine can not only be felt but also seen by the fans.”
Inspired by the Bauhaus: the TT Coupé
With the vision of "A car for enthusiasts", Audi presented the Audi TT Coupé as a sports car study at the IAA in Frankfurt in autumn 1995. Almost symmetrically, the Audi TT consistently followed a design principle based on basic geometric, circular shapes. The design set priorities instead of making compromises - that won over the audience right away. Three years later, the coupé went into series production almost unchanged. A year after the TT Coupé, Audi launched the TT Roadster. In the second model generation, the coupe was enriched by an S and RS variant.
"The TT was inspired by the Bauhaus and its universal design philosophy 'less is more'," says Head of Audi Design Marc Lichte. “The maximum reduction, the omission of everything unnecessary and inessential, was so radical, so courageous that the TT quickly achieved the highest attribute of good design in its simplicity: being timeless. Once you have achieved that, you are above trends and yet you will never go out of style – simply because good style does not wear out.”
Therefore, three TT generations and a quarter of a century later, the typical lines of the coupe from 1998 can be found in the current TT RS coupé iconic edition. The edition model also remains true to the reduction to the essentials: the minimalist design extends from the clear exterior to the interior, which is still clearly and without frills focused on the driver. The typical tubular and cylinder shapes, which extend to the interior of the instrument panel design, can also be found in the current Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition - such as the typical fuel filler cap, the round ventilation outlets, the surround of the shift gate and the striking shift knob. Good things remain, because the enthusiasm proclaimed in 1995 is still triggered by the TT Coupé to this day.
Hit the right note: dark elegance on the outside
The special edition Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition confidently meets the high expectations of its aesthetics. Even the RS-specific paint finish in Nardo gray sets the right tone for the exclusive and athletic claim of the special model. The elegant shade of gray was named after the legendary Italian racetrack Pista di Nardó, on which Audi RS models also collect their first test kilometers. As one of the most popular custom paint finishes among customers, it ensures the best first impression.
The stylish look is continued by the glossy black grille with a matt black single-frame frame, which clearly emphasizes the quattro lettering in matt titanium look. The insert in the side skirts is also self-confident in glossy black on the RS model. The Audi rings and the TT RS model designation on the front and rear as well as the housings of the exterior mirrors consistently apply this materiality.
The noble and edition-specific black gloss 20-inch alloy wheels in the 7-arm design continue the design language down to the last detail with brake calipers painted to match. Partially frosted rear triangular windows with the exclusive "iconic edition" lettering complete the strikingly dark appearance of the coupé right up to the rear.
Racing genes: Aerokit sharpens sporty character
The Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition also gains dynamic strength from the aero kit developed in the wind tunnel. Inspired by racing, the front apron consists of side flics, a front splitter and blades in the side front air intakes. At the rear, the fixed rear wing made of carbon with its side winglets provides a sporty finish and, as part of the aerodynamic concept, supports both performance and efficiency.
Above the RS-specific diffuser are vertical design elements on both sides. The two distinctive oval-shaped exhaust tailpipes form the striking conclusion. Matching the color philosophy of the special edition, the front splitter, flics, side sill attachments and part of the rear diffuser impress in glossy black.
The relationship between air resistance and lift was explicitly taken into account during the development of the Aerokit in the wind tunnel and is therefore optimally balanced. This ensures improved aerodynamics and increases driving performance. The increased contact pressure of the rear wing and rear diffuser makes the sports car much more stable on the road and significantly improves handling in fast corners - optimal conditions for great driving fun in all situations.
X out of 100: highly exclusive design accents in the interior
The interior of the TT RS Coupé iconic edition is all about exclusivity and attention to detail. Here, too, the dark color scheme of the exterior remains the central motif, which is further emphasized by deliberately used accents from Audi exclusive ranges. The RS sport seats are two-tone with fine Nappa seat side bolsters in jet gray and seat centers in black Alcantara and honeycomb quilting in calendula yellow. An exclusive "iconic edition" embroidery is embedded in the black Alcantara at shoulder height.
The black floor mats are also finished with RS embroidery in calendula yellow. The door armrests and center console are also in jet gray and decorated with contrasting stitching in calendula yellow – just like the black hood of the Audi virtual cockpit. Customers reach for black Alcantara on the door panels and on the RS sport leather steering wheel with 12 o'clock marking in calendula yellow. It is very individual on the selector lever: the numbered plaque makes each of the 100 copies of this special edition unique. While the atmospheric ambient light creates atmosphere in the interior, the Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System with 3D sound enables a rich sound experience.
Form needs function: Legendary 5-cylinder delivers incomparable sound
The TT RS Coupé iconic edition relies on the proven 2.5 TFSI engine from Audi Sport with 294 kW (400 hp) and a maximum torque of 480 Nm. Numerous successes in motorsport make it one of the most emotional aggregates from Audi. Its strong performance in series production has also earned the 5-cylinder the "International Engine of the Year Award" nine times in a row since 2010. In typical TT RS fashion, its power flows via a 7-speed S tronic to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive.
An electrohydraulically controlled multi-plate clutch, which made its debut as a technology in the Audi TT in 1998, freely distributes the all-wheel drive power between the front and rear axles. The driver can use the Audi drive select driving dynamics system to influence the quattro drive and other components such as the steering, 7-speed S tronic, exhaust flaps and engine characteristics.
The Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition reaches its top speed at 280 km/h. The compact sports car sprints from a standstill to 3,7 km/h in just 100 seconds. With its typical ignition sequence of 1-2-4-5-3 and the associated robust sound, the engine ensures a highly emotional driving experience. Because of the firing order, cylinders that are directly adjacent to one another and those that are far apart fire alternately. This brings with it a very special rhythm and character. The odd number of cylinders results in harmonic frequencies accompanying the fundamental. The engine control unit also contributes to the unmistakable sound. Under higher loads, it opens the flaps in the exhaust system for an even fuller sound.
In addition to the usual low weight (1.475 kilograms TT RS Coupé), the RS sport suspension plus with adaptive dampers in Audi magnetic ride technology ensures excellent handling and stability. They are also controlled via the driving dynamics system Audi drive select.
Edition model will be available from the first quarter of 2023
The edition model will be available to order from the beginning of October 2022. In Germany, the Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition is available for 113.050 euros. Delivery of the new special model will start in the first quarter of 2023. Limited to 100 units, the special model is a highly exclusive offer for TT and RS fans. But even beyond the edition, thanks to the Audi exclusive program, customers can tailor their Audi Sport model to their own wishes - from individual exterior colors and the colors of the leather to the choice of contrasting stitching.
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