Audi TT 1.8 Turbo Quattro 225

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Audi first showed its TT design study to the world at the 1995 Frankfurt Auto Show where its clean, industrial look of Bauhaus simplicity captivated the automotive world.

The design team included J Mays, Peter Schreyer and Freeman Thomas, the same team that had penned the new Volkswagen Beetle. Some say the name came from the ‘Tourist Trophy’ that Audi’s forebear NSU had campaigned in. Some say it stood for ‘Technology and Tradition’ - please yourselves which you believe.

It was based on the highly-rated VW Group A4 platform as used in the VW Golf Mk4, the original Audi A3, and the Skoda Octavia. Power came from VW’s transversely-mounted, 20-valve 1.8-litre turbo four putting out either 180bhp or (with a larger K04 turbocharger and an additional intercooler) 225bhp. The 225bhp version could sprint to 60mph in 6.4 seconds with a top speed of 151mph. Going through a five-speed gearbox, drive to all four wheels was available as an option. A six-speed ’box soon followed and a roadster version was added in August 1999.

This six-speed all-wheel-drive 225bhp model dates from September 1999 and looks very smart in silver with a black/grey leather/alcantara interior and Avus six-spoke alloy wheels. It has covered around 102,300 miles and has a stamped up service history showing six services to 52,403 miles in 2007 but we are told that it has also been regularly serviced since then although the book has not been stamped.

Recently fitted with new tyres, brake discs and pads, it is said to drive superbly with an MOT until August with no advisories recorded. It also comes with a nice TT number plate.

It may seem premature to be talking about a mid-Nineties car as a classic, but such was the impact of the original TT design (totally lost on the Mk2 version of 2006) that TT enthusiasts already hark back to the first series in a wistful way. As yet, these cars aren’t terribly expensive, but such is the affection and demand for them that this might not last a whole lot longer. And don’t take any notice of the ‘hairdresser’ jibes that are often levelled at this model – these are seriously quick and competent machines with the kind of all-weather cross country pace that most cars can only dream of. Add some snow into the mix and you will soon leave far more exotic machines floundering in your wake…