 |
|
|
|
2000 September:
A rather cute hard-top (right) for the Audi TT Roadster
was revealed at the Paris Motor Show.
The outer skin is a heavy duty plastic,
painted the same colour as the car's body,
over an aluminium frame.
There are four attachment points.
4wd.sofcom.com/Audi/Audi.html 2000  |
2000: The Audi TT roadster (right) comes to Australia, going on sale May '00 at $92,900. It's a nice little sports car, but that's a lot of money for the pleasure of open air motoring. The heated glass rear window and the electrically operated glass wind-break behind the roll-over bars are nice touches. Australian TT's roadsters come with leather upholstery, BOSE sound system, heated seats and climate control air conditioning.
Audi is at pains to emphasise the safety features of the roadster, which meets European front and side impact criteria, and the basic strength of the open car's bodywork. TTs built from 2000 get the electronic stability program (ESP) and a spoiler on the boot (in response to doubts over the TT's high-speed stability that surfaced c1999).
The Audi TT Coupe was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show (1995) as a design concept. It went on sale in Australia about June 1999 (4x2) and October (Quattro) with the sales campaign having started at the 1998 Sydney International Motor Show. Named after the Isle of Mann Tourist Trophy races, you either love or hate the TT's retro-styling but they do say that ladies like a neat rear. The Audi TT Coupe is available as a front wheel drive or four wheel drive (Quattro). The former has the 132kW engine, the latter a choice of 132kW or 165kW versions of the 1.8L, 4-cylinder, 20-valve, turbo-charged and intercooled engine (gasp).
The Quattro's four wheel drive comes from an electronically controlled (wet) multi-plate clutch between the transmission and rear differential. Differences in rotational speed drive a swash plate and thence an oil pump to pressurize the multi-plate clutch. Electronic sensors control the pressure and therefore the degree of slip and torque transfer. (This is in contrast to the centre diff' of the rallying Quattro.) The 132kW models have a 5-speed manual gearbox and the 165kW model has a 6-speed sequential gearbox.
Safety features include front and side airbags for driver and passenger, pyrotechnic seat-belt tensioners and ABS brakes (and traction control on the 4x2).
The Audi TT is being assembled as "a joint operation between [Audi AG] Inglostadt, Germany, and [Audi Hungaria Motor Kft] Gyor, Hungary."
- 4wd.sofcom.com/Audi/TT/TT.html
Go to the
Audi
pages
