The late Ferdinand Piech may have ruled with an iron fist, but he made sure things got done. During his tenure as CEO of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002, he oversaw some of the company’s most ambitious engineering projects, culminating in the development of the Bugatti Veyron. He left a complex legacy that included expensive vanity efforts, such as the VW Phaeton, and visionary projects such as the XL1.
Even before taking the helm of the automotive giant, Pich was instrumental in developing several iconic cars. As head of development at Porsche and later at Audi, he was deeply involved in projects such as the legendary 917 and Cotro race cars. His drive to explore new ideas continued until the end of his tenure, and this TT locale serves as a prime example.
Despite its familiar silhouette, it’s not really a tourist trophy. Photography rare_car_deutslandthe one-off took around eight months to complete and is the result of merging an original TT body with the first generation Rs 4. Basically, it was a B5 RS4 with an 8n generation TT body. By now, you might be wondering why?
At the turn of the century, Audi was toying with the idea of a sports car standing above the TT. The R8 didn’t exist yet, as the Lamborghini Gallardo’s sister model wouldn’t even be previewed until the 2003 Le Mans Cotro concept before entering production in 2006. To test the waters, Audi engineers combined the RS4 Avant’s underpinnings with the TT’s compact body. And by underpinnings, we mean just about everything: axles, engine, rear differential, wheels, transmission and more.
Photo by: Rare Cars Deutschland
To make the swap, engineers shortened the chassis by 6.7 inches (170 mm) beyond the fuel tank to match the TT’s wheelbase and preserve its proportions. Under the hood sat the RS4’s twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6 engine, making this prototype the only TT to use a true V-6, considering the first two generations relied on VR-6s. Side note: The VW Group didn’t stop making the VR6 engine until late 2024.
Notably, the V-6 was mounted longitudinally, as opposed to the transverse configuration of the regular TTS. The drivetrain also switched from a Haldex differential borrowed from the RS4 to a rear-biased Torsion system. With 375 HP and 325 lb-ft (440 Nm) of torque driven through a six-speed manual gearbox to all four wheels, the “TT Coupe RS4” was a serious performer.
Surprisingly, the performance was strong. After all it was Rs 4 more than TT. It sprinted to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.9 seconds and reached a top speed of 174 mph (280 km/h). The platform swap added some mass, bringing curb weight to 3,417 pounds (1,550 kg), although the later VR6-powered TT, launched in 2003, was only marginally lighter.
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Source: Rare Cars Deutschland
In a 2013 interview with the now defunct Maturity website, ex-Quattro Autom (now Audi Sport) product chief Stephen Rill called the TT Coupe RS4 “incredibly fun to drive” and said it was “working on the 911 at the moment.” The car was extensively tested, accumulating approximately 12,500 miles (20,000 km).
As the patch period approached, the idea of a production version proved too expensive. The Volkswagen Group finally achieved its goal of building a supercar above the TT with the R8, joining the Gallardo. Both the TT and R8 have since been discontinued, but Audi plans to return to the sports car segment in 2027 with a production version of the Concept C. This time, completely electric.
