r e at de si g n i s a l w ay s
a victim of its own
success. Familiarity
might not always
lead to contempt,
but it certainly breeds indifference.
The original Audi TT has long since
b e c ome a n aut omot i v e ba c k g r ou nd
artist, a near-invisible part of any
streetscape that rarely gets a second
glance. Yet when it was new, it drew
attention better than most supercars.
I’m serious. Back in 1999, I got
to drive an early TT coupé through
c e nt r a l L ondon mont h s b e for e U K
sales started, and it was as if I were
i n a low-f l y i n g s pa c e c r a f t or h a nd i n g
out £50 notes. On a gridlocked
Euston Road, a bus driver heading in
the opposite direction abandoned his
double-decker and crossed several
lanes of traffic to demand to know
w h at t h i s v i sion f r om t he f ut u r e w a s.
Another bloke offered to buy it for
cash, which might have caused some
m i ld f r ic t ion w it h t he A ud i pr e s s
office had I accepted. Not bad for a
car that shared its underpinnings
with the Mk4 Volkswagen Golf.
Yet now the TT is nearing the end
of its life. Audi has said there are
no plans for a direct replacement
for the current, third-generation
model, which will reach its sixthanniversary this year. Market tastes
are changing as aspirational punters
move to crossovers, and the TT has
certainly enjoyed a good innings.
But this also feels like a good time
for a retrospective to celebrate both
the car and the dying segment that
could be termed the everyday coupé.
Parts-bin special sounds like
a n i n s u lt , but he r e it i sn’t. To u s e
it a c k now le d ge s t he T T ’s g r e at e s t
strength: the fact that it isn’t an
uncompromising, pure-bred sports
c a r. W he n c ompa r e d w it h mor e
dynamically focused rivals, the TT
pr e t t y muc h a l w ay s f i n i she d r u n ne r-
up; Audi must have a cupboard fullof wooden spoons somewhere from
all the comparison tests that it lost.
Ye t , w it h t he e xc e p t ion of t he
Porsche Boxster and Cayman, it
outsold the sportier alternatives
a nd h a s out l i v e d mo s t of t he m.
T h at w a s t h a n k s i n pa r t t o t he
practicality that came from the
humble underpinnings: the utility of
a tailgate and four seats. You could
c a r r y a bi k e i n a T T or mor e t h a n one
passenger, provided they were small
enough to squash into the back. ◊
44 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 8 APRIL 2 020
From start to finish
G
The original Audi TT seemed revolutionary in 1998, and the Mk3 still has a unique
appeal today. Mike Duff takes the two for a spin to consider the past and the future
(^) PHOTOGR A PHY MAX EDLESTON