MODERNCLASSICS 51
800
Cars builtthe early TT seemed a rather cynical thing that treated the
sports car buyer with contempt. Its 1930s-streamliner
looks were much praised, bringing a uniquely German
contribution to a predominantly British, Italian and
Japanese sports car scene. But lurking underneath was
the leaden f loorplan of a MkIV Golf. Steering feedback
was virtually non-existent, the convertible version had the
side-profile of the Tellytubbies’ house, and worst of all, it
turned out that its aerodynamic efficiency was mainly
visual. Before a rear spoiler was added in a high-profile
product recall, the shape of its rounded buttocks had a
nasty habit of failing to keep the rear tyres planted at
autobahn speeds. Still, people bought lots of them, and for
a moment it seemed like the TT might actually kill the
sports-car boom through an overdose of superficiality.
But as we roar around the empty M62, I find myself
repenting. Quattro GmbH’s persistence in developing the
TT ultimately paid off with the Sport. An ice warning
f lashes repeatedly on the orange dashboard screen, but
grip is limpet-like, even as I twitch between lanes to join
the M67 that’ll take me out to the A628 and the Moors.
The grip helps to make best use of the Quattro Sport’s
237bhp thrust too, an incredible trick for a compact
1.8-litre four-cylinder engine brought about by using a
Ferrari-style five valves per pot. This most potent of four-
wheel-drive TTs sat between the Porsche Boxster S and
996 Carrera II in terms of power, but with a chassis
balance far closer to 50:50 compared to the 911, it
promises greater real-world speed.
There’sanopportunityto testthattheoryas another
earlyriserlookingto exercisehis 996 hovesintoviewon
the M67.I slow,lethimrocketpast,thendropa gearon
thisslick-shiftingsix-speederandf lattenthethrottle
againstthethin,lightweightcarpet.There’sno rear-end'AN ICE WARNING
FLASHES ORANGE ON
THE DASH, BUT GRIP
IS LIMPET-LIKE AS I
JOIN THE MOORS'
This TT
means
business.