These days, there are countless restomods out there that seem to be more of a reflection of the builders' vision than an enhancement of that of the original designer, and plenty of them are far removed from the cars upon which they are based. But Dutch outfit Autoforma has done something completely different with its new, one-off Audi TT restomod. Instead of modernizing the Mk. 1 TT with LED lighting, a big infotainment screen, and a five-cylinder turbocharged engine, Autoforma has restored the TT to its original form, adding only the subtlest of tweaks while staying true to the Audi TTS concept that first appeared in 1995.
Autoforma Brings Concept Car Looks to the Real World
When the production TT launched in 1998, it had a slightly fussier design than the original concept, and as slight as those changes were, Autoforma's take on the roadster effectively undoes all of them, creating a cleaner, purer expression of the Bauhaus-inspired two-door. At the front, the lower intake grilles are narrower and more square, and in the middle of the vehicle, the fabric soft top has been deleted, replaced instead by a composite panel that sits flush with the rear deck. Further back, the spoiler that was added to the TT shortly after launch has been removed. Audi added this aero device as part of a recall to help improve the handling, as early TTs suffered from severe high-speed instability and rear-end lift, typically inducing liftoff oversteer at speeds above 80 mph. Autoforma has not alluded to the aerodynamics of the rounder design, but we assume the owner won't be driving this one-off too often or too quickly.
Elsewhere, the suspension has been lowered, and though the wheels are stock, the track has been widened, so handling should be improved, at least at lower speeds. New vents on the front fenders hide the turn signal indicators behind fine mesh, but on one side of the vehicle, this area is usually occupied by the windshield washer fluid reservoir, so the tank has been relocated to the already small trunk. The side skirts have also gained subtle intake elements adorned with torx screws, and smaller, motorsport-inspired wing mirrors now reside on the A-pillars instead of the doors. While some might dislike the exposed hardware, the interior of this generation of Audi products had plenty of similar industrial design elements, like the gas filler cap, interior air vents, the ring on the steering wheel, and the gear lever base and knob.
Baseball Glove Interior Was a TT Highlight
When the TT was on sale, it was available with a baseball glove-inspired upholstery option, and this restomod has a similar theme, complemented by a wood-rimmed steering wheel and a wooden gear knob. Little else has changed, but that's what the commissioning owner wanted. That owner is Dutch eyewear and interior designer Jos Baijens, who was one of the first people in Holland to own a TT in 1998, and he is said to have helped co-design the end result. Another interesting tidbit is that the standard TT used for comparison in these images is owned by car designer Niels van Roij, whose company owns Autoforma. He's been responsible for stunning sooting brakes like the Rolls-Royce Wraith-based Silver Spectre.
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It's wild to think that the TT, one of the most futuristic and snazzy designs of the turn of the millennium, is now old enough to become a restomod appreciated for its simple aesthetics. In its heyday, it was sometimes derided as too soft and too chic, and then it was so popular that nobody batted an eyelid seeing one on the road anymore. Audi tried to recapture that magic with the second- and third-generation TTs, but in hindsight, the original is the only version truly worthy of being called "iconic." As demand for small coupes fell, the TT was killed off after the 2023 model year. Will the production version of the Concept C, a vehicle that will effectively sit between the discontinued R8 and TT, garner similar praise? We'll know eventually; production is scheduled for next year.
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