The Audi TT-RS. Image: Audi AG
As a journalist, it’s critical for me to be impartial. I can’t show favoritism for one brand over another, and when a new car is introduced I tend to take a jaded view of it. After all, when you drive 300-plus horsepower sports cars and luxury cars on a regular basis, it’s little hard to get excited about every new car that comes along. In my case, the exception to that rule is the Audi TT-RS.
Image: Audi AG
I’ll come clean up front: I have a very bad jones for this car. If my income were at pre-economic collapse levels, I’d have already put money down at my local Audi dealer, and I’d be counting down the days to delivery like a felon awaiting release from a maximum security prison. I could try and rationalize my lust for the TT-RS by saying it’s styling is reminiscent of the Audi Avus show car, or that it will come with a 360 horsepower, turbo five cylinder engine mated to a quattro drivetrain. I could point out that the drivetrain is good enough for 0 – 60 times of 4.1 seconds, on its way to an electronically governed top speed of 155 miles per hour. I could also tell you that slushbox drivers need not apply: Audi is bringing in only six-speed manual TT-RS models. There are faster cars out there, and there are better looking cars out there, but none make my hormones sit up and beg quite like the TT-RS.
Image: Audi AG
Base price will be a semi-reasonable $56,850, excluding destination charge. Audi hasn’t told us what option packages will be available, but I’d expect most cars to sticker in the $60k range. Since it’s a limited availability model, expect dealers to tack some additional profit on the price, but hopefully not as much as the overly-hyped BMW 1 Series M. Look for deliveries of the TT-RS to begin this fall.
Source: Audi
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
