There is always an opportunity to be had when a model line reaches its conclusion. Take a small number from the end of production, add a spoiler here, a wing there, a spot of chintz perhaps, tell the world it’s a limited edition, limit that number to the amount you were going to sell anyway, then use all the above to charge a fortune for it.
That, precisely, is the recipe for this Audi TT RS Iconic Edition, of which just 100 will be made, 11 of which are destined for the UK and all are sold despite a price of – wait for it – £87,650, some £26,775 more than the standard TT RS to which it is mechanically identical. So you’re paying for those front winglets and spoiler, rear wing, some fancy-pants yellow stitching inside and, above all, the right to tell your mates you’re one in a hundred.
It’s all a bit of a cynical cop out and an unworthy end to a car I’ve by and large admired for 25 years. And it’s still good, good enough to deserve more than this. Actually I think the TTS is the one to have (and for nearly £40k less than this) but I still really enjoyed the yowl of the RS’s straight-five motor, its blistering point-to-point speed and its superb build quality. Yes, the tech’s a bit old now and the rear seats as useless as ever, but I’d understand entirely anyone wishing to treat themselves to a new TT before it’s gone. Except this one. AF
Price £87,650
Engine 2.5 litres, five cylinders, petrol, turbocharged
Power 395bhp
Torque 354lb ft
Weight 1450kg
Power to weight 272bhp per tonne
Transmission Seven-speed dual clutch, four-wheel drive
0-60mph 3.7sec
Top speed 174mph
Economy 31.0mpg (WLTP)
Verdict An unnecessary final fling
Recently, and in anticipation of the arrival of this very car, I found myself on a hillside with six generations that had gone before: the E28 original, the E34 that…
You’ll have been deluged with the images, goggled at the inexplicable video and been bombarded with all shades of opinion, but I just can’t not mention the Jaguar concept car.…
Car of the month – TWR Supercat It says TWR, but that’s no Group C car? Correct! This TWR isn’t quite like the old TWR that created fire-breathing touring and…
It would be understandable, perhaps even expected, for the usually unflappably confident Porsche to be just a little nervous about the reception its new Macan is likely to receive. Simply…
By the time you read this the fact that Donald Trump has become the first person since Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century to win non-consecutive US elections will…
Fifty years ago McLaren and Ferrari were battling it out on the track as Emerson Fittipaldi and his rival Clay Regazzoni chased the 1974 Formula 1 World Championship. Fast forward…
Here’s a fact for you – the MG Cyberster is the world’s first production two-seat EV to go on sale. It’s brave, to put it mildly. The car looks great…
Remember the Fiesta and Focus – the brilliant bread-and-butter Fords on which the company built its reputation in Europe? Forget them now – one has gone and the other is…
A while back, Max Girardo leant me his Daytona for a day and, yes, I know both that I’m a lucky chap and that it should really be called the Ferrari…
Here is a car that should make sense as an EV. With zero sporting intent, it matters less that it is heavy and more that it is quiet, which it…
Actually, the fact it’s the Spider version is not of any great concern. For those who are interested, the roof costs almost exactly £20,000, can raise or lower in just…
This might be the most-late review of an important new car that I’ve ever written. And there is perhaps something to be learned in that. This new ultra-high-performance estate with…