SHOULD WE CONSIDER THE AUDI TT MORE OF AN ICON? Revisit some of our 'greatest ever...' lists and there's not an example to be found, not even amongst evo 135's exhaustive '100 Greatest Driver's Cars'. Flick forward a dozen pages in that 2009 issue and you'll find the freshly launched Mk2 TT RS declared 'a good Audi, but not a great driver's car', hammering the point home somewhat.
Yet the curvaceous Mk1 TT played a significant part in this magazine's history. No, I'm not talking about the occasionally baffling Project Veyrog, but rather the early example that was one of the stars of issue 001 in 1998. It was a key road test of what would prove to be a pivotal car in the regeneration of Audi's brand image; so key that we deemed it vital to pop an H-plate Audi Quattro 20V on expenses to drive down to its newer relation's Umbrian press launch.
Their modest age gap now seems implausible in photographs-how on earth did one company produce both cars within the same decade? 'The TT was inspired by Bauhaus,' says former head of Audi Design Marc Lichte. 'Its universal design philosophy of "less is more" - the omission of everything unnecessary and insignificant - was so radical and so courageous that the TT quickly achieved the highest attribute of good design: to be timeless."
Dickie Meaden was a little more succinct back in issue one, declaring the TT's curves 'bold and breathtaking'. As I climb inside the example we'll be driving today and shut the door with a satisfying, late-'90s Teutonic THWUNK, I feel just as effusive. A quarter of a century on, this pure and simple genesis of TT- sans the infamous spoiler - really does feel timeless.
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Esta historia es de la edición July 2024 de Evo UK.
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BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
