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SEMA: Audi shows off 440kW TT Clubsport Concept

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German car maker unveils R8-eater that's said to be inspired by IMSA GTO race cars of the 1980s - extra power comes from electric assisted turbo
Audi has pulled the drapes off another wild concept based on the current TT coupe at the SEMA modified car show in Las Vegas.


Picking up the baton from the 2015 Worthersee TT Clubsport Turbo, the latest SEMA Clubsport concept once again is powered by the TT RS’ 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine that’s boosted by an electronically driven turbocharger.
Like the earlier concept, the latest SEMA concept hits 100km/h in exactly the same 3.6 seconds and tops out at an identical 310km/h.
Claimed to have been inspired by the fearsome wide-body Audi 90 IMSA GTO race and, in part, to help cope with the extra performance, designers have widened the standard Audi TT by a substantial 140mm and also added a large carbon fibre rear wing that features manual adjustment.
Audi claims, the powerful TT Clubsport concept is merely a tool to help it advertise its latest range of performance parts for the TT that were revealed last month.
They include two- or three-way coil-over suspension, 20-inch wheels, cross-member reinforcement and even a new Akropovic sports exhaust option.
Other commentators are suggesting the re-emergence of the original Worthersee TT Clubsport Turbo’s engine is evidence the German car maker has secretly green lit the electrically assisted turbo 2.5-litre for production.
If so, the more 441kW 2.5-litre turbo could power not only a forthcoming Audi TT RS Plus but even the rumoured entry-level R8
Back in February last year, motoring.com.au reported that a lower-powered version of the R8 was on the cards following an allegedly leaked document suggested an R8 V6 would be introduced in 2018.
The less powerful supercar could, it was suggested, plug the gap left by the first-generation 4.2-litre V8 and provide an entry-level price point well below $280,000.
A more likely choice for the R8 would be the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 that’s under the bonnet of the recently launched RS5 – but the 331kW/600Nm engine might have been deemed internally too meek for the flagship supercar – hence why the five-cylinder e-turbo’s more muscular 441kW/650Nm might be a better match.
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