Tag: A1 quattro

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Audi Ford MINI Renault Video

Is the MINI JCW GP2 the new hot hatch king?

MINI John Cooper Works GP

The new MINI John Cooper Works GP has arrived in Australia and it might be about to kick a few goals down under. That’s certainly the case if this video from Evo magazine is anything to go by. Perhaps for local relevance the cars they tested the GP2 against are not very worthy, but as an outright measure of capability this surely has to stack up.

Against the MINI we see two former greats tackle two new hot hatches. From Ford we have the awesome looking Focus RS 500, while Renault provides the track-day special Megane R26.R. Two excellent cars that serve to provide a handy benchmark. To see if they can beat the old timers the MINI was joined by the limited-edition Audi A1 quattro.

Okay, we’ve probably already given away the result but it won’t make the clip any less enjoyable. And you can have the GP2 in your garage for around $60K. Not bad, huh?

[Thanks to Wayne for the tip]

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Audi

Limited edition Audi A1 quattro revealed

Audi A1 quattro

Back in May when Audi released the A1 clubsport at the Wörthersee show we became a little weak at the knees. Sure, we knew the 370kW in the show car was never going to be likely, but would Audi really make a production model based on this fantasy?

Well, as it happens, yes they will. And here it is, the A1 quattro. Essentially they’ve stuffed the 2.0 TFSI engine from the S3, as well its quattro all-wheel drive system and a 6-speed manual transmission, into an A1 bodyshell. Slightly detuned to 188kW (down from 195kW Euro spec S3 engines) the A1 quattro can reach 100km/h in 5.7 seconds. Yes, you’d expect it to be faster than an S3 wouldn’t you, as we give a subtle wink to the Audi marketing department.

There is a catch with the A1 quattro; it’s limited to just 333 examples and being left-hand drive only, it won’t be coming to Australia. Or will it, but just in another name? Is this car merely a precursor to a longer-term RS1 hyper-hatch we wonder. Let’s hope so.

Only available in Glacier White the A1 quattro wears 18×8″ exclusive cast alloy wheels. Other styling enhancements include a somewhat over the top rear wing which finishes off an otherwise well executed bodykit. Internally there’s a fatter flat-bottomed steering wheel and a questionable red tachometer, which stands out in an instrument cluster full of black dials.

Befitting a car such as this the ESP can be switched off entirely to allow more trackday fun.

The A1 quattro will be set for European deliveries in the second half of 2012 and we hope that somehow, in some form, a right-hand drive version finds its way to Australia one day.

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Audi

“Internally we refer to this car as the RS1”

Audi A1 clubsport

These are the words of Audi head of design Stefan Sielaff, as reported by What Car. The car he is referring to, of course, is the bonkers A1 clubsport, complete with 370kW, revealed at Wörthersee a few days ago.

Sielaff continued the RS1 tease by saying the A1’s engine bay wouldn’t need to be modified to fit the 2.5 litre five cylinder should the car go into series production. It’s unlikely any road going model would be released sporting the full 370kW, but even the standard 250kW found in the TT RS would be most welcome.

The A1 clubsport is 400kg lighter than its production siblings, and while that may be a stretch too far if an RS1 is made, Sielaff reckons a weight saving of 200kg could be achieved.

Consider our appetite whet!

[Source: What Car]