Audi reinvents iconic TT

Now in its third generation, this striking car has finally got the fun to back up those oh-so-desirable looks, writes Paul Healy.

The new Audi TT has all the signatures of its predecessors, including pronounced wheel arches, a clamshell bonnet, a rakish roofline and unadorned flanks.

Back in 1998 I was stuck in traffic on the motorway north of London, in a left-hand drive example of the Audi TT, driven directly from the car’s launch in Germany. Necks were craned all around me, windows wound down and questions asked.

Nothing, absolutely nothing I’ve driven since has had such a reaction; the original TT was an extraordinary looking car that brought real concept-car styling to the road. What it didn’t ...