Audi is unveiling the most powerful version of its TT model yet, simultaneously in London and China.
The TT RS Roadster is debuting at Audi?s West London showroom at the same time as its Coupe sister is unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show.
Revealing the car in London reflects the fact that more Audi TTs are bought in the UK than anywhere else ? British buyers account for almost half of all European sales of the model.
The new versions are are the second generation of the TT RS line and both use Audi?s new five-cylinder 2.5-litre TFSI turbocharged petrol engine. This is a development of a unit that has taken five ?Engine of the Year? titles, the major update being the use of a weight-saving aluminium block and a 17 per cent increase in power ? it produces 394bhp and 354lbft of torque, the latter between 1700 and 5850rpm. As a result the Coupe will pass 62mph from rest in 3.7 seconds ? four tenths quicker than its predecessor. The Roadster follows just behind at 3.9 seconds, three tenths up on its previous version, and both are capable of up to 174mph.
The Coupe is also half a second faster than its direct rival, the newly-unveiled Cayman S from Porsche (see story here).
As standard the TT RS models use a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, with its ratios specially selected for the car and steering-wheel paddles for manual control, and matched to quattro all-wheel drive.
The chassis sits 10mm lower to the ground than the stock TT, on 19-inch alloy wheels (20-inch forged...