The Audi TT’s somewhat controversial name has two meanings, and “twin turbo” isn’t one of them. Interestingly, both the official and unofficial meanings of the TT badge were penned by the same man. The official TT badge pays homage to a legendary motorcycle race that began in 1907: the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. As to why it was named after that, we have to go back to the pre-war era.
Before Audi became the German premium brand we know today, it was part of Auto Union AG, a merger formed in 1932 by Audiwerke, Horchwerke, DKW, and Wanderer (hence the four interlocking rings logo). DKW had the strongest link to racing, and its cars competed in four-wheel Tourist Trophy racing in the 1930s. Volkswagen acquired Auto Union in 1965 and merged the German auto brand NSU with Auto Union in 1969. NSU machines competed at the inaugural Isle of Man TT and continued to do so until the 1930s, further cementing the Tourist Trophy DNA within the union.
Audi TT designer Freeman Thomas doodled a tiny sketch of a two-seat convertible sports car while on a business trip in Germany in 1994. J Mays, then Audi’s head of design, saw the sketch and took it to VW CEO Dr. Ferdinand Piech, and their support led to the car showing up at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. Thomas needed a name for his concept car, so he borrowed it from the vintage NSU TT racing car, and an icon was born.
The TT Name Has a Second Meaning
As for the unofficial meaning of TT, designer Freeman Thomas had the ideas of tradition and technology in mind when refining the car’s final shape. The “tradition” part refers to the Audi TT’s minimalist Bauhaus styling cues. No Audi looked as distinctive before the TT debuted in production form in 1998 (2000 in North America), and it became instantly iconic for retaining its concept car styling cues.
As for the technology part, the Audi TT led the way without bragging about it. It was the first mass-produced car to have a four-cylinder turbocharged engine — a five-valve-per-cylinder 1.8-liter unit that produced 180 horsepower. It was also the first to use VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drivetrain in a production model. In 2004, Audi gave the TT a 250-horsepower 3.2-liter VR6 engine and paired it with a dual-clutch automatic transmission. The second-generation Audi TT that debuted in 2006 (Coupe) and 2007 (Roadster) was the first to feature magnetic adaptive suspension, while the third-generation model launched in 2014 was the first to offer Audi’s fully digital virtual cockpit.
The Final Edition Audi TT went on sale in 2023 to celebrate 25 years of sports car heritage. But that’s not the end of the story, as the stylish Audi Concept C is being developed as its successor. It may not adhere to its predecessor’s Tourist Trophy origins, and it’s certainly moving beyond established traditions — but it lives up to the “technology” aspect that was central to the Audi TT’s identity from the very beginning.
