Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Audi TT RS 'Plus' news reignites speculation

. Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Search Google News today for "Audi TT RS Plus" and you're likely to see headline after headline - some heavier on the hyperbole than others - signalling the arrival of a more-potent TT RS that sounds like something just short of a mini R8 GT. Specifically, we're pointing to an article from the French L’Automobile Magazine, of which many subsequent stories use as a source. The fact is, this is fairly old news. Allow us to elaborate after the jump.

If you recall, we ran a post about this subject back in March. As we detailed at that time, a leaked ETKA (Volkswagen Group's official parts catalog) scan (shown above) revealed a 'Plus' model amidst Audi's TT RS lineup. Unlike some of the more inflated rumors that point to as much as 385 horsepower, we're going to trust the ETKA scan on this one, which reveals a total 360 PS for the upcoming TT RS 'Plus' (that figure should sound familiar to the American enthusiasts out there).

Backing up our claim, this subject did arise during dinner conversation at the recent TT RS drive event we attended. Which was met with Audi of America's product specialists noting the 'Plus' model would basically be a mild refresh to bring the European model on par with its American sibling. While we can't quote anyone directly on this (I honestly thought it wasn't worth noting at the time since these rumors were fairly old), Automobile Magazine received official word from Audi's Mark Dahncke, which should be enough to quell any over zealous rumors from flying too far.

Of course this is not to discourage our European readers. Twenty more horsepower is twenty more horsepower, and that's never a bad thing.

TT RS Photo: Audi of America
ETKA Scan via Qarsi.de