Audi hasn’t shown much love for the TT in recent years but that’s only because customers have flocked to crossovers and SUVs to the detriment of sporty compact coupes. One of the last – if not the last – chance to buy the Tourist Trophy in the spicy RS version is the Iconic Edition which is offered as a coupe only. Four Rings plans to make just 100 cars and all of them will be sold in Europe, including the right-hand drive market.
It’s celebrating 25 TTth anniversary as the first generation went on sale back in 1998, three years after its namesake concept car. Serving as a bridge through time, Audi will offer the five-cylinder coupe exclusively in Nardo Gray paint along with 20-inch glossy black alloy wheels featuring a seven-spoke design. The OLED taillights come as standard equipment while the quarter glass is adorned with the letters “Iconic Edition”.
The most notable visual improvement for the TT is represented by an enhanced aero kit in the wind tunnel. It includes a front splitter, canards and blades on the front side air intakes. Fixed carbon fiber wings have been added at the rear where both sides of the diffuser have vertical elements. Audi has also graced the interior with two-tone RS seats featuring honeycomb stitching, Alcantara door cards, numbered badges, and lots of yellow accents.
There are no mechanical changes, so the Iconic Edition features the same turbocharged 2.5-liter gasoline engine that produces 395 horsepower and 480 Newton-meters (353 pound-feet) of torque. Output is sent to the Quattro all-wheel-drive system via a seven-speed S Tronic automatic transmission to enable 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph (280 km/h).
There’s only one problem with the Icon Edition – it’s very expensive. While the TT RS retails for £57,315 in the UK, the special edition costs a tantalizing £87,650. The £30,000 price difference is hard to accept, but then again, we might see a 2.5 TFSI epilogue on the TT. The Ingolstadt-based Marque has said goodbye to the five-cylinder version in the United States with the Heritage Edition limited to 50 examples.
