The Engine That Turned An Economy Car Into A Giant Killer
While one department at a car company was building a true giant among supercars, another department at the same company was outfitting their cheapest economy car platform with an engine so powerful that it could beat its own halo car to 60 mph. This “economy” fast car can run the 1/4 mile in 11.6 seconds at 119 mph.
Audi Built The R8 To Put The World On Notice
By the early 2000s, Audi’s company brass had hatched a plan. They would cement their reputation as a performance brand with a mid-engine halo car. It would be a true supercar, ready to go toe-to-toe with the giants of the segment. VW had just acquired Lamborghini in 1998, so VW group ordered Audi and Lamborghini to co-develop a new mid-engine chassis.
The Audi R8 V8, which shared a chassis with the Gallardo but not the Gallardo’s V10 engine, debuted at the Paris Auto Show in 2006. It began rolling off the assembly line the same year, finally landing in the U.S. as a 2008 model. Its 4.2-liter V8 made 420 horsepower and 317 lb-ft. For the 2010 model year, U.S. buyers got a 525-horsepower, 5.2-liter V10 engine option borrowed from the Gallardo. The V10 would quickly become the R8’s signature engine, and for the vehicle’s second generation (2017-2024), it was the only available engine.
According to the website, 0-60 specs, the average time it took a first-gen R8 to hit 60 mph was 3.83 seconds. The best time a first-gen laid down in a reputable test was 3.10 seconds, compliments of the “Extreme Edition.” The V10-only second-gen had faster times on average. But there were some slower second-gen models. The 2022 Audi R8 V10 Performance RWD took 3.2 seconds to hit 60 mph in a MotorTrend test.
The PQ35 Platform Underpinned Multiple Iconic Economy Cars
The R8 halo car anchored one end of the VW/Audi brand lineup. At the other end was Volkswagen Group’s compact “A” platform vehicles. The 2003-2014 “PQ35” generation of the A platform underpinned tens of millions of vehicles. This includes the 2003-2014 VW Golf (both the Mk5 and Mk6), the 2004-14 VW Golf Plus, the 2005-2018 VW Jetta (both Mk5 and Mk6), the 2011-2019 VW Beetle, the 2003-2013 Audi A3 (Mk2), 2011-2018 Audi Q3 (Mk1), and 2006-2014 Audi TT (Mk2).
In its own way, the PQ35 platform went toe-to-toe with giants. Namely, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. It was instrumental in VW claiming the crown of world’s largest automaker in 2016.
Just like the Civic with its Type R trim, and the Corolla with its GR trim, the PQ35 has its own compact performance offering: The Volkswagen Golf GTI, a truly legendary hot hatch. But one group of Audi engineers decided they could do even better. While much of the company was focused on the R8’s development, the RennSport division snuck a tuned economy car out the back door. Thanks to a very special engine, it was a true giant killer.
Audi TT RS: Half An R8 With All The Performance
The Audi TT RS debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009 and debuted in the U.S. market for the 2012 model year, disappearing again after the 2013 model year. Audi reincarnated the car for a second generation which was sold in the U.S. from 2018 through the 2022 model year. Every TT RS had “Quattro” AWD. The first-gen (built on the Mk2 TT) was available with a six-speed manual transmission while the second-gen (built on the Mk3 TT) was automatic-only. The 2012 Audi TT RS had a U.S. MSRP of $56,850. Meanwhile, a V8 R8 started at $114,200 and a V10 Spyder would set you back $175,150.
So how fast were these 3,300-pound compact coupes? When the second-gen debuted in 2018, both Car and Driver and MotorWeek tested its 0-60 time. In both tests, a 2018 RS coupe clocked a 3.2-second 0-60 time. In the Car and Driver test, the car continued on through the 1/4 mile in 11.6 seconds at 119 mph. Its top speed was electronically limited to 155 mph, with a factory option to remove the limiter. The 2018 TT RS was quicker to 60 mph than the average first-gen R8. It tied the 2022 Audi R8 V10 Performance RWD. The big R8 had a $148,700 MSRP and couldn’t beat a $65,875 TT RS off the line.
The Engine That Turned The Audi TT Into A Giant Killer
When Audi’s RennSport division began tuning the TT, they had multiple performance engines they could have just lifted from other PQ35 cars. The Mk5 VW Golf GTI featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged FSI engine that made a respectable 200 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 207 lb-ft of torque from 1,800 rpm all the way up to 5,000 rpm. Audi also built a TT variant with the 3.2-liter naturally aspirated V6. The “VR6” engine made 250 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 236 lb-ft between 2,500 and 3,000 rpm.
RennSport could have tuned up either of these engines, installed some stiffer suspension, and had a respectable TT RS to offer. Instead, the division chose the “maximum” effort route. Both generations of the TT RS feature an all-new 2.5-liter turbocharged inline five-cylinder. That’s right, these engineers managed to fit an inline-five into a front-engine, FWD platform originally designed for an inline-four. And they slapped on a turbocharger.
The first-gen TT RS made 360 hp at 5,500–6,700 rpm and 343 lb-ft at 1,650–5,400 rpm. But even that wasn’t enough. For the Mk3 generation of the TT, RennSport built an all-new TT RS engine. First and foremost, they tossed the cast iron block and built an aluminum block with plasma-coated iron liners. They also tossed the 17.4 psi BorgWarner K16 turbocharger and swapped in a 19.6 psi Continental. They took advantage of the upgrades with a new Bosch ECU that bumped the redline from 6,800 rpm to 7,000 rpm. The result was that without increasing the displacement, they dialed the output up to 400 hp at 5,850–7,000 rpm and 354 lb-ft at 1,700–5,850 rpm.
The “Economy” RS Finally Gets Its Due
Audi actually designed its first inline five-cylinder engine for its Audi 100 in 1977. By the 1980s, the Audi Quattro was dominating rally racing’s punishing “Group B” thanks to the latest turbocharged generation of the five-cylinder. The uneven rhythm of its signature 1-2-4-5-3 firing order produces a mechanical growl many motorsports fans will never forget.
RennSport obviously hasn’t forgotten either. It built the next generation turbocharged I5 around the same firing order. At first, reviewers noted that when revved out, the I5 has an exotic sound. Some even thought it was a shot across the bow of the Audi R8’s V10. But the truth is likely that this powerful engine is a bit of an Easter egg for fans of Audi history.
Today, the Audi TT RS represents a unique chapter in the company’s history. The giant killer with a uniquely Audi engine that RennSport snuck out the back door while company brass was focused on the R8. If you check Classic.com, you’ll find six TT RS cars sold over the past year. The average resale was $29,917 while the lowest was $18,500. Since 2025, six first-gen (Mk2) TT RS cars have sold for less than $30,000. That said, an orange 2018 with just 1,300 miles on the clock (pictured) sold in 2026 for $73,343.
Sources: BBC, 0-60 Specs, and Classic.com
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