Audi TT-RS Coupe Prototype Crashes at the Nurburgring

Nothing happens at the 'Ring without being filmed, and within seconds of the crash, somebody was videoing the very expensive secret test vehicle. The drivers were not too pleased about this and quickly pulled a tarp from inside the car, covering it up before we could take a good look at the interior.

It's not like there's anything to see either. The steering wheel seems to be borrowed from the TTS options list, and the Virtual Cockpit system has been available from Day 1. We can also tell you already that a manual gearbox will be available, unlike in the RS3.

An output of around 400 horsepower seems highly likely, since that's what Audi USA officials say will come out of their US-spec RS3 sedan. Not only is that the most power ever squeezed out of the 2.5-liter TFSI (in factory production guise) but we are dealing with the lightest chassis based on the MQB platform. That would surely make this a faster car than the A45 AMG, perhaps even the 718 Boxster S.

Yet it's fun that quattro GmbH is trying to offer more of. The RS3 and TT-RS remain all-weather vehicles with tons of grip that aren't as fun as Porsches or BMWs. But last year, the TT prototype was seen in the company of the GT4 and the Lotus Evora during benchmark testing.

The fact that this car also crashed at the Nurburgring indirectly confirms that the handling is less stable. A professional driver who knows the track like the back of his hand wouldn't approach a corner at too high a speed, so the RS must have oversteered somehow. Interesting, very interesting!