Nowadays, the first-generation Audi TT can be deemed a future classic because of its unique styling and unmistakable road presence. First presented to the public in 1995 in its concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Audi TT came to market a few years later, in 1998. It was based on the Volkswagen Group PQ34 platform, also seen on the Mk4 Golf or Audi A3, and was offered in both coupe and convertible body styles.
Motoren Technik Mayer (MTM) is a vehicle tuner based in Wettstetten, Germany, founded in 1990 by Mr. Roland Mayer, the company CEO. Their engineering expertise focuses on brands like Audi, Seat, Skoda, VW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Bentley. Their projects are developed mainly in-house, but occasionally they collaborate with their affiliated development company, named Wetec Engineering.
The company achieved notoriety in the automotive industry following the high-speed testing of their projects, but the most memorable one of them all is the famous Audi TT Bimoto, which, essentially, shattered speed records for a living. This remarkable project is technically still ongoing, but its first public appearance dates way back to 2003. At the time, it registered its first official speed record of 232 mph (374 kph) during "Auto Motor und Sport" magazine testing on the Nardo circuit in Italy. The MTM Bimoto ended up being the fastest ever street licensed vehicle tested by them, an honorable achievement from a highly reputable technical magazine. Later on, in July 2007, the second version of this extraordinary rocket on wheels achieved an even higher top speed of 244 mph (393 kph), setting up a new official speed record on a test track in Papenburg, Germany, with the pilot Florian Gruber masterly maneuvering the steering wheel.
We shall not forget that this level of performance in the mid-2000s was reserved only for exclusive hypercars such as the Bugatti Veyron or the McLaren F1. Imagine the stir it caused among enthusiasts when, out of nowhere, a beefed-up "hairdresser's car," as Top Gear famously defined the first-gen TT, made headlines with its unheard-off performance, and left supercars of the time in the dust. How did MTM manage to create such a beast?
Photo: MTM
What they did is mind-boggling even now, many years later. Let's start with the naming scheme. It was not your usual Audi TT. Oh no, it was the MTM Bimoto. The latter portion gives some hints regarding this rocket's powerplant. Or shall we say powerplants because, to everyone's surprise, at the heart of this vehicle stood two engines, one in the front and one in the back, stealing the place of the rear seats. MTM deployed a pair of turbocharged 1.8-liter engines, each one driving one axle. Furthermore, each unit that came mated to its own 6-speed transmission, also one for each axle.
In total, two motors and two gearboxes worked seamlessly with each other in absolute synchronization, developing about 700-800 hp in its first iteration, coming close to the 1000 hp mark in the following years. Five hundred horsepower from each 1.8-liter four-cylinder unit was and still remains an impressive number, even if you do not consider the duplicated architecture of the vehicle. The horsepower-per-liter ratio is immense even to this day, sitting around the 277 hp/l value, knocking-out many modern-day performance machines.
Acceleration times were shocking for the time, the MTM Bimoto being able to reach 62 mph (100 kph) from a standstill in only 3.7 seconds in its initial 2003 power-train configuration, and a claimed 3.1- and realized 3.3-second zero to 62 mph time for the 2007 version, during the Papenburg testing. For comparison, the now-classic McLaren F1 reached 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.2 seconds and went on until topping at 240 mph (386 kph), a few mph short of the Bimoto's 244 mph (393 kph) top speed record.
Photo: MTM
The exterior appearance of the Bimoto still resembled the original form of a stock TT. Some of the highlights were the side and top air scoops that fed the rear engine, the redesigned and lowered front and rear bumpers allowing for extra aerodynamic performance, and an extensive rear spoiler increasing high-speed stability. Large fender flares accommodate the widened track alongside the massive 19-inch wheels and the high-performance Brembo disc brakes featuring 8-piston calipers all-round.
The estimated cost of this project sat around a half-million-dollar mark. Considering how much R&D must have been involved in the engineering of this speed legend, the cost seems well justified. Allegedly, MTM planned to build a production run of ten Bimoto vehicles, but presently it is unknown if they ever sold any unit to the public.
Sadly, this incredible project went under the radar in recent times, its last public appearances dating back many years ago. One of the most complex performance automotive endeavors in recent history, the MTM Bimoto has a special place in enthusiasts' hearts, genuinely hoping that the brand still has future plans for this alluring dual-engined high-speed machine.
Since his early childhood, Dan developed an avid passion for cars and, now he sees himself as a genuine petrolhead. His enthusiasm comes from his father, an automotive engineer. They love to reminisce about the days when his dad showed him the inner workings of an engine and why everything does what it does. Full profile
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