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VW Up! Gets Audi TT 1.8T Engine with Flaming Exhaust, Aims for 400 HP, AWD Glory

Do you know somebody who would look at the Volkswagen Up! and think that the tiny car needs the kind of power you'd find in the latest-generation Audi TT RS? In case the answer is "yes", feel free to share this tale with the said aficionado.
VW Up! Gets Audi TT 1.8T Engine 7 photos
Photo: JP Performance/YouTube
VW Up! Gets Audi TT 1.8T EngineVW Up! Gets Audi TT 1.8T EngineVW Up! Gets Audi TT 1.8T EngineVW Up! Gets Audi TT 1.8T EngineVW Up! Gets Audi TT 1.8T EngineVW Up! Gets Audi TT 1.8T Engine
We're here to talk about an Up! that has been gifted with a TT heart, albeit one that doesn't have anything to do with the turbocharged five-cylinder mill of the TT RS.

Instead, the Vee-Dub we have here packs the 1.8-liter turbo heart of the first-generation TT. Since our German is not exactly sharp, we can't be 100 percent certain, but it seems that the tiny machine packs the entry-level 180 hp version of the motor.

As shown in the German video at the bottom of the page, the project comes from one of Europe's most extreme builders, namely Jean Pierre Kraemer.

However, the factory output of the motor is of little importance, since the tuner aims to push the little car extremely far, as indicated by the custom setup already fitted to the engine.

Sure, the wiring now serves as some sort of engine bay ornament, but this is only because the project still has a long way to go. Once the thing is completed, you can expect the turbo-four to push as much as 400 hp. Oh, and it shouldn't surprise you to see that the small VW has gone from its current front-wheel-drive setup to an all-paw configuration.

Keep in mind that, after serious pondering, Volkswagen has decided to gift us with a warm hatch version of the Up!. In its GTI form, the hatch packs 115 hp from a turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine. So we can't wait to see what the tuning monster we have here, which comes with more than three times that power, can do.

For now, you can check out the dragony side of this Up! (think: fire-spitting exhaust) in the clip below (you can skip to the 7:40 point for the action).

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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