Out of the Closet : Audi TTS

Despite its tres chic styling that has won so many die-hard fans (especially with the earlier Bauhaus-inspired predecessor), you'd be hard-pressed to find a 'serious' automotive enthusiast to admit that he (or she) actually likes the TT and would be caught dead driving around in one.

Accomplished as the car may be, the modern day TT seems to have supplanted the (NB) MX-5 as the previous limp-wristed hair-dresser's chariot of choice, especially since the current MX-5 is a rather butch affair with the appropriate bulges in all the right places.



The TTS bares its fangs and really comes out of the closet... and we're not talking about getting in touch with its feminine side either; this hard-core TT leaps out of the closet like a deranged jack-in-the-box with fists a-flaying in dramatic turbocharged fashion.



The body-kit is subtle rather than in-your-face yet nevertheless quietly powerful: front and rear aprons with refreshed front light-clusters that feature bi-xenon headlights and integrated day-time running LED strips (like the S5 and R8), 18-inch rims wrapped in Potenza RE050A rubber and quad exhaust pipes.

Of course, we haven't forgotten the ubquitous S/RS trademark silver finish wing mirror housings, although it's unfortunate that some of their edge has been blunted by the car's matching body colour.

Previously, the TT was available in turbocharged 2L and V6 guises here in Singapore, but that's changed: only one turbo'd 2L engine is available, albeit in 2 stages of tune - ho-hum (200bhp) and YOW-ZA (TTS)!





Apart from the usual 'TT' trappings, there's the inclusion of the coveted 'S' tag on the front grille, rump and side scuff plates, which add much coveted street cred to the car's appeal. Unfortunately, judging by the reactions of many people, the TTS is just another TT, which goes to show that there's still room for a lot more education for these mendicants.

Overheard during my shoot from a passing band of used car salesmen, "Why is that guy so proud of his car and taking pictures? It's just another TT." LOL Oh well, the delightful ignorance of mendicants...it takes all sorts!



In spite of the almost nondescript exterior colour, the cabin is a funky fusion of orange and black and Audi's attention to detail really shines through from the orange stitching of the steering wheel to the S Tronic shift boot.

Where its lesser Volkswagen sibling is perfectly content to uphold its long-standing tradition for 'solid', 'functional' and 'reliable' cabins, Audi displays its cheeky persona with a vibrant orange splash amidst the TTS' gorgeously designed cabin.





Audi's dual-clutch transmission is dubbed 'S Tronic', although it's effectively a variation of the well-worn DSG theme. Despite the many DSG fanatics around in SIngapore, not many are aware that the first car here to boast the DSG was in fact, an Audi. The first DSG application available in Singapore's RHD market was in the previous generation 3.2L V6 TT.



Gear-shifts can be executed with the sturdily constructed steering-wheel mounted '+' and '-' paddles or via the gear-shifter. Mated to the new and improved turbo'd 2L, the results are explosive!

This is everything the GTI could have been... but isn't. The TTS is capable of putting on an indecent turn of speed, while the wet Sunday gave us the opportunity to exploit the legendary quattro sure-footedness.



Floor the gas pedal and the engine goes banzai bananas! There's so much torque from low-down the rev-band that you can happily mosey to and from your appointments, but when you're in a rush, the TTS transforms into a charging silver bullet that will blitz everything in its path... not just the werewolves.

Best of all, the tremendous belches that accompany each gear-shift as you're passing are sublimely obnoxious! They know they're being passed.

AMR (Audi Magnetic Ride) is a standard feature and lets the driver toggle between 'Normal' and 'Sport' modes for more dynamic handling (likewise, there're 2 stages of traction control to be disabled); the ride is surprisingly civilised in spite of the 18inch low profile rubber.

The boot-lid spoiler too, can be manually deployed with a button on the centre console... All the better for passing you, my dear!

The steering could be more meaty, but there's no denying there's a nimble adroitness about the TTS that surpasses the regular TT and even its VW counterparts. Otherwise, brake pedal feel offers ample confidence and prove more than capable of hauling the car to a standstill.

It hustles with such a deceptive alacrity that your passengers will likely find themselves white-knuckle gripping the grab-handles when the TTS is on its roll. Don't forget, with S tronic, the TTS dispatches the century sprint in just over 5 seconds.



The TTS has certainly come out... but it's in the mood for 'giving' rather than 'taking', so if you think it's going to be a pushover, get ready for a painful awakening.

Fast Facts : Audi TTS
Engine: 1984cc, 16-valves, turbocharged
Maximum power: 272bhp at 6000rpm
Maximum torque: 350Nm at 2500-5000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed S tronic double-clutch transmission
0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds
Top speed: 248km/h
LxBxH: 4198 x 1842 x 1345 mm
Wheelbase: 2468mm
Kerbweight: 1395kg
Agent: Premium Automobile
Price: S$225,000

Day-Glo Orange is the New Black : Porsche 911 GT3 (996) Mk1

An aurally loud and brash car like 'Sunkist' needs an appropriately lurid colour to accompany it...

Mind you, it has all the ability to back up its distinctive colour choice so you'll never mistake it for some pastel-loving pansy.

Prior to this, the GT3 was found in a rather boring shade of black and before that, Zanzibar Red. Of course, there's always been a sort of Teutonic appeal associated with solid colours like black and silver, but the new owner decided that hum-drum would not be the way forward for this car... and so we have Sunkist Racing with a delectable 'pearl' finish - a finger in the faces of the few 997 GT3 RSs in a similar hue that are prowling the streets.

At that time, the MK 1 GT3 was probably the most hardcore road-going production 911 that money could buy (at least in the Singapore context). It was not until the arrival of the GT3 MK 2 that the lightweight GT3 RS made its appearance.

Most notably, in 1999, the GT3 became the first production car to break the 8 minutes mark as it romped ferociously around the Nurburgring. Porsche's official test-driver Walter Rohrl lapped 'Green Hell' in 7 minutes 56 seconds while piloting the 911 GT3 MK 1. He subsequently managed 7 mins 43 seconds in the 996 GT3 RS.

To put it in perspective, this car easily cracked the 2:38 barrier at Sepang on old street tyres at the hands of a non-professional track enthusiast.

Despite its overt resemblance to lesser but no less outrageously body-kitted 996 911s, the GT3 is a completely different kettle of fish. Designed from ground-up for the track, the no-nonsense 996 GT3 was first introduced in 1999 as a lean, mean, track-focused machine that was intended to trump its rivals at GT-class competition level on race circuits.

The body addenda on this car typically includes a cargraphic front spoiler with lip (although today it's running the stock spoiler otherwise there would have been issues with the car-park slope)

No Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake system under the Advan RG alloy rims (painted black orange highlights) but Sunkist is equipped with the GT3 MK 2's 6pot front callipers and 4pot rears for stupendous stopping power... and i mean STUPENDOUS!

As far as road use goes, the stopping prowess it displays in hauling you to a halt at the traffic lights or when a taxi pulls out in front of you is merely the tip of the iceberg. The pedal feel offers ample confidence and there's always the sensation that it has more than 95% in reserve for the track. Note the big-brake ducts that cool of this pristine example.

There's a minimalist Zen-like atmosphere to the interior, yet there's no mistaking the GT3's 'hard' personality, as the cabin best exemplifies the importance of form following function. Automatic climate control, a hi-fi and powered windows are the few concessions to 'comfort'.

Seat-belts are red colour coded, there's a chunky 3-spoke sports steering wheel to cling on to, even as your feet are dancing on the alloy pedals while you work your way down 99 bends. The suede-clad 'cobra-head' gear-lever look out of place since this is an update item that's been fitted to the car from the 'newer' 996 GT3 RS. Make no mistake, the car is a little worn, but the very few scuff marks belie its age (close to 10 years) and the controls easily feel like they're more than capable of lasting another 10 with impunity. Besides, the car wears it wear-marks and scuffs proudly like a warrior would of his battle-scars!



The driver's seat takes the beautifully sculpted form of a bespoke Clubsport package Recaro bespoke race bucket, while the passenger spends his time in a more mundane electric-adjustable leather seat.



These classic old school gauges are pure Porsche and you'd be a fool not to love the simplicity and eminent legibility of the font and layout. The cabin architecture exudes a functional charm that is elegant in its simplicity. One thing's for sure: this isn't a car to piss around in!

Under the rump-end of Sunkist resides the same 3.6L water-cooled flat-six that is found in the garden variety 911s of the early 2000s, albeit tuned to a chest-thumping 360bhp in stock form.

But before you go 'pish-tosh, it's water-cooled!', it's worth noting that the particular flat-six in the GT3 was set up to better resemble its earlier air-cooled counterparts, like the 964 and seminal RS, than the latter day water-cooled babies.

For a more intense driving experience, Sunkist features Cargraphics header and exhaust items, while a lightweight single-mass flywheel (again from the Clubsport package) makes for a more frenetic experience, especially driven in anger with the combination of Gemballa suspension and LSD from a Cup car.

On the move, the soundtrack is amazing as the combination of exhaust and engine create a delicious mechanical symphony that easily raises the hackles of mere mortals as it hurtles by down the straight. The drive is nothing short of visceral. Steering, pedal feel and rear-wheel drive chassis suck the committed driver into its fold to work together in harmony. Gear-shifts are short and rifle-bolt precise, even if there's a little notchiness.

The acceleration is brutal, raw and painfully explosive (especially with the higher final drive); if this were an encounter of the prison variety, it would leave you battered, sore and bruised where the sun don't shine. There's a frantic quality in its power delivery that makes you want to cane it even from A-B. But don't be mistaken, this is not a drag-strip warrior and even the briefest of drives through your favourite series of twisties will quickly throw up that fact.

There's little doubt that Sunkist is a luminous personality that has the tendency to attract the wrong sort of attention since it is a rather loud and obnoxious embodiment of conspicuous consumption, which is all the more a pity considering how it really is that accomplished a performer and not so much about the 'flash' factor.

With an increased emphasis on style quotient and comfort in more recent offerings (from all car brands), the MK1 GT3 is a refreshingly welcome hero from a bygone era.

Fast Facts - Porsche 911 GT3 (996) MK I
Engine: 3600cc, 24-valves, flat-6 cylinder
Maximum power: 360bhp at 7200rpm
Maximum torque: 370Nm at 5000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
0-100km/h: < 5 seconds
Top Speed: approx. 255km/h
LxBxH: 4435 x 1770 x 1275 mm
Wheelbase: 2355mm
Kerbweight: <1400kg

True Blue : Honda S2000 F20C

Well it's more than three-quarters of the way to the S2K's 2 year mark.





Cosmetic-wise, the Enkei GTC01s are gone and I've switched back to the Modulo 5-spokes, although I'm also waiting to spray to graphite grey a set of the new model five-spokes from the new model-year S2000. I've also replaced the chrome side emblems with the black ones from the S2000 Type S.



The stock seats have also come out and a pair of Recaro RS-GE buckets on Bride rails hold me and the missus snug as bugs.


i gave in to vanity and picked up a suede gear boot with red stitching. is it time for a suede steering wheel to replace the 350mm MOMO Modello 80 next?

And here we have it... Replaced with a Mugen Racing II steering wheel!



and now with the horn ring! looks much neater IMHO!







Underbonnet-wise, the engine bay hasn't seen too many changes since the J's intake from yonks ago and that mesmerising Spoon carbon-kevlar spark-plug cover from Vince.




Not many people like the look of the J's Racing Ti tail-pipe but the sound is still to-die-for, at least once you've gotten used to the interminable drone while cruising. Thankfully, I hear it's nothing a test-pipe and freer flowing extractor can't reduce... lol

At VTEC, the induction and exhaust ruckus is nothing short of spine-tingling (at least once you get over the transmission whine caused by the previously botched final-drive job).

Another great thing is, since this is an official import, you don't even have to live with the 180km/h speed cut of the grey imports. And Yes, that's a fact! So you don't have to muck around with speed-cut devices and what-not to enjoy a fast and furious blast down the North-South Highway.



The S2000 continues to offer me plenty of thrills. In fact, the official 'export' car available through Kah Motor combines the best in looks from the AP2 (including chassis revisions from the earlier batch of AP1s), yet retains the high-revving and more manic 2L engine (vs. the 2.2L of the JDM car with a marginally higher torque but lower red-line).







Fast Facts : Honda S2000 (AP1)
Engine: 1997cc, 16-valves, in-line 4
Maximum power: 240bhp at 8300rpm
Maximum torque: 208Nm at 7500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
0-100km/h:
Top Speed: >180km/h
LxBxH: 4135 x 1750 x 1270 mm
Wheelbase: 2400mm
Kerbweight: 1270kg
Agent: Kah Motor