Audi A1 Clubsport quattro with 500bhp revealed!
Thought that there will never be such a thing as a hatchback too fast? Think again. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Wörthersee festival, Audi had revealed their most powerful A1 ever made at Reifnitz, Austria. In fact, with over 496bhp, this is the fastest, most powerful Audi ever made!
Okay, it is actually a bit slower that the R8 V10 but being number two fastest is still no slouch. The Clubsport Quattro is powered by turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine which is the very same engine used in the TTRS and RS3 but heavily tweaked to produce even more power. Audi said that the car previews the production version of the S1.
As I said previously, the engine was heavily modified to make it even more powerful than the TTRS and the RS3. This was achieved by adding the boost pressure, fitting a larger intercooler, a different exhaust system and many other changes. The result was a huge 166bhp increase of power from the standard 330bhp. Bringing it to a total of 496bhp!
Unlike the standard A1 model range on sale today, the A1 Clubsport will feature Audi’s Quattro four-wheel-drive system to equally transfer all these power to the road. With so much power and weighing only 1390kg, the A1 Clubsport can accelerate from 0-62mph in just 3.7 seconds. That’s faster than any other Audi models and only 0.1 seconds slower than the 560bhp R8 V10. Not bad for an entry level Audi.
Power is nothing if it does not looks the part and this car do look fast on a standstill. Heavily inspired by rally cars, the A1 Clubsport features huge and deep front air intakes, 60mm wider body, red colored inserts for the front lights, front bonnet air scoops, large rear spoiler and a functional rear diffuser. This car just looks intimidating and could literally wet the pants of a standard A1 when parked right next to it.
Audi had also made the car much lighter in order to fully make use of those 496 horses. The roof is made out of carbon fiber, the cool looking rims are also lighter, and the interior will have full buckets seats with four-point harness, unique carbon fiber steering wheels, and the removal of the rear seats and even the door handles. There are also special compartments at the rear to hold two helmets!
Obviously the production A1 will have much less power, but expect around 200bhp and will rival the Renaultsport Clio and possibly the upcoming Volkswagen Polo R when it goes on sale . Enjoy an interesting video below showing the whole process of building this pocket rocket from a standard A1!
