Audi reveals 500bhp A1 quattro 31 | 05 | 2011
OK, TAKE A DEEP BREATH … Audi has produced a wild 496bhp version of its entry level A1. But don't hold our breath; the car will never make it to production.
Audi created the tiny monster simply to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Wörthersee festival for Audi, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen fans held in Austria.
Named the Audi A1 clubsport quattro, the one-off show car has at its heart a heavily tweaked version of Audi's turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder powerplant shoehorned transversely into the A1's compact engine bay.
There is though just a glimmer of hope that some aspects of the car might just ease their way into future production models; the A1 clubsport quattro's styling is hinted as being a preview to the appearance of the hot new four-wheel drive S1 quattro model which is currently being developed by Audi. When it's launched it will become a rival to the likes of the Renaultsport Clio.
The 2.5 engine squeezed into the A1 normally has a power output of 330bhp in standard form in the Audi TT-RS and Audi RS3 — and it's 148bhp more than the most powerful production version of the A1 up to now, the 182bhp turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder 1.4TFSI.
This version of the powerplant though has added boost pressure, a larger intercooler and a redesigned exhaust among other unspecified modifications that see output rise by 166bhp to a supercar like 496bhp.
Audi, as you might suspect, aren't too keen on putting performance figure to the A1 clubsport quattro, but it's hinted at a 0-62mph time of just 3.7sec. That would make it faster than all of its existing production cars bar the 560bhp naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 powered R8 V10, which boasts an official time of 3.6sec.
Audi insiders also say the extreme hatchback will hit 124mph in 10.9s and accelerate from 50 to 75mph in fourth gear in just 2.4sec. About the only disappointing thing about the A1 clubsport quattro's overall performance is its top speed, which is limited to 155mph!
CLICK HERE to see more images of the Audi A1 clubsport quattro
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Craig James