AUDI A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro: A hint of Audi history in the remaking

The flat-bottomed steering wheel is the first obvious link with Audi's familiar R10 TDI diesel racing roadster. The next clue to a sporting focus is the red "start/stop" button attached to the right cross bar like an afterthought. But a look at the instrument panel assures you that Audi's A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro has few details what were not carefully considered and executed. What were once buttons or knobs on the production A3 are now beautifully milled toggles and everything is finished in a brushed alloy detail. Most fascinating is the pure vintage Ferrari stainless steel shift gate through which passes a straight, vertical shift lever topped by a turned and gnurled knob.

That vintage device links to one of Audi's clever six-speed gear sets in a transverse magnesium case. A multi-disc clutch collects power from a 170hp, 2-liter turbo diesel and delivers it to the Quattro system. The drive feeds the front wheels during unchallenged driving, but diverts it to include the rear wheels when the multi-tasking management system deems it necessary. That timing can be controlled by a series of driver chosen settings that effect throttle response, suspension settings, steering loads and the front-rear split of the engines 331.9 lb-ft of torque.

As the R10 has proven time and again, turbo diesels win races at relatively low revs by producing torque far out of proportion to the engine's size. The Clubsport's 2 liter TDI does this with one of the most sophisticated engine management units currently available. Fuel injection is metered by a common-rail system with piezoelectric injectors and eight-hole nozzles. The system operates at a pressure of 1.8 bar, which results in extremely fine atomization of the fuel in as many as five injections per power stroke. Together with the revised piston geometry and the advanced design of its turbocharger's blades, as in the A3 series-production version, the variable geometry ensures spontaneous response and remarkable efficiency that even delivers 43 mpg under light load.

In America the popular A3 is a relatively light 5-door sport wagon, but in Europe Audi offers a handsome, and even lighter, 2 door that is the basis of the TDI Clubsport. This now looks like nothing less than a reincarnation of the multi-championship-winning Quattro Sport S1 with its wings and fender flairs and chin splitter. Now, after its years of road racing success, if Audi is considering taking its diesel technology into a new field of competition, a return to WRC would be a popular decision and all the fundamentals are in place on the Clubsport Quattro. Like its predecessors in the 80s the mildly tuned iron-block, 2-liter TDI is probably capable of surviving 500hp and far beyond 500 lb-ft of history-making torque. If the A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro goes into limited production, there will certainly be WRC teams in the cue.

SPECIFICATIONS

Layout
- Transverse front engine / All wheel drive

Engine
- Type: DOHC I-4
- Displacement: 1968 cc
- Valvetrain: 4 valves per cylinder
- Fuel delivery: Direct injection, turbocharged
- Block/head: Iron/aluminum
- Power (DIN): 224 hp
- Torque: 332 lbs-ft from 1,750 rpm
- Fuel type: diesel

Gearbox
- 6-speed manual

Chassis
- Wheelbase: 101.5 in.
- Track: (Front) 64.3 in. (Rear) 62.9 in
- Suspension: (Front) McPherson strut, (Rear) 4-link per wheel
- Curb weight: 3306 lbs.
- Brakes: (Front) carbon ceramic discs, 6-piston calipers (Rear) iron discs, single piston calipers.

Performance (mfg)
- 0-60 mph: 6.6 sec.
- Top Speed: 149 mph