# Photo Gallery: Audi Stand at Worthersee 2011 Courtesy of APR



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Earlier this week Audi revealed the A1 clubsport quattro, a lightweight 503 hp all-wheel drive take on its compact segment hatchback. Since then the car's been an unbridled success, garnering coverage across all sorts of automotive media. The A1 clubsport quattro concept is interesting to us on a number of levels. 









*Technical*
Technically speaking, this is the highest horsepower application we've seen yet from the Audi factory. Yes, this is a concept and it's unlikely you'll be seeing any 503 bhp TT RS or RS 3 models at dealerships. Still, even previous 2.5 TFSI powered concepts like the quattro Concept and the A3 Concept were lower on power (402 bhp and 408 bhp respectively). While the tuning of the A1 may be a bit extreme for current production RS models and maybe even future ones like an RS 3 sedan, the likely super limited production quattro Concept might be perfect for such a tune.

This is also the first time we've seen the I5 in the Audi A1. Of course it's easier to build a car for a show stand than it is to put one in production but the idea of a 5-cylinder Audi A1 in dealerships (RS 1 anyone?) has us intrigued.










*Design*
There are any number of cool styling cues that surround the A1 clubsport quattro Concept and in as much, almost too many to mention in a quick summary. We love elements like the modern take on traditional Audi blister fenders and the A4 DTM style side exhausts but were particularly intrigued by the nose and the wheels specifically.

The car's nose probably carries the most production potential. You may remember the * Audi A3 TDI clubsport quattro * shown by Audi in 2008. Stylistically, the nose of that car heavily inspired that of the production RS 3 launched just this year. Early spy photos we've seen of upcoming RS cars like the RS 7 suggest this A1 clubsport quattro may hint at the next generation RS car design language. Also, its use of carbon fiber as a stylistic accent is something consistent with what Audi design bosses Wolfgang Egger and Stefan Sielaff told us in Geneva at the A3 sedan concept unveiling.










The wheels on the A1 are also quite interesting. Frankly, they're totally different than any other modern Audi wheel design we can remember seeing but they harken heavily back to wheels fitted to BBS units used on Audi's IMSA and Trans-Am racers of yore. Aftermarket wheels from the 90s including Zender Turbos also come to mind when we look at them. And though they may remind us of vintage racing and tuner wheels, these modular-looking alloys are far from retro with their center-lock hubs much like the current Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Might Audi be moving to a center-lock hub on its upcoming highest performance models also?









*Audi Perspective*
Keith Lucas from APR is on location at Worthersee this week and managed to take a nice collection of snap shots from the Audi stand there. Even better, he was kind enough to share them with us and they help us get a better understanding of what Audi had on hand. Here are a few highlights from our perspective.

1.) Q5 hybrid (above) - Audi's not formally shown the Q5 hybrid at a formal auto show yet. Rumor was that it was supposed to be part of the presentation in New York this past spring but that didn't happen. Technically speaking then, this Q5 hybrid, likely one of the pre-production prototypes like the ones we had a chance to drive last year, fitted with larger alloys to make it more interesting to the Worthersee crowd.










2.) New Audi A1 Competition Kit - While we doubt the rally-striped original competition kit for the A1 is going anywhere any time soon, this new 2011 competition kit shown but not overly hyped at Worthersee is also quite interesting. We see quite a bit of R18 livery in this new stripe kit. More to come on this setup on our blog later today.










3.) Vintage Sport quattro Rolling Through the Audi Stand - No, this wasn't a vintage build by Audi Tradition though we kind of wish Audi would do such a SEMA style grab into their past like a 2.5T FSI crate program with Ur quattro show car to help market it. Alas, no such program exists but Audi did go for a unique way to bring owners of tuned Audis through their stand at Worthersee by setting up a parade route of sorts. While most of the Audi stand was set up with comfortable lounge furniture, Audi owners could cruise through and make their own rides (like this super cool Sport quattro replica) part of the official Audi show. Now that's a cool concept.










4.) Video Gamer's Delight - If you read the PR on Audi at Worthersee then you already know that Need for Speed was part of the rollout and those on Need for Speed World can test drive the A1 clubsport quattro virtually before the car ever leaves the stand on which it debuted.

The most ardent Audi-minded driving sim nutters may be even more interested when they look closely at the Need for Speed demonstration setup hardware utilized in the Audi stand. That's a Fanatec rig you see there, fitted with a gamer steering wheel modeled after the steering wheel of the A1 clubsport. And while some might write off such a piece of hardware as a one-off show prop, the fact that it's got 'Fanatec' branding all over it has us wondering otherwise. You see, Fanatec is known for its alcantara-swathed Porsche replica steering wheel setups for gamers. Could an Audi version be on the way? We're not sure, but we'll be keeping our ears open.

In the meantime, APR has been kind enough to let us run their photos from the show in our galleries. Check them out after the jump below and see an even larger collection of shots including those of VWs, SEATs and more over on their website also linked below.

* Fourtitude Worthersee Photo Gallery *

* APR Worthersee Photo Gallery *


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