Objectively, new cars are better than ever. They’re also more homogenous, more gadget-laden, heavier, and more sanitized than ever before. No wonder, then, that the restomod business is absolutely booming. From million-dollar Porsches to carbon fiber Chargers, it seems the only limit to customizing the old cars we love is how deep our pocketbooks go. This Audi TT is a little bit different, however. Not only is it not a high-dollar Singer or Guntherwerks or Eagle, but its styling alterations are unbelievably well-executed.
It’s wild to think of the original Audi TT as a car that’s capable of being restomodded, but they’re getting up there in age now. Production of the coupe kicked off in February of 1998 with the roadster following eighteen months later, meaning the earliest drop-top TTs are about to become 27-year-old machines. What’s more, the vast majority of them were simply used as cars, racking up mileage and weathering in. Call it nostalgia, but I could see why someone with deep pockets would want to wind back the clock with a comprehensive overhaul. Especially when it comes to paying tribute to the Audi TTS concept car shown at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show.
At first glance, it almost looks like this particular TT hasn’t really changed aside from the addition of concept-aping fender vents and a new coat of paint. It doesn’t have the TTS concept’s cut-down windscreen or center-lock wheels, although the box-fresh appearance definitely fulfils the “resto” part of the restomod term. However, the team at Dutch outfit Autoforma has been hard at work on the little details, and once you really study this car, it’s easy to gain an appreciation for the end result.
For one, the production TT roadster featured an upholstered tonneau cover to hide its stowed top mechanism, but this TTS Roadster restomod deletes its top mechanism and pulls from the concept car with a one-piece, flush-fit, color-matched tonneau. It’s a custom-fabricated panel that seems to have required shaving a whole bunch of trim in order to achieve the desired finish, but Autoforma didn’t stop there. It blended the filler panel between the tonneau cover and the trunk lid with the quarter panels for a seamless look, although there has been a sacrifice in the process: I don’t see a third brake light perched atop the filler panel anymore. Hmm.
Moving around the side of the TTS Roadster restomod, the big change beyond the concept car fender vents is a spindly new set of manually adjustable mirrors sprouting from the front quarter-lights. It’s a subtle alteration, but one that required some serious work considering how the standard TT mirrors mount to the doors. We’re talking filling the mounting holes for the factory mirrors, then doing some glass fabrication to make the new units bolt on, at the minimum. Proper fabrication to pay homage.
Of course, the alterations don’t stop with the roof setup and mirrors. The grilles in the front valence are a little bit smaller to match the concept car, the headlight washers on the front bumper have been shaved for a cleaner look, the rear valence has been reworked to fully surround a revised set of exhaust tips, the aerial’s been shaved, and the late-addition rear spoiler has gone in the bin. The result is a car that almost looks factory, right until you put it next to a truly stock example.
What Autoforma’s done is create one of the more tasteful restomods in recent memory. It hasn’t been dramatically changed, just massaged to be both a subtly better-looking version of itself and a proper concept car throwback. The TTS Roadster restomod displays a great deal of reverence, and while its greyscale exterior isn’t the brightest colorway, the end result looks like a proper missing link between the 1995 concept car and the production model. Sadly, Autoforma is only making one, commissioned by a lucky client.
Top graphic image: Autoforma
Those mirrors and roof delete are certainly … a choice.
I think the roof is still there under the removable tonneau cover. The factory car could be had with a cover too, but it was black plastic and didn’t sit flush.
“…this TTS Roadster restomod deletes its top mechanism and pulls from the concept car with a one-piece, flush-fit, color-matched tonneau.”
You can clearly see on the header where the latch points have been deleted as well.
Ah, that’s rough. Yeah, that’s a bit too rich of a mod. Hopefully the owner gets a lot of predictable weather where they live.
I’m sorry, but those mirrors are heinous. The originals flow with the design of the car, and these look like they were tacked on with zero thought.
This is just a custom TT, I wouldn’t call it a restomod, and being commissioned by a customer, it’s just as “one-off” as every other modified car.
Honestly, I prefer it that way, a car someone modified to their personal taste is more interesting and more accessible than something formulated once and replicated for every ensuing customer.
This is just a custom TT, I wouldn’t call it a restomod, and being commissioned by a customer, it’s just as “one-off” as every other modified car.
Honestly, I prefer it that way, a car someone modified to their personal taste is more interesting and more accessible than something formulated once and replicated for every ensuing customer.
Neat build, good chance to discuss why builds are cooler than restomods, and I hope there’s some neat creative stuff under the hood.
It’s definitely a restoration with modification, but I agree the writing is churched up significantly. It’s probably for SEO reasons.
A car doesn’t need an engine swap, make 1000hp, or have a custom chassis to be a restomod.
I agree that anything that’s been restored and updated somewhat is a restomod, I just don’t think they really modernized anything, as the car was already quite modern in every way that matters to the driver, and I suspect they started with a pretty clean TT, since there are plenty of those around, so I don’t imagine there was that much restoration involved.
I bet most of the branded “restomods” out there are built on perfectly workable cars, and didn’t really involve any restoration either.
You can say that again!
Is it even a restomod without an LS swap?
I’ve seen a few tt’s restored to different levels. This seems more to a restoration then restomod. There probably is some opportunity for engine and drive train swaps. Built VR6 and tdi are sort of popular already. It’s a cheap enough platform just a good chance all the plastics and electronics are a headache.
I must say, I’m on a fence here. At one hand, the changes are barely noticeable to an unkeen eye and (mirrors aside) it looks just like a regular TT. That said, the teeny tiny details give the “if you know, you know” look.
Also: a slight nitpick – why, oh why does every new “restomodded” Audi has to be painted Wet Concrete Gray? The original TT had a fairly wide range of available colors (50, to be precise. Yes, FIFTY) and someone decided to paint it gray…
Are colors, like, forbidden now?
This car was heavily marketed with the silver exterior and the baseball stitched interior. That is how I will always remember it, but I love the idea of 50 different color choices, I was not aware of that! I bought a model of this car in that configuration because my girlfriend at the time when these cars were only a few years old loved the idea of it. I think the model is gone, but she is now my wife and it would be cool to buy one of these in a few years and drive around when the kids are out of the house and in college. Damn, I am getting old.
I thought the baseball stitching usually went with the battleship (Nardo?) grey paint?
BTW, do we have Audi to thank for today’s overwhelming monochromatic vehicles? Their grey was one of the first major/widespread production uses of it that I recall, and it was definitely cool back then. Now, when every G-damn Chevy and Hyundai comes in multiple shades of grey, it’s boring as hell.
No rear wing so I wonder what the high speed stability will be like
I know my automotive history, and thought “isn’t that the one with the baseball glove stiches?” – and it was! 🙂
I think I’ll take an original coupé, it’s just even more perfect.
It’s fine, and the original is a decent looking car, but this feels like the restomod or “X… reimagined!” thing getting (further) out of hand. Dare I say cash-grabby. You can still find nice used TTs, and it’s not something that was ever a ‘holy shit!’ kinda car anyway. Apart from the styling which *at the time* *for a mass-market vehicle* was pretty interesting. Ultimately tho, it’s a fancified Golf… so, where do we stop? Is a “reimagined” Kia Sephia on the horizon?
Looks so much better without the recall-added deck spoiler. That er, spoiled, the original lines of the car, even if it was rather effective at keeping the butt planted at Autobahn speeds.
I prefer the lip spoiler and beefier mirrors but otherwise damn, that’s a fine bit of work. The level of restraint alone is impressive.
The year-gap is equivalent to doing a restomod on ’74 car back in 2000, which feels like a HUGE jump compared to 2000 – 2026.
…I do like one thing about this: they kept the stock lights and didn’t put stupid LED halo lamps all over it. I do think different wheels from stock would set this off nicely though. The rear cowl looks good, but while removing the rear spoiler does contribute to purity of form, I seem to remember that was applied for a reason. Aerodynamic lift. Integrating a retractable might have been a good call.
They were added to the early cars that lacked them under a recall. They had a nasty habit of being easily spun at Autobahn speeds due to rear lift.
The spoiler was necessary at Autobahn speeds, but I’m sure the owner of the car is aware of its “party trick” and will keep it under sensible speeds.
Cool, I put those mirrors on my drift MX5 after a delaminating tyre knocked off the standard ones.
I wish I’d known I was restomodding it, and not just fitting the cheapest replacement parts. Maybe I could have sold it as a premium lifestyle accessory experience, instead of scrapping it.
How much does a resto-modded TTS cost? Hardest part of owning an Audi of this era is parts availability. That’s probably where Autoforma comes in and they can fabricate NLA parts.
Using the terms ‘restomod’ and ‘TT’ in one sentence does not compute. Also, those mirrors look ugly and cheap. Very.
The mirrors look horrid indeed. And the wheels too.
I don’t think it looks better than the stock one. Though I hate the decklid spoiler while understanding the necessity of it.
One of the coolest cars I have never really had any desire to own. They looks super cool while driving *exactly* like a MK4 Golf. Buddy of mine had that silver convertible’s twin at the same time I had my ’02 Golf TDI.
That’s gorgeous! I’ve always loved the TT’s look, but this is fantastic.
I appreciate the restraint even if, to my eye, the changes don’t improve the car noticeably. Only a passionate TT devotee would detect any of them, and I’m thinking even within that group, only a few would find anything exciting. Looks like exquisite craftsmanship regardless.
I can’t tell the difference, even having it spelled out.
I’m curious what’s the difference between a restomod and just a customized car?
To my way of thinking, a restomod is taking an old car and modernizing it, typically with modern engine, brakes, suspension and probably electronics.
This one is, to my eye, just a customized TT. The TT is already basically a ‘modern’ car so it doesn’t need much updating. It’s not like it was running a solid rear axle and drum brakes on 15″ wheels. Yeah, this one look good (mirrors aside, which I think look kinda tacky) but it doesn’t appear to have had any major hardware upgrades. So is the really a restomod or just a cleaned up, mildly customized, old-ish car?
Or maybe it’s just tech-bro pricing and that’s what makes it a ‘restomod’ now days?
YES! This.
100%, only difference is a couple of decimal places, also often mandatory are strange LED headlights so the poors (us) know its been resto’d
I always think a restomod being a first or second generation camaro with modern suspension, brakes and drivetrain.
You spelled rich wrong….
There’s subtle, and there’s indistinguishable.
I don’t see enough of a difference to point anything out. The TT always struck me as one of the blander examples of Golf cousins, regardless of what the powertrain or interior appointments might be up to. This treatment makes it even more featureless.
More featureless. Less featured. I’m not sure which way to go. This seems to have been an exercise in Less Is Less.
No performance changes? Of course, without the spoiler, any more hp and you may windup rolling in the ditch. They said the rear gets light over 90.
I was hoping for more, but more “what” I don’t know.
Yep, there’s a reason for that spoiler (as demonstrated by top gear) and I doubt that they’ve done advanced aero analysis to compensate
Kind of cool. I drove my mom’s TT roadster 225 in high school. Looking back, it drove like a heavy Abarth. Many have met their demise as parts cars on FB marketplace
That honestly looks pretty great to me. Tasteful without being boring, interesting without being tacky.
I confess I’m a little put off by the minor-but-substantial changes: every little thing they changed dimensionally is now something that only Autoforma has specs for. I’m sure that type of thinking is a few tax brackets below even buying a (handsomely!) restomodded TT, but I know when a lawn care company kicked a rock through my Z4 driver side window with a drum blower, the first “OEM match” window the glass company tried to put in there just plain didn’t fit, didn’t seal at all.
Enough negative nancying though. This is a pretty cool looking rework of a car I always (almost) had a soft spot for.
I’m sure the spoiler delete won’t present any issues.
Nice ! but I liked the old mirror more…