It is hard to believe that one of the rarest hot hatches of the modern era could be an Audi, but here we are. It is probably one of the most forgotten, too; or, to put it more fairly, simply the most unknown.
Only 333 were ever released worldwide, and fewer than 20 came to the UK, none of which were right-hand drive.
Audi UK has one, and its A1 quattro will be among the hatches on display at the Scramble on Sunday 6 October.
The A1 quattro came at a cost, but there was a whole lot of bang for your buck. It could hit 152 mph, and 60 mph from standing in 5.7 seconds. The category standard, the Fiesta ST, would fall 10 mph and one second short.
To consider them as competitors is unfair on the Fiesta: the A1 is as much a TTS in Glacier White sheep’s clothing than an A1. The chassis leaned on the expertise of the TTS, and the two-litre, 256PS engine was dropped straight in.
With the aero wheels, and aero appendages it looks the part – as if it’s arrived directly from the service area of the Monte or the paddock at Lydden Hill. As you’ll see on the main lawn at the sold-out Scramble in October among an array of other hatchbacks.
Wait, cars with hatches…
