One to Buy: 1 of 4 built 2000 Abt Sportsline Audi TT-R
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Although a renowned Audi tuner, Abt Sportsline’s decision to challenge the Mercedes-Benz and Opel works teams with its own TT-based challenger for the newly reformed DTM was incredibly ambitious.
The resultant TT-R was based around a purpose-built carbonfibre tub with attached tubular spaceframes, state-of-art suspension and braking, trick aero and an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox. Propulsion came from a 460bhp normally aspirated 4-litre V8 supplied by Heini Mader.
While Mercedes and Opel picked up eight wins apiece in the 16 race 2000 DTM, Abt Sportsline’s best result was a fifth at Oschersleben. Undeterred, Christian Abt’s team returned for another crack at the series in 2001 and picked up five wins from 20 outings. In 2002, Aiello was crowned DTM Drivers’ Champion to cap a fantastically successful programme.
Set to go under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s Munich sale on Novermber 23rd is a veteran of Abt Sportsline’s 2000 campaign: chassis TT-R 00.01.
Chassis ‘01’ was the TT-R allocated to Abt’s number one driver, Laurent Aiello, with whom it secured the model’s best year 2000 results (the aforementioned fifth place finish at Oschersleben plus a seventh and ninth at the Nurburgring).
The car is offered in superb condition throughout having undergone much recent work.
