Restomods usually begin with muscle cars from the 1960s or air-cooled Porsches worth more than apartments. Autoforma, however, has looked at the original Audi TT and decided that a late 1990s design icon deserves the same treatment.
And honestly, it has a point. The Dutch company’s latest project reimagines the first-generation Audi TT Roadster, drawing inspiration directly from the original 1995 TTS Roadster Concept. That concept eventually evolved into the production TT, though a few details never made it to the showroom floor. Autoforma’s one-off build changes that.
Led by designer Niels van Roij, the project subtly sharpens the TT’s styling without ruining the clean simplicity that made the original car so memorable. The front bumper has been redesigned with larger air intakes, the grille has been tweaked, and the front fenders now feature integrated vents with hidden turn indicators.
Interestingly, fitting those vents required relocating the washer fluid reservoir to the boot. Which is exactly the kind of mildly obsessive engineering detail that makes restomods either brilliant or deeply dangerous for your bank account.
The changes continue along the sides with redesigned skirts and additional intakes, while the rear gets a new diffuser. Most of the custom parts are made using 3D printed carbon structures, blending old design with modern manufacturing.
Perhaps the biggest visual change is the roof. Instead of the original soft top, Autoforma has fitted a removable hardtop inspired directly by the 1995 concept car. It gives the TT a cleaner silhouette and somehow makes the already minimalist design look even more distilled.
Curiously, the rear spoiler has been deleted. That is slightly controversial because Audi originally added it to the TT shortly after launch for high-speed stability reasons. So while the cleaner rear looks fantastic, physics may still want a word.
The suspension has also been lowered slightly for a more aggressive stance, though the interior remains largely untouched, which is probably wise because the original TT cabin, especially with the Baseball Stitch leather upholstery, still looks wonderfully stylish nearly three decades later.
There is no word on how much the project costs, though “not inexpensive” feels like a safe estimate. Still, with the original TT now edging towards modern classic territory, this may only be the beginning for TT restomods.
And frankly, if cars from the 1990s are now getting heritage restorations, some of us may need a moment.
