AUDI has shaken up its standard TT coup quattro and turned it into a TT quattro Sport.

It has meant taking out the rear seat and parcel shelf to give it a weight-saving power boost, and to replace the spare wheel with a space-saving tyre mobility system - one that keeps the car on the road until a suitable garage is reached.

Although the car pictured is a left-hand drive version, there will be right-hand models for the UK market, but only 1,000 of them with an on-the-road price of £29,355. The car also marks the 25th anniversary of the Audi-pioneered four-wheel-drive system that has changed the face of international rallying.

Based on the four cylinder turbo, 225PS TT coup quattro, the new model raises its game through engine modifications that increase maximum power to 240Ps, produced lower down the rev range at 5,700rpm, and torque from 280Nm to 320Nm between 2,300rpm and 5,000rpm.

Sharpened by the increased power and reduced weight, the coup is capable of sprinting from rest to 62mph in 5.9-seconds. With increased safety in mind the braking system has been upgraded, to the one used in the 3.2-litre quattro models.

There have been changes made to suspension settings, a stability bar has been added and wheel configuration is now exclusive 18-inch, 15-spoke alloys with a slightly increased rim width to provide greater road grip.

The new car will be easily recognisable as the sport version, coated in a unique two-tone paint finish, combining a black roof, pillars and mirror housings with the option of blue, red, or silver for the remainder of the body. On the other hand, it can be all-over phantom black.

Inside, the Recaro bucket seats are upholstered in leather and Alcantara, which are also used for the steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake grip.

Dealer: Centurion Audi, Centurion Park, Clifton Moor, York (01904 690505).

Updated: 11:08 Friday, April 01, 2005