Quarter mile in 9.7s: here’s the story of the 600-HP Audi TT RS

You do not often see “average” sports cars like this Audi TT RS at a drag strip in the USA – but when you do, you cannot help expecting something entirely special. This time is no exception, either.

The owner of this Audi TT RS took it through a few major rounds of tuning, ending up with an estimated 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts) under the hood. Transmission tweaks enabled around 530 hp (395 kW) to actually reach the four wheels, which translates into some serious transmission efficiency for a car like this.

As a result, the modded vehicle has run the quarter mile in 9.76 seconds, accelerating to 224 km/h (139 mph) as it did so.

To put things into perspective, consider the range-topping Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. The dedicated dragster vehicle theoretically can cover the quarter mile in 9.65s – which is only marginally better than the TT RS did – but falls short of that expectation in real-life conditions. In truth, many would find the 840-hp (626-kW) American vehicle a bit too powerful to control on a drag strip, requiring the driver to have high reaction speeds and perfect movement coordination. Even then, pro Demon drivers often tend to lose to rivals who are weaker on paper but pack such advantages as low weight, firm road grip, and high downforce.

Photos: carscoops.com