Audi 2014 Annual Report Download - page 46

“No fog. You have to take advantage of that because the
weather’s very changeable in the British Isles.” On the Isle of
Man in particular, where the spirit of the Tourist Trophy hangs
in the air. Accompanied by a harsh wind that fosters the feeling
of freedom while driving. And Daniel Simon wants to feel it
to the fullest. The top is down, and he shifts into the next gear.
The show car came out in . It was developed by
Ulrich Hackenberg, at that time the project manager and now
Member of the Board of Management for Technical Develop-
ment, together with designer Thomas Freeman and engineer
Ralf-Gerhard Willner . “Incredible, this car, a big bang in auto-
motive history. Revolutionary. Sexy. The next sensation was
that the show car went into production virtually unchanged in
. The fi rst-generation Audi TT got its aesthetics from
the strict geometry. The lines seemed almost archetypical in
their coherence.”
Daniel Simon turns sportily into the fi rst curve. “It’s incredi-
bly fun to drive.” He then returns to the excitement sparked
by the fi rst Audi TT, and not just among auto enthusiasts. “It
was simply unique. Completely unlike anything that came
before it.”
Daniel Simon uses the straight, accelerates strongly down the
hill and swings smoothly through the next curve accompanied
by the sonorous sound of the engine.
“It’s incredible how the TT takes o . A great driving experience.
Everything about the Audi TT is puristic. Including the cockpit.
It is impressive that Audi did not try to somehow join all
the elements as was usual back then. The architecture of
the instru ment panel is clean ; everything is where it belongs.
It’s beautiful how the air vents integrate into the control
elements.” The wind is getting stronger, and Daniel Simon
is approaching the end of the fi rst stage. When he gets out,
there is a blanket of clouds just a few meters above the road.
“The fi rst-generation TT looked ultra sporty even when stand-
ing still, a statement about the innovative power in the Audi
design language. Bumpers that suddenly cannot be seen. Then
the quick-release fuel cap – a clear analogy to racing. And with
the lighting concept, we also see aesthetics that set new stan-
dards. The headlights defi ne the determined look of the TT
with a strong sense of depth.”
“I consider the first Audi TT revolutionary.
On the conceptual foundation of the A3,
it combines unmistakable design with
“Vorsprung durch Technik,” making it a
sports car with an easy sex appeal.”
Here you can learn all about
futuristic vehicle design from
automotive designer Daniel Simon.
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