--- title: "The Original Audi TT Was Almost a Porsche Instead" description: "The original Audi TT design almost became a Porsche instead and the Audi brand wouldn't be the same today without it." date: "2023-05-09" modified: "2023-05-09" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-original-audi-tt-was-almost-a-porsche-instead" categories: - "Audi News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Audi" - "Coupe" --- # The Original Audi TT Was Almost a Porsche Instead ![]() Back in high school, I was very much so a muscle-car-or-no-car kinda guy. If it didn't have an American V8, it wasn't on my radar. Later on, however, I was awestruck by the original [Audi TT](). I was perplexed by its one-of-a-kind design. As we already know, the original TT went on to be a game-changer for [Audi](), especially in the U.S. Now, it turns out that it was almost a Porsche instead. *[CarBuzz]()* recently spoke with American car designer Freeman Thomas, the person responsible for penning the original TT. During their discussion, Thomas spilled the beans on the original TT's design development and how it actually almost went to Porsche instead of Audi. Thomas told *CarBuzz* that he was asked to design two versions of one car: one Audi and one [Porsche](), and so too were the designers at Porsche. Once done, both brands were to meet and bring their designs to the board. Since Thomas had previously worked at Porsche, he was confident that he knew what Porsche's designers would bring to the meeting, so he and his team stuck with the "Bauhaus" design that eventually became an icon. ![]() ![]() ![]() Due to some intra-Volkswagen Group politics, the Porsche designers were against Audi having all-wheel drive and also wanted it to have less power. According to Thomas, the Audi team wasn't having that and told them the whole project was off. "We had a big meeting in Ingolstadt. Very private. Just \[Porsche's\] group and our group," Thomas told *CarBuzz.* "We had two scale models and they had two scale models, both very detailed. If the meeting went well, it would go to the next level. But the meeting didn't go very well because there was a lot of politics going on. So we never shared the coupe with \[Porsche\]." Thomas and his team went on to create the Audi TTS Concept, which was designed alongside the production-ready coupe, and brought it to the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1995 without telling Porsche. It was an instant hit. Since the concept was based on the production car, when the Audi TT finally hit the road it looked just like the concept people saw in Frankfurt. Even [Giugiaro](), one of the legendary automotive designers of all time, told Freeman that he wouldn't change a line. We don't know what would have happened had Porsche's design for the TT won out. However, the Freeman-penned Audi TT became an icon for the brand and I think it's safe to say that Audi wouldn't be the same today without it. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()