The targa TT that was never.
Name: Audi TT Open Sky
Launched:2001 Frankfurt Motor Show, IAA
Specs: N/A
Why It Matters Now:
Audi has announced it will remove the Tourist Trophy plug after the current generation is finished. We thought a look back at an obscure but cool TT concept would be appropriate for this week’s Conception We Forgot.
It is easy to understand why so few people are still familiar with the Audi TT Open Sky concept. This was just a few days after 9/11. The truth is, I only discovered this unique creation during my research for the Concept We Forgot topic to focus on. Magna Steyr, with Audi’s blessing, developed the concept based on the original TT.
The Open Sky combines the best of both the coupe and the unlimited headroom of an roadster. It was basically a targa convert of the TT. The two glass fiber composite halves were easily removed and stored in the cargo area when the driver wanted to use the convertible sports car.
According to the original press release, there was a “sophisticated device” inside the trunk that could store the targa roof. The button inside the trunk opened the device and popped the halves. Pressing the button again lowered the targa roof in the cargo floor’s recess.
Magna Steyr, and not Audi, managed the Open Sky development. The reason is that the first generation TT was designed by an automotive contract manufacturing company based in Graz (Austria). Magna Steyr, who designed the coupe and roadster, knew all the details of the two-door model.