252bhp Audi A1 coming to the UK

Good news! Audi has confirmed to TopGear.com that the limited edition A1 Quattro will come to the UK.

An Audi spokesperson told us just 20 models of the A1 Quattro will be shipped over to Blighty and its rain-sodden, potholed mess of a road network, out of the company's planned 333-model production run. They're all left hand drive too, and selling rather quickly we're told.

But whatever-side-drive, be assured that this little Walter Rohrl-shaped gift to the UK will be fast. It packs a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four pot developing 252bhp and 258 torques between 2,500rpm and 4,500rpm, making it the second most powerful Audi A1 ever designed by Ingolstadt (you haven't already forgotten the 495bhp Clubsport Quattro Concept already, have you?). Audi probably avoided calling it the 'S1' because of that classic rallyist, the Sport Quattro S1 from the 1980s...

See more pics of the Audi A1 Quattro

It's also the first production A1 to get Quattro, which, as we found out on a prototype last year, is actually rather good. The basic premise means the A1 Quattro is front-wheel-drive for ‘normal' driving, but sends power to the rear in a few nanoseconds when Stuff Starts To Go Very Wrong. Our main concern was that four-wheel-drive on such a tiny car might be overkill without a sufficient hike in power. 252bhp should sort it, then.

Couple these two important elements of big power and four-wheel-drive and you get a 0-62mph of just 5.7 seconds, and a top speed of 152mph. That nudges Audi's own S3 for pace.

Gallery: the 495bhp Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro Concept

No word on prices just yet, but expect it to be quite a bit more expensive than the current range-topper, the £21,270 1.4 TFSI S Line.

Could this be a future classic, Internet?