A Formula E racer’s 400bhp one-off Audi A1 is wild

This is a 400bhp Audi A1 with a wide-body kit, and it is at this point that you don’t just suspend your belief from a very large height, more throw it into the sea. W, T, and indeed, F.

It is the work of Abt; specifically, Daniel Abt, son of the founder of the eponymous tuning house. Daniel (who races for Audi’s Formula E team), initiated the entire project that, we’re told, required Abt’s “entire gamut of technical expertise”. Including beefing up that engine to stratospheric heights.

And by beefing up, we of course mean binning it and fitting a different 2.0-litre TFSI petrol four-cylinder up front. A 2.0-litre TFSI from an Audi TT Cup racer, no less. This immediately boosted power to 310bhp – 340bhp with overboost – and initiated many hours of reprogramming and coding the ECU to achieve a nice, full 400bhp total.

“I believe that’s more than sufficient for such a banger right there,” Daniel explains in this video. We are inclined to agree. There’s also a full stainless steel exhaust system with twin 114mm pipes and carbon tails. An “awesome” sound is promised. Again, we do not dispute this.

Daniel slotted in H&R suspension springs, special Michelin tyres, and gave the interior a once-over with lots of special materials like Alcantara and leather, and a deleted rear bench. And a roll cage. The outside too, is rather special. Erik Aleksanjan was the designer responsible for the geometric pattern applied to this one-off A1; Erik also did Jon Olsson’s RS6.

The wide-body kit is described as ‘free-standing’: the arches are phatter, the front, more diffuser-y, the back, filled with carbon wing. The passenger side of the car is red, while the drivers’ side is matt black. The wheels are 19in forged items with a gold ‘aero ring’ and leaf-shutter looks, in order to remind people that yes, Daniel does race a Formula E car.

“It was the biggest project of 2019 which demanded a great deal of us,” explains Daniel. We won’t demand a great deal from you, other than to explain your feelings on this car in the space below.