This is faster than a JCW Mini. It's faster than the Corsa VXR Nürburgring. It's also faster than a Ford Focus ST and nudges the VW Golf R for pace. This is the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive Audi A1 quattro. Merry Christmas.
Like a mini Walter Rohrl-shaped gift to the world, Audi has announced plans to produce 333 left-hand-drive models of this, the fastest production A1 ever built.
It's destined for mainland Europe for now, but Audi tells us positive customer reaction to this bonkers little thing could see it reach our potholed shores. And that's an intriguing prospect, because it packs 252bhp from a turbocharged, 2.0-litre TFSI unit and 258lb ft of torque from between 2,500rpm and 4,500rpm. All the Audi's horses and torques help propel it from 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 152mph.
It's also the first production A1 to get the quattro system. Traction comes from an electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated multi-plate clutch rotating in an oil bath.
Which basically means it's front wheel drive for normal driving, but sends power to the rear "in just a few milliseconds" if you break traction under acceleration. And there's an electronic differential that brakes whichever wheel is losing grip, helping to keep you out of the nearest ditch.
The 333 cars are slightly longer than the standard A1, and get the full complement of Audi equipment: S sports seats, quattro badges, dashes of aluminium, Infotainment gubbins, a 465-watt speaker system... you get the picture.
A source close to Audi has given us both good news and bad news. The good is that the two-litre four-wheel drive supermini will come to the UK, albeit in left-hand drive only. And here's the bad: it'll cost £34,000 - significantly more expensive than the current range topper, the £21,270 1.4 TFSI S Line.
If you add all the extras, that'll climb to a whopping £48,000!
Audi had given us the impression that the four-wheel drive hot hatch would come fully loaded, as this line in the press release suggests: "The A1 quattro will be suitably lavishly equipped with many features taken directly from the luxury class."
However the source, who asked to remain anonymous, said that extras like the Silk Nappa leather (£1,100), Super Sports Seats (£600) and hard-drive navigation (£1,375) will bump up the price.
Whether that quoted 0-62mph time of 5.7 seconds was achieved with the car fully-loaded with extras, we weren't told, but passing on the options must yield a more welcome weight saving from the car rather than your wallet.
