Autoforma Audi TTS Restomod: when a design icon gets even closer to its original concept
07/05/2026
That is a very different kind of restomod.
The first-generation TT is one of the most important automotive designs of the last 30 years. Simple, geometric, almost architectural in its purity, it turned the production sports car into something closer to industrial design. That is exactly why a restomod project based on the TT is risky. If you add too much, you destroy the point. If you do too little, nobody notices.
Autoforma, the bespoke design studio linked to Niels van Roij Design, seems to understand that balance. Its new one-off Audi TTS Roadster Restomod does not try to reinvent the TT. Instead, it tries to bring the production car closer to the purity of the original 1995 TT Roadster concept.
A tribute to the Audi TT concept
When the Audi TT concept appeared in 1995, it immediately felt different from everything else around it. Its Bauhaus-inspired design language, clean circular themes, simple volumes and strong geometric surfacing gave Audi a genuine design icon.
When the production TT Roadster arrived in 1999, it stayed remarkably close to the concept, but like almost every production car, it had to accept compromises. This Autoforma project focuses exactly on those compromises.
The front bumper has been redesigned with flatter, more horizontal intakes, giving the car a wider and more technical expression. New front-fender side vents, finished with finely crafted mesh and small Torx screws, bring back a detail closer to the original concept car. To make that work properly, even the windscreen washer reservoir had to be relocated to the boot.
Small changes, big impact
The most successful part of this restomod is that it still looks like a TT. Autoforma did not bury the design under aggression. It refined it.
The side sills now feature subtle integrated intakes, while the rear has been cleaned up with a newly developed diffuser that houses the exhaust inside the bumper itself. The traditional underbody pipes disappear, creating a more cohesive and architectural rear view.
The antenna and visible rear spoiler are also removed, which helps restore the purity of the original shape. That spoiler was once added to the production TT for stability reasons, so removing it is not just a cosmetic decision. It is a clear choice in favour of design clarity.
Modern techniques, traditional restraint
The project uses CAD scanning, rapid prototyping, 3D-printed carbon structures and carbon-backed panels for larger components such as the bumpers. That sounds modern, but the final result does not feel overly technological. That is the clever part. The technology is there to serve the design, not to dominate it.
The two-tone finish combines gloss Nimbus Gray Pearl Effect on the upper body with a matte grey lower section. The same matte tone returns around the A-pillar, windshield surround and laser-cut metal frames around the fixed front side windows. The compact racing mirrors are mounted directly to the glass, adding a more technical and lightweight feel.
The stance is also carefully adjusted, with slightly lowered suspension, a wider track and matte grey wheels that visually connect to the lower body.
A personal one-off
This is not a production programme, at least not for now. The Autoforma Audi TTS Restomod was commissioned by Dutch designer Jos Baijens, known for his work in eyewear and interior architecture, and for his long-standing admiration for the Audi TT. His involvement was not passive.
He became part of the creative process, helping shape a car that sits somewhere between automotive design, product design and personal memory. That makes the project more interesting than a normal tuning exercise.
AutoNext Take
The original Audi TT is a near-perfect design object, and that makes it incredibly difficult to improve. Most attempts to modernize a car like this would probably make it worse. This project works because it understands the car’s strongest quality: restraint.
The Autoforma TTS Restomod does not shout. It does not try to turn the TT into a supercar, and it does not overload the design with carbon theatre or unnecessary aggression. Instead, it gently pushes the production Roadster closer to the concept car that made the world pay attention in the first place.
