Throughout the A1’s early conception and motor show appearances, we mused that it could be possible (and downright mind-blowing) if the Audi created a S1, and managed to slap in the 155 kW A3 2.0-litre turbocharged engine into it.
Pulling up a stepladder and leaving the groundings of reality, we thought that it would be an even better idea if, while they were busy fitting that 2,0-litre motor to the A1, they dropped in the S3’s 188 kW 2,0-litre instead, and called that car the RS1.
Sadly, we were wrong: the S1, like the runner-up on X-Factor, never made it off the drawing board, leaving the A1 1,4TFSI S-Line and its 136 kW turbocharged motor to generate the smiles. And nothing was ever mentioned about doing something useful with that aging 2,0-litre engine.
But then, late last year, Audi out of the blue announced that it would be releasing a very special edition of the A1: only 333 examples, to be exact, and available in left-hand drive only. And lo and behold, it would combine quattro all-wheel drive with the current S3’s 188 kW lump.
With stats like that, there is very little not to get excited about, and since the UK has been allocated 20 units, could it be that a few potential South African A1 quattro owners could have their dreams realized on local soil, too?
Sadly, we can only report on their disappointment, as SA will not be receiving any A1s – purely because it is illegal to market left-hand drive cars here, making this special A1 an outlaw on local tar.
But what it does introduce is an important addition to the PQ25 platform in the form of an operational and production-ready quattro all-wheel drive system. So, maybe the long-rumoured 155 kW S1 will make its appearance, after all – if the quattro drive system in the context of the A1 is feasible in right-hand drive.
For VW fans, it also conjures up the potential of another very popular small hatchback with lots of power and four-wheel traction – a car with a Polo R badge on the back, and maybe a right-hand drive Polo R...
