Audi A1 Sportback Unleashes Its Inner Beast With ABT’s 394 HP “1 of 1” Build

For most people, ABT Sportsline’s 236 HP (240 PS) upgrade for the Audi A1 Sportback would be more than enough to turn the posh supermini into a hot hatch.

But Daniel Abt is not most people. Besides competing in Formula E for team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, he’s also the son of ABT Sportsline’s managing director Hans-Jürgen Abt. This means he’s in the position to commission some unique cars from time to time, such as this Audi A1 “1of1” monster.

What else would you call an Audi A1 with a wild widebody kit, “Split Design” wrap, center-locking 19-inch wheels, huge rear wing, and 400 PS (394 HP / 294 kW) under the hood?

Also read: ABT Sportsline Gearing Up For Electric SUV Racing Series

One of the car’s special features is the “polygon split design” of the wrap, a geometric pattern designed by Erik Aleksanjan, the man who also styled Jon Olsson’s extreme Audi RS6 Avant “Project Phoenix”. The polygonal fragments have an interesting visual effect, breaking up the contours of the vehicle — an impression most obvious on the freestanding wheel arch extensions.

The body kit is clearly inspired by racing, with elements such as the enormous carbon rear wing, carbon engine hood with several air intakes, DTM-style front bumper, and 19-inch ABT ER-F forged wheels in matte black. The design of the rims with central locking optics and a unique golden “aero ring” mounted between the rim and the brake disc reminds of Formula E cars.

As expected from a track-oriented car, the wheels are shod with chunky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires (sized 265/30 R19) featuring red flanges. Now, you may be wondering how ABT engineers managed to squeeze 394 HP from the stock 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine. Well, they didn’t: the 200 PS (197 HP) power plant was replaced with a completely rebuilt 2.0 TFSI unit complete with performance enhancements – including a stainless steel exhaust system with two 114 mm (4.5 in) pipes and carbon end trim.

The team also fitted suspension springs from H & R, ditched the rear seats for a roll bar, and gave the interior a complete Alcantara upgrade. The uniqueness of this Audi A1 is highlighted by the red “One of One” inscriptions on the seat backs and embossed “da” initials on the headrests (for Daniel Abt). You can learn everything about the car and how it was built from the following video, but make sure you hit the CC button for the English subtitles.