photos: Niels van Roij Design
When you think of the “restomod” subset of modified cars, you tend to think of 60s, 70s and maybe 80s era classics – cars like the Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer or FJ40, Bronco and Defender builds from ICON. The Audi TT, in comparison, can barely be called a 90s car having launched in 1998 in Europe and 1999 in the USA, so is it ready to harken nostalgia on a restomod level? The Dutch automotive customization firm Niels van Roij Design aims to answer the question with their most recent commissioned work.
Peruse the Instagram or for Niels van Roij Design and you’ll find an eclectic mix of highly unique automotive builds – From Fiat Panda to Ferrari Breadvan Homage, 2-door modern Range Rovers and modern Defender Cabriolets to Silver Spectre Rolls Royce Shooting Brake. Perhaps their most famous build thus far was when they created a long roof station wagon of the Tesla Model S.
Bespoke one-offs for discerning clientele seem to be their specialty, so when they turn their attention to any Audi we’d take notice. However, that they’ve decided to focus on the already iconic TT Mk1 Roadster we’re especially keen to monitor how this progresses… especially when they’ve hinted that they tend to take plenty of inspiration from the original 1995 TTS concept car.
“The Audi TT Roadster is a symbol of automotive design excellence. We wanted to celebrate its 25th anniversary by creating a vehicle that not only pays tribute to the original production model design, but also takes it to a level of sophistication and style that makes the concept car so unique. We adjust the bumpers, skirts, stance of the wheels, exterior mirrors, side windows, rear deck, trunk lid and many other items to arrive at the final design.” – Niels van Roij
This TT commission is being built for Jos Baijens, a Dutch designer known for his eyewear collection. Baijens already had a passion for the design-focused nature of the Audi TT, and he had a well-worn example ready for a freshening. With it, the plan is to create a car that pays tribute to the original and slightly more extreme TTS concept car, while also adding a few unique elements of its own.
For more information, check out neilsvanroij.com.
