Audi TT 8N Roadster in Spider-style

Roadster Spider Look cover (persenning)

Some accessories give an Audi TT that little bit of a difference. The Roadster Spider Look is a fine example of this. It is not an original Audi accessory, but a special cover developed by a third-party manufacturer specifically for the TT 8N. The result gives the open-top TT a look all of its own and totally different then the original cover (persenning). And has since become, above all, a special piece of TT history.

A small number of these covers (persennings) were produced around twenty years ago. It is striking that, at the time, an official type approval was even obtained for the TT 8N. Reportedly, around nine units were exported to Germany and a further nine to the United States and Asia. This meant that, right from the start, it was a highly exclusive accessory that very few TT enthusiasts were ever aware of.

There is also a remarkable detail to this story. The TT that the manufacturer used for type approval was, at some point, written off by his wife. This also brought an end to the production of new models. So, the ones produced at the time are all there ever will be.

Twenty years on, this makes this ‘Spider Look’ even more special. It is not actually known how many examples still exist. There is a good chance that some have since disappeared, been damaged or been forgotten somewhere.

That is precisely why it is wonderful that, after all these years, this ‘Spider Look’ cover has found a new home with someone who knows exactly what they have in their possession. Not an Audi accessory from the catalogue, but a small, rare piece of TT history that was once made by enthusiasts and an external manufacturer specifically for the 8N. And perhaps this is one of the very last examples still in existence.