SPEED freaks are in for a treat at one of the world's biggest meets for Volkswagen Group enthusiasts.

Audi is set to roll out the most extreme version of the TT Coupe it has ever produced - a concept model with a staggering top speed of almost 200mph which will tick off the standard 0-60mph sprint in little more than three seconds.

Delivering a colossal 600PS of grunt and 650Nm of torque, the TT Clubsport turbo concept's 2.5 litre TFSI engine is fitted with an innovative, electrically driven, bi-turbo compressor which Audi says is close to being production ready.

The show car has been systematically stripped out and has an unladen weight of just 1,396kg and, while the top speed of 192mph and 0-62mph acceleration figure of a mere 3.6 seconds is impressive enough, it's only part of the story.

For the TT Clubsport turbo's trump card is that, thanks to the electric bi-turbo system, it literally rockets away from a standing start covering up to 16 metres within the first 2.5 seconds. That's six metres further than a comparable car without this innovation, says Audi, and a difference of around one and one-half car lengths.

"The electric biturbo signifies a new dimension in driving enjoyment; it boosts sprinting ability and torque and enables high peak power," explains Prof.Dr.Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi board member for technical development. "In our TDI engines, we are close to production readiness with this technology. We are now presenting it in a TFSI - here too, we are the first automaker in the world to do this."

An electrically powered compressor offers significant advantages: It revs up to maximum rpm rapidly and without any perceptible delay, and it continues to boost charge pressure when too little drive energy is left in the exhaust gas for the conventional turbocharger.

The effect is impressive. The 2.5TFSI engine builds up its tremendous power without any perceptible delay. This power is available in any situation - whenever the accelerator pedal is pressed. In an acceleration duel, the TTclubsportturbo effortlessly pulls away from a counterpart with an identically powered engine but no electric bi-turbo.

A dedicated 48-volt electrical sub-system - another key future technology from Audi - supplies electrical energy to the turbocharger. A compact lithium-ion battery in the luggage compartment stores the energy that is generated by recuperation when coasting. A DC/DC converter provides the connection to the 12-volt electrical system.

The power of the Audi TT Clubsport turbo reaches the road via a six-speed manual box linked to a quattro permanent all-wheel drive system with the multi-plate clutch mounted on the rear axle for better weight distribution.

And Audi has made sure that this concept car looks the part for the thousands of fans who are likely to drool over it at this week's Worthersee festival in Austria.

Widened front and rear tracks, massive wheels and angular, blistered wings stretch the concept's width by 14cms over that of a standard Audi TT while a single frame grille, front splitter with large air inlets and a huge, manually adjustable rear wing and rear diffuser complete the look.

Will a car like this ever make it into production? Unlikely, perhaps, but the electric bi-turbo system is almost certainly a given for future high-performance VW Group models. They don't do things just for fun...