Suddenly there was a strange and nervous atmosphere in the ward. A very large relation visited my former employer. When he came to visit, he was treated with all due respect. This time things went a little differently. The relationship had come to Leeuwarden with a brand new and very expensive Audi TT. And that car inadvertently became the center of a particularly uncomfortable scene.
When the man called you knew: this is going to be a substantive and tedious discussion. And then you also had to run the gauntlet commercially. "Guys, he's calling, who's going to catch him?" That idea. You always worked it out with the big relationship, and that was a good thing. He was one of the relations who impressively showed that the thick topping on the sandwich was also paid for by him. But our relationship was not easy. In that sense, he did fit well with his points of contact, including the undersigned.
Like other major players in our industry, he also liked to show that he had things done. He rewarded himself for his hard work and the accompanying fruits in the German way. At the end of the 1.8s and the beginning of the new millennium, premiums in sports format were popular. Especially with people who did business and made a career in a rather successful way. Our relationship also left the car technically wide. This time he had brought a separate toy: an Audi TT 5 XNUMXV Turbo quattro of a big barrel in guilders.
The reception committee often consisted of account managers and commercial advisers, who served the relations from the outside and from the inside. The commercial advisors formed the Haarlemmerolie between the office staff, the field staff and the relations. One of them was Berend, who was born recalcitrant and who continued to present that character trait effortlessly. Berend was a beautiful guy with his heart on his tongue, moreover he did not hesitate to knock down holy houses.
In our organization it was not done to enter the boardrooms on high legs. Within the head office in The Hague, there was about the death penalty, but in Leeuwarden you certainly didn't make any friends if you came unannounced to get your revenge from the management. Or opened your mouth too far. But when things weren't going well for Berend, he simply stormed the room during important board meetings. Enter without knocking was well spent on Berend, as well as sawing planks from thick wood. He was then allowed to speak to the head of the department, but that didn't interest him at all. Then he simply repeated what he had said to the management. In the same way.
And now our important relationship was in Leeuwarden. A select group went to dinner with the big relation. And Berend belonged to that company. Our guest suggested that he could take three men with the TT. “Because then you can also feel how it drives.” Previously, our relationship had already been treated to vicious remarks. But the bouncer was yet to come. And it came. Berend said in his cracking voice: “You're not serious, are you? Are there four of us in that flattened Beetle? We all never fit in there? "
Suddenly it became uncomfortable in the department. Some were folded in half, others hiccuped a bit nervously from a fit of laughter. In addition, some colleagues were visibly bothered by the familiar feeling of the solid ground disappearing under their feet. And there was someone who had to call. Even during dinner - usually very cozy - there seemed to be a special atmosphere. In the end everything worked out. Our relationship remained faithful to us. He also regularly came to Leeuwarden after this. Without Audi TT.
My feeling for the TT is twofold. There's a mouse gray with soft top driving here, which looks pretty good.
The term women's hairdresser's car fits many more cars: the small Mercedes with a folding roof, the Boxter, Beetle convertible, etc. Yet they are allowed to place all those models in my driveway. Just throw the keys and papers through the letterbox.
I read a lot of negative things about the TT. I had one and drove it for 4 years. I still think he's beautiful. It was a pleasure to drive in it. And with formidable handling and acceleration. Except for maintenance, it has never been serviced.
He did have two drawbacks. Fuel consumption was on the high side, even when driving economically. But then you didn't do that much.
And the maintenance was pricey.
If I had tons of money I'd buy another one.
Ladies hairdressing car… VW with too many pretensions. A beautiful car in the right color.
I've never understood what some people find so nice/beautiful/good about this thing. He's ugly (fact, not opinion) and he wasn't that good. The initial series was extremely difficult to tail, dozens of them were scraped off the Autobahn because they flew backwards at speeds above 100 at the slightest. Then Audi quickly invented that spoiler on the back. The engines and gearboxes certainly do not excel in terms of high quality.
The search for a solution to the problem of flying backwards on the autobahn above 100 was then left to the designers at VW.
That's why the front and back are now very similar.
My previous employer once made a financial mistake.
We had structurally worked too much for years without being paid for it. One colleague had in fact been paying attention when reading the Collective Labor Agreement.
If we were to demand everything we were entitled to, the entire company would be laid off.
So we made a fifty/fifty deal. Then just like that.
What was our surprise? Within a few months there was a brand new Audi TT on the doorstep, hardtop/softtop version!! Purchase price something like 115.000 guilders.
Things have not worked out between the company and staff!
Nevertheless, do not hate such a car. My neighbor has one. They are both okay.
you could not distinguish the head or tail of the audi TT. eas the and flattened kafer thing from the 90s?
I drove a 1.8 Turbo Quattro once on Saturday morning early. See if he really hit 245 kilometers per hour…. The A7 will be very narrow I can tell you. What I also took in the corner of my eye was the display that showed how much fuel was being consumed at that moment…. All records for me that day, including the bright red head when I was able to lift myself out of the thing with great effort….
At the end of the nineties I had a 100 Audi 1974 Coupe for several years jaren
Beautiful design, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing of parts for sale, not even at the Audi 100 coupe club in Germany.
My Audi eventually went to the scrapyard, it was a stainless example, but impossible to be able to / continue to drive. Almost all copies have also all disappeared in a fairly short period of time.
up to 10 years after the model's discontinuation, parts are still available and after that you can forget about it.
It won't be much different with the TT.
For this reason alone no more Audi for me.
hairdresser's car. My 16 year old son also says.
I always feel uncomfortable with TT riders, because indeed; hairdressers car..
terrible car with poor visibility all around, the then chief of the workshop drove over 2 cyclists when turning right…
mr. van Putten, a wonderful story. May I ask what industry you were working in at the time?
Incidentally, I have never been able to stand the Audi TT.
Dear Mr Bonsema.
Thanks for the compliment. I will send you an answer by email.
Yours faithfully,
Erik van Putten
Yes, a Skoda with rings!!
“Do you like that, a car with the chassis of a Skoda?”
I asked very falsely.
For reason..
He who is smart drives….
Wonderful story!!!