Abt Sportsline

Abt Sportsline is a motor racing and auto tuning company based in Kempten im Allgäu, Germany. ABT mainly deals with Audi and the related primary Volkswagen Group brands—Volkswagen, Škoda, and SEAT—modifying them by using sports-type suspensions, engine power upgrades, lightweight wheels, aerodynamic components and more. It has been active in DTM for more than a decade. After the death of their father Johann in 2003, the company with 170 employees in their headquarters in Kempten was run by the brothers Hans-Jürgen Abt (born 1962, Managing Director) and Christian Abt. Since 2011, Hans-Jürgen Abt has run the company.

Abt Sportsline
TypePrivately held company
IndustryAutomotive industry, Motorsport
Founded1896 (1896) as Auto-Abt
1991 (1991) as Abt Sportsline GmbH
FounderJohann Abt
HeadquartersKempten im Allgäu, Germany
Area served
Worldwide, with European main emphasis
Key people
Hans-Jürgen Abt (managing director)[1]
ProductsSpecialist car body styling parts, engine tuning
ServicesMotor racing activities
WebsiteAbt-Sportsline.de
An Audi A4 DTM entered by Abt Sportsline team. Mattias Ekström is pictured driving the car in the 2009 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Abt Audi RS4-R Avant
Abt Audi RS5-R
An Abt-run Audi A4 DTM, driven by Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the 2006 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

Starting in 2014, they run a team under the Audi Sport banner in the FIA Formula E Championship for drivers Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt. At the 2014 Beijing ePrix, di Grassi became the first driver to win an open-wheel motorsport race in an all-electric car. Ultimately, the team finished third in the first teams' championship.

History

Johann Abt (20 December 1935 – 11 October 2003), who continued a horseshoeing tradition of his family with motor cars, was a motorcycling and hillclimbing racer for the Abarth factory team until 1970. He is the father of Hans-Jürgen Abt and Christian Abt. He later entered cars with his own team, winning the "Trophée de l'Avenir" and many other series. Johann Abt's father founded the first Abt company in 1896.

In 1991 Abt Sportsline GmbH was founded following "Auto-Abt". The headquarters moved to Daimlerstrasse in Kempten-Leubas and first offered about 3,500 square metres (38,000 sq ft) of space. In October 2002 an extension building was opened offering about 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft) extra of work space. Since November 2013 there is a third building giving the Abt Motorsports Department a new home.

In summer of 2011 Abt celebrated their 115th anniversary since the first formation of the company in 1896. About 170 employees are working in the company's headquarters in Kempten, Germany, the products are sold in more than 50 countries worldwide. Since 2011 the Abt Lifestyle GmbH, run by Daniel Abt, organizes events for private or business customers.

Motorsport

After participating in a motorcycle race the company's founder Johann Abt started his racing career and the motorsports career of the company in general. Today Abt Sportsline is one of the most successful motorsports teams and has won several championships in the most important German racing series, like the Super Touring Car Cup (1999), the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM; titles in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009) and the ADAC GT Masters (titles in 2009 and 2010). Since 2004 Abt Sportsline is one of the official factory teams of Audi under the name of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline.[2]

The most successful year in motorsports for Abt Sportsline was 2009, receiving honors in three racing series at once: the DTM with Timo Scheider, the ADAC GT Masters with Christian Abt and the ADAC Formel Masters with Daniel Abt. In 2013, Daniel Abt was active in the GP2 Series and – beginning in September 2014 – he joined Lucas di Grassi as the second driver in the FIA Formula E Championship, where Abt participates.

The German squad is due to leave Formula E after season 7.

Aftermarket

Abt has taken much of their racing knowledge and adapted it for the street, making the company a successful tuner for the full Volkswagen Group line of products.

Abt Sportsline has announced in 2015 that they are going to introduce their new tuning program for the European Volkswagen Passat at the Geneva Motor Show. While hosting the new Passat, their goal is to showcase a more aggressive kit that includes a front lip spoiler, revised side skirts, a tailgate-mounted spoiler, Abt-branded floor mats, 20- or 21-inch alloy wheels with Continental "sport-type" tires, optional mirror caps, sport springs and sports exhaust system, and a body kit that is more aerodynamic than the standard model.

Aesthetics aside, changes in the Passat's performance include limited yet different 2.0-liter TDI four-cylinder engine with the capacity to be tuned to produce 280 PS (206 kW; 276 hp) – an increase of 40 PS (29 kW; 39 hp) over the previous model.[3][4]

Notable cars
  • AS4-R – A highly modified B7 A4 Avant, the ASR-R makes use of the bi-turbo 2.7L V6 to produce 480 hp (358 kW) at 6800 rpm, and 417 lb⋅ft (565 N⋅m) of torque at 3300 rpm. Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine called the AS4-R, "a grocery getter that delivers," and said it, "handles like a toy..."[5]
  • TT-R – A supercharged second generation V6 Audi TT.
  • R8-R – Not yet released Abt's R8 will feature a supercharger mated to Audi's 4.2L V8 for a total horsepower output of 530 hp (395 kW; 537 PS).
  • R8 GT R – A highly modified version of the Audi R8 V10 turning it into what Abt Sportsline calls a "motorsport champion for the road." The Abt R8 GT R features a tuned version of the 5.2-liter V10 engine, boosting the power from 525 hp (391 kW; 532 PS) to 620 hp (462 kW; 629 PS). Many new exterior parts are made from carbon fiber, dropping the car's weight by 220 lb (100 kg). The interior features many modifications to make it more like a race car, including racing seats, a fire extinguisher, a 4-point seat belt, a rollover bar, and new steering wheel. Various other modifications make this a high performance road-legal race car.[6]

Racing Results

Formula E
Year Chassis Powertrain Tyres No. Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Points T.C.
Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team
2014–15 Spark SRT01-e SRT01-e1 M BEI PUT PDE BUE MIA LBH MCO BER MSC LON 165 3rd
11 Lucas di Grassi 1 2 3 Ret 9 3 2 DSQ 2 4 6
66 Daniel Abt 10 10 15 13† 3 15 Ret 14 5 Ret 11
ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport
2015–16 Spark SRT01-e ABT Schaeffler FE01 M BEI PUT PDE BUE MEX LBH PAR BER LON 221 2nd
11 Lucas di Grassi 2 1 2 3 DSQ 1 1 3 4 Ret
66 Daniel Abt 11 7 8 13 7 3 10 2 Ret 2
2016–17 Spark SRT01-e ABT Schaeffler FE02 M HKG MRK BUE MEX MCO PAR BER NYC MTL 248 2nd
11 Lucas di Grassi 2 5 3 1 2 Ret 2 3 4 5 1 7
66 Daniel Abt Ret 6 7 7 7 13 6 4 14 Ret 4 6
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
2017–18 Spark SRT01-e Audi e-tron FE04 M HKG MRK SCL MEX PDE RME PAR BER ZUR NYC 264 1st
1 Lucas di Grassi 17 14 Ret Ret 9 2 2 2 2 1 1 2
66 Daniel Abt 5 DSQ 10 Ret 1 14 4 7 1 13 2 3
2018–19 Spark SRT05e Audi e-tron FE05 M ADR MRK SCL MEX HKG SYX RME PAR MCO BER BRN NYC 203 2nd
11 Lucas di Grassi 9 7 12 1 2 15† 7 4 Ret 1 9 5 18†
66 Daniel Abt 8 10 3 10 4 5 18† 3 15 6 6 6 5
2019–20 Spark SRT05e Audi e-tron FE06 M DIR SCL MEX MRK BER I BER II BER III 114 6th
11 Lucas di Grassi 13 2 7 6 7 8 3 8 6 21 6
66 Daniel Abt Ret 6 14 Ret 14
René Rast2 10 13 Ret 16 3G 4
Notes
  • ^1 – In the inaugural season, all teams were supplied with a spec powertrain by McLaren.
  • ^2 – René Rast replaced Daniel Abt for the final six rounds after the latter was sacked.
  • G – Driver was fastest in group qualifying stage and was given one championship point.
  • † – Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Other teams supplied by Audi Sport ABT
Year Team Chassis Powertrain Tyres No. Drivers Points T.C. Source
2018–19 Envision Virgin Racing Spark SRT05e Audi e-tron FE05 M 191 3rd [7]
2 Sam Bird
4 Robin Frijns
2019–20 Envision Virgin Racing Spark SRT05e Audi e-tron FE06 M 2 Sam Bird 121 4th [8]
4 Robin Frijns

References
  1. "Impressum". Abt Sportsline. Sportsline GmbH. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. "ABT Sportsline". ITR e.V. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  3. Gauthier, Michael. "ABT Sportsline tunes the Volkswagen Passat". worldcarfans. World Car Fans. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  4. Mihalascu, Dan. "ABT Sportsline Boosts VW Passat Biturbo Diesel to 280PS, Adds Sharper Body Kit". carscoops.com. Car Scoops. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  5. Modified Luxury & Exotics RS4 Renaissance, PP. 88 to 94, By Colum Wood. Photos by Joost Demuynck. May 2007
  6. "ABT R8 GT R – A Racecar for the Road". AudiSite.com. Archived from the original on 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  7. Kilshaw, Jake (5 October 2018). "Frijns Confirmed Alongside Bird at Envision Virgin". e-racing365.com. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  8. Smith, Sam (11 June 2019). "Bird, Frijns to Remain at Envision Virgin for 2019–20". e-racing365.com. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
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