2000 Audi TT Back to the future. By T. J. Cobb, New Car Test Drive .com

Just a few years ago, automotive enthusiasts were bemoaning the impending doom of the sports car. Surrounded by increasingly dense herds of sport-utility vehicles, the future looked bleak to folks who treasured cars dedicated to the notion that knife-edged handling is eminently preferable to a high seating position.

The arrival of the BMW Z3, Mercedes-Benz SLK, and the superb Porsche Boxster have altered those dreary prospects dramatically.

And now, like some sort of Bauhaus-inspired exclamation point, Audi's TT shows that there may still be something new in the world of automotive styling. With plenty of driver gratification squeezed into the package.