Abt Sportsline

History

Johann Abt (20 December 1935 – 11 October 2003) continued a horseshoeing and blacksmithing tradition of his family, started by his father Johann Baptist Abt, with motor cars. He 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 m2 of space. In October 2002 an extension building was opened offering about 3,000 m2 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.

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 participated.

The German squad left Formula E after the 2020–21 season. In May 2022, Abt announced they would be returning to Formula E for the 2022–23 season with Cupra as Abt Cupra Formula E Team after a season away, sourcing powertrains from Mahindra Racing. In April 2024, it was reported that Abt Cupra's powertrain deal with Mahindra will end at the conclusion of the 2023–24 season and will be using Lola-Yamaha powertrains for the 2024–25 season onwards, with the team entering the season as Lola Yamaha Abt Formula E Team. In November, it was announced that Lola has taken over Abt's Formula E entrants' licence. Abt will continue to run the team operationally.

Abt partnered with Cupra to enter the electric off-road racing series Extreme E as Abt Cupra XE in 2021. The team left the sport at the end of 2023 but are open to entering the new hydrogen-based off-road racing series Extreme H in 2025.

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 – an increase of 40 PS over the previous model.

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 at 6800 rpm, and 417 lb·ft 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..."
• 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.
• 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 to 620 hp. Many new exterior parts are made from carbon fiber, dropping the car's weight by 220 lb. 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.

Racing results

Formula E

;Notes:

• – In the inaugural season, all teams were supplied with a spec powertrain by McLaren.
• – 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.
• • – Season still in progress.

Other teams supplied by Audi Sport Abt

Extreme E results

Racing overview

Racing summary

Complete Extreme E results

(Races in bold indicate best qualifiers; races in italics indicate fastest super sector)

References

References

1. "Impressum". Sportsline GmbH.
2. "Impressum". Sportsline GmbH.
3. "ABT Sportsline". ITR e.V..
4. (March 2023). "ABT Sportsline confirms return to Formula E".
5. "CUPRA Partners with ABT for Formula E 2023 {{!}} CUPRA".
6. (March 2023). "ABT secures Mahindra power for Formula E return".
7. (29 September 2023). "ABT CUPRA signs Lucas di Grassi alongside Nico Mueller".
8. (11 April 2024). "ABT will partner with Lola and Yamaha from Season 11".
9. (25 September 2024). "Lola Yamaha ABT completes debut driver line-up with rookie Zane Maloney joining "Mr. Formula E" Lucas di Grassi".
10. (7 November 2024). "Lola takes on Formula E entry from ABT".
11. (10 July 2019). "EXTREME E ANNOUNCES ABT SPORTSLINE ENTRY".
12. (14 September 2020). "ABT confirms Mattias Ekström as male driver and CUPRA as main partner".
13. (6 December 2023). "ABT CUPRA to focus entirely on Formula E in 2024".
14. Nguyen, Justin. (7 December 2023). "ABT CUPRA departing Extreme E".
15. "ABT Sportsline tunes the Volkswagen Passat". World Car Fans.
16. (2 March 2015). "ABT Sportsline Boosts VW Passat Biturbo Diesel to 280PS, Adds Sharper Body Kit". Car Scoops.
17. ''Modified Luxury & Exotics'' RS4 Renaissance, PP. 88 to 94, By Colum Wood. Photos by Joost Demuynck. May 2007
18. "ABT R8 GT R – A Racecar for the Road". AudiSite.com.
19. Kilshaw, Jake. (5 October 2018). "Frijns Confirmed Alongside Bird at Envision Virgin".
20. Smith, Sam. (11 June 2019). "Bird, Frijns to Remain at Envision Virgin for 2019–20".
21. Smith, Sam. (1 December 2020). "What does Audi's Formula E exit mean for its customer team?". The Race.
22. Smith, Sam. (1 November 2021). "Virgin name exits Formula E as Envision team reveals new look". The Race.