The Audi TT RS is an oddball alternative to the BMW M2 and the Porsche Cayman.

It has its little cult following, thanks to a magnificent engine layout - a turbocharged five-cylinder engine with one of the most unique soundtracks in the automotive industry.

The engine is quite under-stressed as standard, which means you can get a lot more horses out of it.

Automotive Mike recently came across an 800-hp TT RS at a half-mile drag race at Airport Neuhardenberg in Germany. The TT owner went up against a few well-known supercar icons, including the Nissan GT-R, Mercedes-AMG GT S, and even a modified Porsche 911 Turbo S.

Oddly, this particular TT doesn't appear to be that fast off the line. Almost every competitor drops it, and then the tiny car catches up.

The half-mile runs at this event were not timed. Instead, it was all about the speed reached at the finish line. The turbocharged TT decimated the GT-R, reaching 175 mph compared to 164 mph.

In the second race, the TT took on an overly-enthusiastic Golf driver, which was pretty much the same. It also murdered an E63 Wagon. It then raced aMercedes-AMG GT S. The AMG struggled a bit off the line, giving the TT an edge. At the end of the race, the result was different. Instead of top speed, the board gave times for the half-mile runs. The TT won, posting 16.55 seconds, compared to the AMG's 16.85-second run.

Near the end, it also goes up against the Audi RS3, giving us a glimpse at the difference in performance between the standard powertrain and the 800-hp version. The RS3 completed the half-mile in 18.27 seconds at 150 mph. The modded TT RS did it in 16.27 seconds and crossed the finish line at 177 mph.

The most surprising result was against a modified 911 Turbo S. It was a previous-generation Turbo, but still. The Audi struggled against the Porker. The Porsche set a half-mile time of 17.1 seconds, while the Audi did 17.3. The Audi was three mph faster at the finish line, proving this little modified Audi does its best work once the race has started. We suspect a hard launch may be too much for the gearbox to handle.

We maintain that the original 2010 manual TT RS was the best, but the current model is a proper supercar slayer. Check out this video of the tiny TT going up against Godzilla: the initial launch off the line might surprise you.

The 394 hp, AWD system, and seven-speed dual-clutch result in the kind of acceleration that makes you nauseous after a few hard launches. Porsche's Cayman provides a more engaging experience, but the noise and acceleration provided by the TT RS are enough to make us want one. Badly.