Like Sophia Loren, denim jeans and Pink Floyd, the Audi TT has aged gracefully. Nine years after those lustful lines were first unveiled to much eyebrow-raising, Ingolstadt's sports coupé still turns heads and holds gazes.
Which led to much consternation and tugging of goatee beards in Audi's design department when it came to shaping the second-generation TT.
In the end they didn't re-invent the wheel. TT V.II has strong similarities to its predecessor, a good thing when you're dealing with such an iconic design.
They've made the coupé a bit more aggressive and angular, more in touch with its masculine side than its softly-contoured predecessor. Its low roof and squat stance make it seem as though a giant, invisible hand is trying to squash it into the tar and impressive handling lives up to that metaphorical image.
The previous TT Coupé was a lot of fun through the corners but its ride was very firm and it suffered from premature understeer on the limit. Both issues have been resolved in its successor.
The torsional rigidity of the body is around 50 percent greater, which improves handling and gives the car a more solid, substantial feel.
The 3.2 quattro tested here - the car's also available as a turbo, two-litre, front-wheel drive - also now has Audi's more driver-focused new all-wheel drive system.
In normal driving it directs 85 percent of the torque to the front wheels but can transmit up to 100 percent to either axle when you're trying to drive like Kimi Raikkonen.
The biggest advantage is the lack of understeer, that bane of the enthusiast driver. You can nail the power earlier out of a corner instead of hovering impatiently over the throttle pedal waiting for the nose to tuck in.
The car's traction is leech-like and you have to be driving hammer-and-tongs before you provoke any tyre squeal - even with the stability control switched off.
This is a car in which you'll seek any excuse to go looking for sweeping, speedtrap-deficient mountain passes.
And it's not only in seat-of-the-pants feel that the new TT is a better sports car, but against the clock too. It knocked an impressive 15 seconds off its predecessor's time around the North Loop of the Nuerburgring in the hands of an Audi tester.
Along with its improved cornering skills the TT quattro's a forgiving car to drive fast with no hidden surprises.
Humane ergonomics
When Newton's laws eventually intervene and the front tyres start chirping it happens with plenty of warning - thanks in part to communicative steering that's not overly light - and is easily cured with a quick throttle lift.
The driver-friendliness doesn't only apply to hard driving. A light clutch and gearshift, along with humane ergonomics and a decent view out of the windows, contribute to making the TT an easy commuter.
A longer wheelbase and new generation suspension have also given the reborn TT better ride quality, particularly on rough roads.
It's firm, yes, but not so uncomfortably jarring as to dislodge the designer sunglasses from your brow. This even with the stiffer sidewalls of the runflat tyres - the first on an Audi - that allow the car to be driven 50km at up to 80km/h on a punctured tyre.
Magnetic suspension
The car has very little body roll on its standard suspension and feels as agile as a ferret but drivers who seek more firmness can order the car with optional magnetic suspension
This adds R13 160 to the standard R440 000 price (R453 000 for the DSG version) but allows the shocks to be stiffened at the press of a button. Honestly, though, it makes the car feel every pebble and manhole cover with greater intensity while the handling advantage seems minimal.
The new TT 3.2 quattro is 80kg lighter than its all-steel forerunner, even though it's bigger, thanks to the extensive use of aluminium in the body. That's a substantial weight saving - think of it as minus one adult passenger - and contributes to the new car's generally more flickable, nimble feel.
About 30 percent of the shell is still steel, primarily in the rear, to allow better weight distribution for improved handling.
Under that sexy nose is the 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine carried over from the last generation TT but remapped to provide a quicker throttle response. It's fast and punchy without being a real heavy hitter in the sports-car league.
Audi claims a sea level, 0-100km/h time of 5.7sec but up in Joburg's thinner air we managed 8.1sec in the six-speed manual - probably no quicker than the two-litre turbo which sells for R88 000 less.
Better buy
Methinks the two-litre is the better buy up on the Reef , even though it's two-wheel drive.
The best part of the 3.2's power delivery is that it's on call from low revs and builds pace fast and smoothly without requiring any double-clutching gymnastics.
Nothing wrong with the acoustics either: that V6 makes a really groovy growl through its twin exhausts.
The new TT Coupé has grown in all dimensions but abandon all hope ye who expect a family car, as the rear seat is still too cramped for anything but a pair of children.
Still, it has an advantage over rivals such as BMW's Z4, Nissan's 350Z and the Chrysler Crossfire which have no rear seats at all. In front, the Audi's roomier and more airy than its predecessor and the luggage space isn't bad for a sports car.
The TT was the car that started the whole brushed-aluminium cabin craze and the new version has plenty of that, along with even more high-class finishes than its predecessor. The bucket seats are leather-clad and the steering wheel is flattened at the bottom (in the straight-ahed position) just like that of a racing car - this not only looks cool but makes it easier for the driver to get in and out.
Standard luxuries include power seats and a radio/CD but you'll have to pay extra for satellite navigation.
SUMMARY
Reinventing an icon isn't easy but Audi's done a terrific job with the second-generation TT.
Not only does it carry forward those classic looks into a thoroughly contemporary design but Audi has managed to make the new TT a better sports car and at the same time a very forgiving one.