Credit: Audi

Fans of the TT rejoice—there's a new Audi two-seater on the way. The German automaker just unveiled Concept C, a stylish and minimalist sports car that marks the start of a new styling philosophy and, hopefully, a return to the bold designs that brought it so much success.

There are design cues and links back through Audi's history, but this is no pastiche of a retro design as we might have seen from J Mays. Rather, Audi's design team under Chief Creative Officer Massimo Frascella says that the design influences include one of Adolf Hitler's pre-war Silver Arrows racing cars, the 1936 Auto Union Type C—Audi being one of the four brands that combined to form Auto Union.

The slats that cover the Concept C's rear bring to mind the cooling louvres at the rear of the Type C, necessary to let the heat generated by its monstrous V16 engine to escape the rear engine bay. But I also see some of the streamlined Rennlimousine in the Concept C's slab sides.

It's a much simpler design than the TT concept from 1995, which manages to look almost fussy in its details compared to the Concept C. But the way the air intakes are formed underneath the headlights reminds me a lot of the Bentley Hunaudieres, a mid-engined concept from 1999.

There's a new corporate grill shape—one that some have compared perhaps a little unkindly to the mustache of the aforementioned German dictator—and narrow LED headlights that in current Audi fashion can be configured in an array of different patterns. Expect to see more of this shape on future Audis, which will make a change from the almost-anonymous styling of cars like the current A5 and A6.

The minimalism continues throughout the interior, as does the titanium color scheme. Controls are made from anodized aluminum, and the small infotainment screen can be stowed away inside the dashboard when it's not needed. Natural fabric covers the seats—a design detail that we can only hope makes its way across the Atlantic when the production car heralded by this Concept C goes on sale.

Exactly when that will be is still unknown. There aren't really any technical details, either, other than that the production car will be electric (using the same platform as the forthcoming Porsche 718 EV). The ginormous wheels will probably have to be a little more sensibly sized for production, but apparently the finished car looks near-identical to Concept C from "50 meters" away.