'00 Audi A4
Driver: Tim McLean
Horsepower: 393.82hp
Torque: 422.74 lb-ft
Quarter-Mile: 12.634sec @ 109.00mph
Contact Info: TJM Motorsport, 866/DAHLBACK, www.tjmmotorsport.com
Engine: '04 model 1.8T I-4, custom BorgWarner KKK turbo, Dahlback Racing/Schrick cams and pistons, Dahlback Racing wastegate and blow-off valve, custom rings, crankshaft, valves, valve springs, retainers, intake manifold, fuel system, exhaust, downpipe, cam gears and oil pan, Bosch spark plugsDriveline: five-speed manual, Sachs double-disc racing clutch
TJM Motorsport is now the official US importer of Dahlback Racing products from Sweden. As such, it was only fitting the company bring out an Audi A4 with a custom-built 1.8T from Hans himself. The car was fairly mild from the exterior, something that seemed to be a theme at this year's etGP, but what lurked under the hood brought all the attention. The motor was basically a full-race 1.8T with a grumble to match.
On the outside was a huge FMIC hanging out of the front bumper. The car sat on a set of BBS CH wheels and custom-valved Dahlback coilovers. The interior was stripped, and in place of the stock seats lived a set of Sparco Evos. With a slew of Auto Meter gauges strewn about the interior, the car appeared to have what is needed to make it go really fast, and nothing else. When the car owner/driver/co-owner of TJM Motorsport was asked what his mission was, the answer was simple: "It's time to whoop up on a few S4s."
Dyno
Once on the rollers, the car short-shifted its way to fourth gear and the engine came to life. With undeniably quick pulls through fourth gear, three runs were knocked off in a matter of minutes. The car roared to the redline and quickly settled back each time. The smell of 104 octane filled the air and the noises were music for any tuner. The car was just flat-out impressive.
Hans Dahlback built the motor for TJM Motorsport as part of a push to introduce Dahlback Racing products to the US market. Most of the parts can be purchased through TJM Motorsport, and after watching the car perform, it had us searching for prices on used A4 1.8Ts. Keep in mind when you read the numbers, the car is using a modified KKK-series turbo. With the runs done, the car rolled off the dyno with the third-best number of the day at 393.82hp.
Drag Race
High-strung cars pushing the limits of what a motor should be able to produce never finish events. With this generalization in mind, we were surprised when TJM's 1.8T quattro not only held its own during the hot day at the strip but claimed the fourth fastest time of the day, trailing third place by only 0.066sec. This was impressive considering the car was down two cylinders and, in some cases, more than a liter of displacement over the top three positions. What was also impressive was Tim McLean's driving. Before etGP, the A4 hadn't been dyno-tuned or driven much, yet by his third run down the 1,320, Tim was clicking off 0.713sec reaction times and 12.7sec runs. While the ambient temperatures increased and more and more passes were made, TJM's car didn't seem to suffer badly from heat soak either, as the car clicked off consistent high-12 and low-13sec passes.