Every now and then the car gods bless an Audi and send it good fortune. One example is this Brilliant black A4; conceived in Ingolstadt, shipped to the US and born into luxury with owner Brian Joe - a film director/producer residing in Los Angeles.
We see a multitude of Audis but Brian's 1.8T CVT flew under the radar better than any. With no screaming candy paint or obnoxious widebody, this subtle but heavily modified A4 has become one of the most successful Audis on the show circuit, garnering an impressive 16 trophies in the past two years.
"I didn't win anything when I first began showing the mildly modified car. Everybody kept telling me to paint the car, go wide," Brian recalls, "but I liked it black and felt the B6 already held a wide and aggressive stance in stock form." Integrity intact, Brian ignored the recommendations and continued to modify his Audi the way he wanted, with high quality products and custom parts. That determination, perseverance and patience paid off when he claimed Best Audi at HIN, Extreme Autofest, Showoff Classic and New Dimensions Charity Show.
Brian bought the car after moving from New York to Los Angeles and discovering BMW 3-Series were more common than Civics. If an Audi weren't different enough, he chose the CVT (continuously variable transmission) option - a gearless transmission that allows better fuel efficiency without compromising acceleration. In fact, Audi lists the CVT quarter mile time a tick quicker than the five-speed manual!
However, the stock speed and aesthetics simply weren't enough, and as a graduate from the film school at NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, it was only natural Brian would carry his creative soul from film projects to his vehicle. "The common question I get asked is why modify such a nice European car?" he said. "Why would I drive a car off the assembly line? Audi has produced two million A4s worldwide, but there's only one like mine in the world. Modifying your car is an extension of yourself and your style. I wanted to customize the car while retaining the class and luxury of an Audi." And that's exactly what he did.
For the exterior he wanted an aggressive yet clean body kit, and something nobody else had. Rieger, Oettinger, Kerscher were already on other modified cars and Brian abided by Audi's slogan, "Never Follow". He came across Caractere - a Belgian company recognized in Europe for its quality products and good fitting. Assisted by Carrozzeria Design in Irvine, CA, he contacted importers Landspeed USA. The company sent the first full Caractere kit in North America. "I knew the quality of Caractere was good after I removed my stock bumper and realized the Caractere part was thicker and heavier," Brian observed. The grille, front bumper, side skirts, rear valance and even a genuine two-piece Euro-spec rear bumper were fitted, but Brian wasn't finished. He added a carbon S4-style trunk spoiler and Vorsteiner's vented carbon boser hood - the only one in existence!
"At the time, the only B6 boser hood available was in Europe. However, Vorsteiner wanted to implement the design, which in retrospect gave a very modern look," Brian told us. "My friend Andy Kuo and I designed and added the vents to give us a hood that was totally unique."