I'm sure you probably get about 10,000 emails each day asking for a feature, so I guess you can just add me to the list. I'm a 17 year-old senior in high school from a little town called Bellingham, WA. I currently own an '01 Audi A4 1.8T quattro, and have owned two A4s in the past - I guess you could call me a B5 chassis buff...
"I strive to mod my car using high quality parts that make it stand out from the rest. I also try to mod the car so it doesn't only appeal to younger people. It's a great feeling when an older gentleman comes up to me at a gas station and can't stop staring at my car.
"I love reading your magazine and feel my car would be an awesome article for younger readers to show they too can have a good-looking car without taking away from the original look. Every day I see kids trying to tune their car by adding stupid stickers, exhausts and big rear wings. But not all us kids are like that, trust me. I pay for my parts through work and get some as Christmas or birthday gifts. My parents chipped in $5000 for the car, if you're wondering...
"I would truly appreciate a feature in your magazine. I feel my car has the class, styling and personality to be a star. A buddy of mine goes to the high school across town and could take the photos. He took the photos I emailed to you and did an awesome job. He's planning to become a professional photographer and seriously has some of the best skills I've ever seen. It's hard to believe he's still in high school as well."
This is an excerpt from the email we received from Jess Kenoyer when he contacted us about the possibility of a feature. To be honest, a 17 year-old on his third A4 caught our attention, and having a high school friend capable of taking great photos was a real asset. So we commissioned Jackson to shoot the car and got talking to Jess.
It turns out our schoolboy bought his first A4 at 15. He had a permit so used to drive with his mom in the passenger seat. However, the car was an A4 2.8 and the teenager knew the V6 wasn't a great tuning platform, so he sold it to a friend and bought a 1.8T instead. It was a FWD model and he then decided that the quattro would be more appropriate, and that's how he ended with this Santorin blue example in June '05.
Having gone to so much trouble to find the right car, it was inevitable that he would tune it. Apparently, the V6 had a full Rieger kit so he wanted to swap it all over to the 1.8T. Sadly that plan was impractical, so Jess bought a new Rieger kit from RPI Equipped in Canada. This included the RS4-style front bumper, skirts and rear valance. Around the same time he also got the Kamei grille, VIS carbon hood and M3-style mirrors. As you can see, it's nothing too drastic and complements the Audi's appearance, lending it aggression without obscuring the car's fine lines.
The wheels are 18x8" Enkei MM2s which had also been on the V6 and were able to be transferred over to this car. After our photo shoot, however, Jess went out and got some 18x8" Oettinger RE five-spokes that probably suit the car even better, as you can see in the photo.