A very rare piece on Adam's car is the GruppeM carbon/kevlar intake. Made to order in Japan, the pricey piece was often found on high-end exotics and BMWs but Adam imported a TT-specific intake and was one of the first Audi owners to have such an intake in the US.
The ALMS edition came furnished with a six-speed manual transmission. Adam fitted a Dieselgeek Ultra-Race shifter kit to shorten his throws between gears. A VF Engineering transmission mount eliminates excess engine rocking.
With the motor and transmission beefed up, Adam was happy to own one of the quickest factory-turbo Audi TTs in the US. His last dyno recorded 267hp to the wheels with 314 lb/ft torque.
He enjoyed driving his car to the limits, but also cared about its appearance. Yet finding the right combination of parts without detracting from the natural beauty of the TT was a difficult task. "I didn't want anything gaudy or overdone," explained Adam. He also spoke about his unease over poor quality products. "All the bodywork had to be precise. I'm real anal about it. I hate hearing creaks and rattles or seeing imperfections. It has to be really tight and drivable. I'm not down with cars being trailered to events." With this in mind, he began a close relationship with OSIR Design in Hong Kong. The owner of OSIR developed products based on his personal TT. He provided Adam with prototype carbon fiber exterior and interior pieces to test and market in the US. Included in the shipments were DTM fenders with air vents, a carbon DTM rear valance and rear wing. Because it was designed from an Asian-spec TT, there was doubt regarding its fitment. Fortunately, the only dilemma Adam faced was with the fenders. "The fenders fit perfectly but his TT was engineered slightly differently, so I had to relocate things behind the fender. But overall the product was perfect."
An OE Audi lip decorated the front bumper, accompanied by a custom splitter in ABS plastic to give the car a more aggressive look. Next, the factory headlights were dismantled and paint-matched to the car. While working on the headlamps, Adam shaved the amber reflectors and added LED angel eyes. An Abt grille finished off the face.
Adorning the lower side panels were Rieger Infinity skirts. Finally, Adam dipped into some true OEM+ parts with a set of European mirrors.
Having strong and fashionable wheels on the car was critical to complete the exterior. "I wanted a wheel that would stand up to New Jersey roads, and the style of the HRE goes nicely with the car. A lot of the new wheels have the bolts running through the front of them. I'm not down with that. I like the clean and classy look. Having the hidden hardware was a big part of why I got the 843R."
The factory red leather was already gorgeous so Adam only had to import a Safety Systems rollcage from the UK. OSIR then provided a carbon gauge pack, door pulls and e-brake handle. DEFI gauges monitor boost, oil temp and fuel pressure, while the carbon/leather steering wheel is from an S4. A Stratmosphere armrest in matching red leather finalized the interior. "The project took three and half years to build but if you rush things will get messed up. I see every imperfection, so I take the time to make it perfect," he said.
Adam successfully took a special edition Audi and made it even more special. His achievement has been recognized at Waterfest for the last three years, where he won the Audi TT category.