What you're looking at on these pages is probably the most extreme Audi A3 you're ever likely to see. And it's been built with one purpose in mind: to go up hills faster than anything else this side of a cruise missile.
Just take a look at these numbers - two seats, four cylinders, one turbocharger, 750hp through all four wheels, a claimed 2sec to 60mph and one ecstatic owner; is that extreme enough for you?
Although it's been built for hillclimbs, the streets around Oslo, Norway will also see and hear this squat, mean, aggressive-looking beast.
As with most Frankenstein creations, this hard-as-nails brute started life as something more sedate: a TDI, no less. "Audi doesn't like what we do here," explains Tommy Schonberg, owner of TS Racing based outside Oslo. "I initially wanted to buy a bare shell so I could build it from scratch, but Audi refused to sell me one so I bought a cancelled order at a German dealership." And so Tommy took delivery of an A3 2.0 TDI quattro in '05. However, it didn't stay that way for very long...
It's pretty obvious what Audi doesn't like about TS Racing. The company is respected for its ability to coax considerably more power from Audi engines and business is brisk, with many customers prepared to travel hundreds of miles for this service. And what better way to showcase the company's talents than build the ultimate Audi?
Tommy achieved notoriety long before the A3 was even dreamed of, terrorizing Norway and Sweden in a B5 RS4 Avant. This car was shocking not only for its huge power, but for its pink paintwork. It got him noticed but pales into insignificance alongside this latest creation.
There's no point looking for any stereo install or TV screens in the A3 because this car is focused on one thing: the best possible power-to-weight ratio, which in this case is a colossal 750hp per ton.
Brush your fingers along its carbon hood, over its scratch-proof matte-silver paintwork and across the windows - they're plastic. The rear has a specially formed carbon fiber tailgate.
Open the driver's door and try to squeeze your frame into the hugging Sparco race seat with six-point harness. Once planted, you'll struggle to find any creature comforts whatsoever. There's no carpet, no headliner, no console, no electrical toys, no soundproofing and absolutely no nonsense.
What you'll find is an FIA-approved rollcage made from chromoly. There's a slither of carbon that forms a dashboard to house gauges for boost, oil pressure, etc, and a digital Racepak datalogger to display all the information a driver could want. There's a traditional H-pattern shifter and an exposed steering rack to show the car's intent.
Behind the front seats, it's no surprise to discover the rears were ditched in favor of a 30-liter fuel cell and oil cooler nestling between the cross braces of the rollcage. Behind it is a gargantuan radiator spanning almost the width of the car. Two large hoses suck air from the side intakes and pass it over the radiator.
On the outside things are equally business-like. The A3 squats low on 19" BBS rims and wide 265/30 BFGoodrich competition rubber. Up front there's an Oettinger bumper with a carbon splitter. The hood is also carbon and the side skirts are from Oettinger.
Interestingly, the flared wheel arches were from an Audi Allroad, but even these needed to be extended so two sets were used to cover the wheels.
Two exhaust pipes poke from either side of the car, ahead of the rear wheels and above the carbon fiber diffusers. These give vent to what's under that carbon hood.
Tommy wanted huge power, so each and every component has been tested to destruction. The engine had already seen active service in Tommy's RS4 Avant, but more power was required so a Turbonetics GT66 blower was fitted instead of the previous KKK item. It also uses a Nissan Skyline intercooler, which Tommy reckons is the only one for this size of turbo.