There are many parallels between being in the performance auto industry and being a chef; both bring their own unique twists to the table. Just as two chefs can take the same ingredients and come up with two different dishes, two enthusiasts can come up with completely different cars when given the same stock vehicle.
The B5 Audi S4 certainly has mouth-watering raw ingredients to work with. It boasts a potent 2.7 liter bi-turbo V6 and a stout all-wheel drive chassis to build upon. As we see here, JJ Larson and Mark Slazak from Autospeed Performance have ended up with different results for their respective S4s, despite both having looked to the desirable European RS4 for inspiration.
2001 S4 AvantWhite WagonFor JJ Larson, a graphic designer and co-owner of both Raderwerks wheels and Dub Korps, the B5 RS4 is the ultimate automobile. When it came time to move on from the widebody Jetta VR6T he'd been perfecting for seven years (et 9/05), the choice was obvious: RS4 or bust!
The RS4 wagon could easily be loaded with supplies and tents for setting up at shows, yet would still be a fun car to throw through the turns and, with 375hp in stock form, it's a more than capable highway monster.
JJ's RS4 may look like the real deal, but it's based on a 2001 Audi S4 Avant.
"I found the car on Autotrader for $18000. But when I called the used car dealership I was told they weren't selling the car, it was a Tiptronic and the motor was blown."
Undeterred, JJ called the owner directly and talked him down to a mere $8000 for the Casablanca white S4 Wagon. Meanwhile, he'd also located a manual transmission S4 Sedan that had taken a heavy rear hit, and soon the two cars were in pieces in JJ's garage.
"I got the damaged car really cheap, so I stripped the wagon down to a wiring harness and a rolling chassis."
A connection in Germany was then used to get a complete off-the-shelf RS4 body kit, consisting of bumpers, side skirts, fenders, doors and more. Mayers Autobody handled the task of fitting all the new panels, and completed the job in a gleaming coat of Ibis white from the B7 Audi RS4.
After contacting Gene Giorgini at RPM Performance engines (which had also built JJ's VR6 turbo engine), both 2.7 V6 motors were traded for a fully built and bored 2.9 liter engine Gene had sitting on the shelf, waiting for the right car. "He had the built motor and really wanted to see a car that was worth putting it in, is how he put it," JJ said.
A complete APR stage 3 turbo system was added to the built block, consisting of OEM RS4 turbos, intercoolers, air box and Y-pipe, injectors, fuel pump, plus a host of other APR upgrades. The APR programming is a little more aggressive than the standard Audi RS4, so should crank out close to 380whp, or around 450 at the crank. With the additional displacement and modifications JJ has made, he estimates even more is on tap.
While the bodywork and engine went together fairly well, the conversion to manual was more involved. "I had no idea what I was getting into with the manual swap," JJ laughed. "But it's pretty straightforward if you're working with a guy who knows what he's doing."
Luckily JJ called Jamie Brecciaroli and Pete Lier at Sleepers Performance, who had no trouble helping with the swap and the rebuilding process. "I think we worked 80 hours straight," JJ exclaimed. "We were just wired on Red Bull and kept going because we wanted the car to be done. We were so pumped just to drive it!"
Powdercoated 19x9.5" Raderwerks CS5-P wheels are inspired by Porsche designs
KW Variant 3 coilovers ensure superb handling, and JJ credits them with the ability to not only deliver in the corners but to also stand up to 500 lb of cargo when traveling to and from shows.
Brembo GT brakes were fitted up front, measuring an immense 14" and using six-piston calipers to bring the wagon to a stop. "Even with the really tight suspension, if you hit the brakes the car nose-dives pretty hard, they're spot on," he enthused.
As always, the wheel selection was crucial, and naturally JJ chose from his own range of Raderwerks reproduction wheels, settling on Porsche-inspired 19x9.5" CS5-P wheels, powdercoated wet black with white vinyl stripes, all wrapped in Dunlop tires.