2001 Audi S4 Avant
We all know Audi's line-up of RS cars is a source of nirvana for many car enthusiasts. Designed to take on and effectively whoop M and AMG cars, Audi has never let us down when it has come to doing what's necessary to accomplish such feats.
Actually, that's not entirely true, at least not for North American enthusiasts. Because Audi did let us down, big time, by keeping the original Audi RS - the Porsche-partnered RS2, as well as the even more impressive follow up, the B5 RS4 - out of the hands of US enthusiasts. And although we've since been blessed with the more recent Audi RS4, other versions have again gone missing.
Besides their outrageous performance and stealthy good looks, truly one of the coolest features of the first two RS cars was that each was only offered in Avant form. That's right, if you wanted Audi's highest performing vehicle you were going to be driving a station wagon. Talk about the perfect all-around vehicle!
Missing out on the RS2 and B5 RS4 bummed-out many Audi enthusiasts - some more than others. Denver's Adam McCarty is one of the others. Adam was bummed-out enough that he thumbed his nose at AoA and set forth to build his own B5 RS4. Though he's certainly not the first nut-job to do it, Adam's RS4 clone is as comprehensively built as any we've seen. Although the 380hp RS4 was no slouch in stock form, Adam has taken his vision of the RS4 even farther - some 75% farther.
From the pearl white paint to the bulging OE fender flares, to the impossibly wide
BBS CH wheels, this '01.5 S4-turned-RS4 is truly stunning. If Adam had never opened the hood or touched the interior, this would still be a car you'd love to have in your driveway. There's an emotional appeal to the RS4's lines and, as already mentioned, the fact it's a wagon factors into the equation.
Lest anybody thinks converting a US-spec B5 S4 Avant to full RS4 spec is easy, keep in mind this particular project is six years in the making and, according to Adam, "It all began as a simple build, but obviously I don't know when enough is enough." True enough. In fact, he tells us there's still more to do
One specific problem faced by Adam and his tuners-of-choice, Autosport Werks and European Performance Labs (EPL), was how to get big horsepower from the twin-turbo 2.7 V6 while breathing the thin air at 5000ft above sea level. "Lots of trial and error with different turbo set-ups drove us crazy," said Adam, "but in the end, TiAL's 750 turbo kit and EPL's tuning did the trick." Yes, and quite the trick it is, too, with a Dyno Dynamics verified 528hp at all-four wheels. Keep in mind, this dyno is notorious for providing pessimistic numbers, and even factoring a conservative 15% drivetrain loss, we're still talking over 600hp at the crank.
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Under that carbon Y-pipe sits a bored 3.0 motor with ported 2.8 heads and two Garrett GT28
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Interior features RS4 carbon trim and steering wheel
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Original RS4 seats retrimmed with alcantara center panels
There's more to building a 600-horse 2.7TT than slapping on bigger turbos, and Adam took a comprehensive approach to achieving his goals. Bigger is often better, so toward that end he upped the displacement to a full 3.0 liters by way of forged 82.5mm pistons and Pauter rods. The entire assembly was balanced, blueprinted and O-ringed to ensure everything stayed bolted together under multiple atmospheres of pressure.
Other notable players included a pair of ported and polished 2.8 heads, dual Apikol intercoolers, a sensible Aquamist water/meth injection system, and a custom Autosport Werks exhaust system employing sizeable 3" downpipes.
A Stasis-built transmission and Dahlbäck Racing clutch ensure the power makes it to the venerable quattro AWD system.
Helping the quattro system effectively put 600hp to the ground is a set of 265/30-19 Toyo T1R tires wrapped around the aforementioned 19x10" BBS CH wheels.