When life throws you a lemon, make lemonade. This saying applies to all aspects of life and even to the trials and tribulations of building a modified car; parts break, check engine lights flash, accidents happen. But these problems aren't a reason to quit and return the car to stock. Instead, most of us make our cars better, faster, stronger.
Brian Bement from Vancouver, WA experienced three different injuries to his '97 Audi A4 quattro - a minor collision, vandalism and snow damage. After each setback, he was resilient and remodelled his Audi inline with his ultimate vision. And best of all, he did it in his home garage, equipped with an eager mind and able hands.
At 24 years old, Brian's journey has been far from easy. Like many aspiring tuners, he purchased and modified the Audi while balancing school and a full-time job. "I bought the car in 9/04, so I've had it about five years," he started. "Every extra penny I had, I'd save and sink into the car."
This was Brian's first Euro. He grew up building Camaros of all things. But he traded his last one for the A4. "I bought the Audi because it was a little more sophisticated. I wanted a nice daily driver that I wouldn't modify," Brian laughed. "I had no idea what was or wasn't available for it."
When the mod bug finally bit, Brian initially concentrated on aesthetics. At first, he outfitted his ride with generic aftermarket wheels and S4 body parts. It was enough to earn a trophy at his first show, but he hungered for more. "An S4 kit didn't stand out, I had to go crazy with it," he responded. "I wanted something more aggressive but clean at the same time. I didn't want a crazy Hot Import Nights show car, but something that would fit the Euro community."
Through trial and error, Brian taught himself how to do virtually everything on the car from installing bolt-on parts to fabricating custom brackets for the brakes, custom bodywork and installing the stereo. "Many people take their car to a shop to have everything done but I didn't have the money for that," he told us.
Brian reached the final stage after the A4 was damaged last winter. "I was stuck in a freak blizzard. The Department of Transportation decided to lay crushed red rock on the roads, which blasted the paint on both sides of my car," he remembered.
The incident happened after Brian had repaired the car from a minor front fender collision and vandalism on the rear quarter panel and hood. So the car sat in the garage and underwent more surgery during the late hours of the night after Brian was done with work and school. The upper and lower door moldings were shaved first, followed by the trunk, fender emblems and washer nozzles. Brian contracted Andy Krett to perform the böser hood extension because he wasn't as confident with welding.
The interior was upholstered...
The interior was upholstered by the owner in suede to match the Corbeau LG1 seats
Dipping into the OE parts bin, Brian added S4 skirts, which had to be shaved and modified to work without moldings, plus an S4 rear bumper and RS4 grille. Going for an in-yer-face look, the front bumper was switched for an aggressive Kerscher piece with custom splitters.
Lastly, Brian decided to change up the fenders. "I wanted a wider track to improve handling and a more aggressive stance," he told us. "So I pulled each corner over an inch. I had to completely reshape them to get the original radius." The front and rear bumpers were then widened to flow.
After hundreds of hours of intensive labor, Brian's efforts paid off and it was time for paint. He entrusted Europa Auto Body in Portland, OR to respray the car Porsche Aqua blue metallic. "I love blue," he explained. "The car was originally a dark Europa blue but I saw the Aqua on an '09 Porsche 997 and that was it. It's dark at night but vibrant in the sun." The roof was painted in BMW's Sparkling Graphite metallic.