Mike Ghaemi's 700whp Audi...
Mike Ghaemi's 700whp Audi S4 was selected to represent European tuning in the Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge
In et 4/09, we announced the Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge. The idea was to pit a chosen car again those of our sister publications Super Street, Import Tuner, Modified, Honda Tuning, Lowrider and 5.0 Mustang. And this time, we'd be opening the event to anybody with a suitable car.
However, it couldn't be any old vehicle, since it would have to compete against the rival machines in a number of tests including road course lap times, quarter-mile and horsepower on the dyno. Furthermore, the scoring would account for the power-to-weight ratio, emissions and endurance in traffic. So we were looking for an all-round package in a versatile car. It certainly wouldn't be easy to find something to beat the Hondas, Mustangs and Evos that would inevitably be entered by the other magazines.
We've now had a chance to sift through ll of the great entries that were posted at www.SyntecTopCarChallenge.com and have made our final selection for the car that stands to win $10,000!
Although we had a diverse group of cars to choose from, we eventually fell back on proven technology. The Audi S4 has won the largest number of events in the history of eurotuner's Tuner Grand Prix event. With its quattro traction, twin-turbo power and rugged durability, we felt it was the safest option to take us through to victory.
So the car that will be representing the European tuning community in the Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge is the '00 Audi S4 belonging to Mike Ghaemi from Van Nuys, CA.
With a claimed 700whp, we're confident Mike's bold red rocket will have what it takes to claim gold. The spec list is long and distinguished, having been put together at Wicked Motorsports, where he works, using many parts from Autospeed Performance. The blueprinted and balanced motor has been bored to 2.8 liters, for example, using 82.5mm JE pistons on Cunningham rods.
The heads were ported and polished, and fitted with titanium valve springs, while the intake manifold was ported. For ultimate power, it has an Autospeed GT28RS turbo kit including the exhaust manifolds and downpipe. There's also Evolution Racewerks intercoolers, Siemen injectors, a Bosch Motorsport fuel pump plus an inline Walbro 255 lph pump.
Via a Tilton twin-disc clutch, power is distributed by proven Stasis limited-slip diffs and controlled by Stasis Tracksport suspension. It also has Alcon brakes front and rear to scrub the immense speed we're hoping the S4 will achieve.
While we'd like to congratulate Mike for a great car and remind him we're going halves on the prize-money (joke!), we've also included nine of the top entries that almost made it and would have undoubtedly put up an equally valiant fight. With an old-skool 911, several R32s and some BMWs in the mix, let's hope we selected the right car!
 Tom Thongprasert from Plano,...  Tom Thongprasert from Plano, TX has a stock-looking '04 VW GTI with a Schimmel Performance 2.9L VR6 24v and Precision T61 turbo producing 555whp at 30psi on race gas |  Brothers Tony and Frank Barbanente...  Brothers Tony and Frank Barbanente from Inverness, IL entered their awesome '84 911 Carrera 3.2 converted to 525hp 3.3 RSR turbo using GT2 Evo cams, race heads, ARP hardware throughout and a DTA Fast standalone computer. It also has an RSR widebody for the 17x10" front and 17x13" wheels. Hopefully we'll feature this soon |  Jonathan Levi's '08 BMW 335i...  Jonathan Levi's '08 BMW 335i has been upgraded with software, downpipes, exhaust and intake system to allow the twin-turbo to breathe |
 Fabryce Kutyba from Santa...  Fabryce Kutyba from Santa Ana, CA entered this '07 997 Turbo with GMG Racing intercoolers, headers and exhaust plus GIAC software. It also featured GMG suspension, Brembo brakes |  Ben Guild from Boston, MA...  Ben Guild from Boston, MA submitted his 650hp '04 VW R32 with HPA twin-turbo conversion, Competition Haldex unit, Bilstein PSS9 coilovers, 14.1" Alcon brakes, carbon hood and spoilers plus 18" OZ Superleggeras |  Nick Palefsky from Santa Clara,...  Nick Palefsky from Santa Clara, CA nominated his 400whp '09 BMW 135i. It uses an aFe intake, Active BOV, Riss Racing catless downpipes and cat-back exhaust to make its power |
 Mike Olson from Maple Grove,...  Mike Olson from Maple Grove, MN has a very distinctive '03 GTI we featured in et 11/07. He's swapped the 1.8T for a 3.2L VR6 with forged internals plus a C2 stage 2 PT35R turbo and software. It retains the matte silver paint and is running 18x8" TR Motorsports MT-1 wheels |  Adrian Gordon from Sarasota,...  Adrian Gordon from Sarasota, FL owns this '04 VW R32 with a custom turbo upgrade using a Precision T74 turbo and Wolf 3D management boasting 689whp |  Cory Sterling's '92 VW Corrado...  Cory Sterling's '92 VW Corrado now boasts over 300hp thanks to its 2.8L VR6 turbo |