Achtuning! S4
When we think of RS4 conversions, cars like Adam McCarty's 600hp '01 B5 S4 Avant (et 9/09) come to mind. But in the Pacific Northwest, there's a new breed of conversion stirring with Achtuning's '04 B6 S4. Already equipped with Stasis suspension, big brakes and a rear differential, 20" Work wheels and APR performance mods, this yellow B6 recently went under the knife at JMI Motoring in Smokey Point, WA. The shop took the sedan apart to outfit a complete B7 RS4 uniform, including front and rear bumpers, front fenders, rear quarter panels, trunk, hood and even the doors. The team is also fabricating a full rollcage along with custom carbon fiber parts for the interior. Once the body is done, Achtuning tells us a supercharger is in the works to give the 4.2 liter V8 more grunt to live up to its RS4 inspiration.
Euro Sport GTI
eurotuner GP '09 Challenger
For the past few years, Euro Sport Accessories (www.eurosportacc.com) in Anaheim, CA has brought some interesting vehicles to our annual etGP. In '06 and '08, they campaigned two Ford Focus under its FocusSport banner. In '07, owner Raffi Kazanjian brought out his '75 Rabbit to the challenge. But for '09, he will to purpose-build a car for the event, buying this '01 VW Golf 1.8T five-speed manual to showcase the in-house products and hopefully score high in the competition.
The two main goals were to make the Golf cost-effective and lightweight. Starting at 2873 lb with half a tank of gas, the staff hopes to drop about 400 lb. To do this, the seats will be ditched, along with the carpet, spare tire, fender liners, center console and more. Weight will be also saved with H&R coilovers, a carbon hood, lightweight battery and 17x8" Enkei RPF1 wheels.
Performance-wise, the 20v will receive a GT28RS turbo upgrade, plus Euro Sport's own front-mount intercooler, downpipe, exhaust and intake.
Mrs Shifty's Jetta
Last month we introduced the latest project from Shifty's Spraywerkz, which was being transformed by Robert Lackey's wife, Tosha. She purchased the '01 Jetta GL 2.0 with hopes of building her first project car. Since then, the couple has started collecting parts to build a 16v-hybrid. Tosha is still somewhat new in the trade, so she's taking her time to learn the art of body- and paintwork. Her first success was filling the trunk emblem and prepping the car for Vapor blue paint from the '00 New Beetle.
Since last month, the tranny, mounts, brackets and accessories have all been painted gloss black. Some new parts were also located, such as old school Mk2 Recaro seats to go with the 16v theme.
"Tosha's learned lots throughout the process," Robert told us. "So far she's done her first bit of welding, grinding, masking and painting. The project has brought us closer, while at times nearly driving us to fighting. But at the end of each day, we happily stand back and admire our work!" By next month, the car should be painted.
Turner E92 M3
This latest project from Turner Motorsport is turning heads across the BMW scene. The '08 M3 was chopped up and built to compete in NASA regional competitions. Turner explained it's not full race-spec, but shares similarities with the tuner's Koni Challenge racecars. The interior features an eight-point cage, that's tied into the chassis with A- and B-pillar gussets, while the door bars were designed to Nascar specifications.
Reducing the weight was also important, so almost everything was stripped except for the dash, while a center console is being fabricated to retain the factory i-Drive controls. Finishing off the interior is a lightweight Racetech seat.
Going the extra mile on this project, Turner upgraded the suspension with Moton coilovers, while the new wheels will be 18" Forgeline rims with 275-width Hoosier tires. Brakes will remain stock with Pagid pads.