Trounce The Opposition - Drive An Audi Quattro!

Well, who would have thought it, eh?
A competetive AWD car? Hell yeah! Especially if Audi have anything to do with it.

The same doubts were raised back in 1976, when Audi built the worlds first 5-cylinder petrol motor - and despite sceptism as regards to it being balanced enough to run smoothly, it worked just fine, and carried Audi through the Group B era, (who could forget that spine-tingling soundtrack in the forest stages?) and into the 90's, with production ending in 1996 with the 5 cylinder 20V turbo that went on to power the S2, RS2, Ur S4/S6, as well as the 200q.

Am I an Audi fan? Hell yeah! You can say that again. Best drive configuration for a high-performance automobile? Undoubtedly, AWD. How else does one harness all that raw power?

Unless you're a coffin-dodger in a flat cap and mac, and drive a Volvo T5-R (what possessed Volvo to build a 300+hp car with FWD?) then an Audi with AWD would be the logical choice. I'm on my 32nd Audi till date. I was one of the first in the UK to install Audi's I5 20V turbo into the B2 chassis Coupe Quattro - the lightweight of the car, some 1,235 kilos meant it was pretty competitive in motorsport, as my trophies went on to prove.

Originally Schwartz Metallic, my Coupe went through 2 color evolutions - Seat's Kiwi Yellow, then Audi's own Inca Orange Pearl, a color I've gone on to use again in my current car - a B5 A4 2,6L Quattro Sport. A color which has inardvently become DeltaVAG Limited's corporate color.

I named my car Outlaw, as that's what she is - a point Audi purists are up in arms with, but guess what? She's my set of wheels, my money's spent on her, so why would I listen to others, huh? The same goes for the powerplant, a lot of folk are sceptical about how it's going to be squeezed into Outlaw's engine bay, but I've never been one to shy away from what may seem impossible...

...So, as I mentioned yesterday, Outlaw was duly purchased, as a Project Automobile.

I didn't particularly set out to buy this particular model, the only things I remember having in mind at the time were "she's got to be quattro". For the initial cheap outlay, there weren't very many options in a modern-looking bodyshell - I didn't want to repeat my original B2 Coupe Quattro. That was a done project, yeah I had a lot of fun with her, but she was starting to look rather dated. Besides, i'd definitely proven what could be done with the B2 chassis, and wanted a fresh challenge.

Outlaw was purchased 26th June 2007, and driven home, in all her battle-scarred glory, with 202,000 on the odometer. She was in Audi's Agate Grey, a color also used on the B5 S4.

I had a clear picture what I wanted to achieve, and I wanted an OEM theme. I had a 2,671cc Biturbo V6 sitting in the garage, as well as a 6-ratio tranny from a 2001-model S4. So, a plan was brewing.

I'd always been a fan of Audi's B5 RS4, which carried on from the legendary B4 RS2, both were only available as Avants. I decided to install the engine I had into Outlaw, and replicate an RS4 Sedan. Of course, sourcing RS4 panels in a junkyard in the UK is next to impossible - you wouldn't find all the parts required, though bumpers do come up for sale every now and again on ebay.

I duly ordered all the parts from Ipswich Audi, and on the 17th November 2007, the work began.

She was meant to be completed before christmas, but that was not going to happen! She actually saw the light of day the 29th January 2008, looking very different, complete with 8,5"x18" BBS RX II split rims, shod in 255/35ZR18 Dunlop Sport 9000's, Audi's Inca Orange Pearl paintwork, which I had previously used on my B2 Coupe Quattro. And of course, all the RS4 body parts - front fenders, rear quarters, front bumper, side skirts, HID headlamps, grille, bumper grilles and fog lamps, front and rear doors, cast aluminium mirrors.

Also fitted, though not visible, are the RS4 rear arch tubs -the RS4 is 35mm wider than a regular B5 A4, as well as the plastic liners all round.

The rear bumper is a Euro S4 item, which obviously is designed for the slim-hipped S4, so it had to be carefully heated, and widened to blend with the wider body. Tails are post-facelift ('99>'01) B5 sedan units, while the old-style trunk was replaced with a post-facelift item too, thoug it was subtly modified to give it a fresher look prior to paint and installation...

Before she went under the knife, the tired old suspension was completely revamped - RS4 Bilstein Sport (yellow) dampers all round, and S4 Eibach Sport springs. The spring rates are a bit high for the front of a non-S4, but with the powerplant and tranny going in, that would bring the front down a great deal.

Like most plans, things are subject to change, and Project Outlaw is no exception. I decided to sell the 2,671cc Biturbo, in favor of V8 grunt. So, the V6 Biturbo was duly sold, and in its place a replacement 4,172cc V8 32V arrived. This is a 340hp unit from an early S8, coded AHC. Problem was, it was auto only option in the UK...

I then had a custom lightweight single-mass flywheel made, and decided to junk the OEM Bosch ECU, in favor of an aftermarket system. This is not only more flexible in terms of future upgrades, including turbocharging, but id negates the need to use the original ignition transponder set-up, and the modified wiring harness gets rid of the automatic tranny connection.

All that remained as at last week was a clutch, and a pair of front driveshafts with 108mm inner CV joints, to match the 108mm drive flanges of the 6-ratio tranny.

Clutch turned up on Thursday, and a pair of driveshafts will be winging their way to me soon, so we're getting there...

...So the 9th October, nothing eventful.
Got Outlaw out of the garage, and took some measurements of the engine bay, the current V6 12V, as well as the V8 32V motor.

It'll fit just fine - the tranny and motor can be mounted as far back as the propshaft "plunge" and tranny / motor mounting holes will allow. Might be some trimming of the front clip, but hell, not the end of the world, all good.

Can't wait to hear the throaty roar of the V8 motor - will be firing her up on the bench, without the benefit of silencing, just good old headers. The combination of RS4 body, and a fettled S8 motor will allow for a real hairy-chested B5, can't wait...