A SLIPPERY PLAYBOY - Audi S4 B5 2.7 V6 biturbo 2000
Julkaistu
Julian ”Jules” Loose has built a lot of cars, and recently he has built exclusively Audis. Among other cars he has also built the first B5 RS4 with an air suspension in the UK. Years after owning said B5 he still felt regret parting ways with it, so he had to make things right by building this beautiful widebody B5 S4 sedan.
Jules had planned everything beforehand, so when he finally sold his B7 RS4 and bought this B5 S4, everything was already clear as day. The main gist of it is that the car is widened with B5 RS4 parts. Our photographer-journalist met Jules in Wörthersee, after several ”what ifs”. You see, the B5 S4 is not the car you think of when you speak of reliability, and this individual blew its other turbo just when it was to be driven aboard the ferry. Luckily the guys at MRC helped a guy in need, and towed him back to their shop. Doug and Stuart of MRC had some RS4 turbos sitting on the shelf, and the guys spent the following night swapping them. And they dare say chivalry is dead.. Long story short, Jules managed to visit Wörthersee in time, and we got to have a look at this beauty of a car.
While the engine bay looks pretty stock, even with all that red carbon fiber, it's far from that. With RS4's turbochargers, intake and intercooler piping the car is a lot happier than before. Other mods include Wagner's RS4 intercoolers, 630cc Siemens Deko injectors, a Bosch 044 fuel pump, a custom exhaust, 3” downpipes and a APR bi-pipe. MRC did some programming magic, added some nice features (flatshift and launch control) and now the car produces a jolly 500hp and 710Nm. The clutch is from a RS4, so it can handle all that.
The interior has been practically recreated, with nothing left untouched. The front seats are from a B7 RS4, which seems to be the recurring theme. The material of choice is bright red Bentley leather, and the stitchings were made in three-stripe style: Jules really likes his Adidas. MJ Interiors did all the work, and if you look closely, you'll notice an insane amount of details the guys have made. The (RS4) steering wheel is partly covered in leather and partly in carbon fiber. Carbon fiber has been used creatively in other places, too. For example, how often have you seen a carbon fiber OBD port cover?
The rear seats are more of a medley. The seats themselves are from a B7 RS4, but the backrest are from a B5 RS4. The sides of the backrests are, believe or not, from a B5 S4 (stock). The peasant model backrest sides look surprisingly good, though, and all in all the seats are to die for. During the interior overhaul even the edges of the floor mats were wrapped in red leather, and it'll be hard to find anything left totally stock.
Since the car is somewhat faster than when it left the factory, it was a good idea do something to the brakes. The R8 380mm ceramic brakes in the front were so huge, that the car had to be fitted with RS4 upper control arms. The RS6 brakes in the rear are 356mm in diameter, and also ceramic. The Air Lift Performance air suspension is equipped with a V2 controller and two Viair 550c compressors. To further tighten things up Jules installed very stiff H&R anti-roll bars and a 034 Motorsport subframe reinforcement kit. The wheels are swapped so often, that whatever I write here, it's already old news and obsolete, but the wheels in the pictures are custom made RAD48 three-piece 10x19” RSI's.
The flashy exterior was created by combining two different styles. The first style was seen online on some Porsches, that had the classic Martinti-theme as a base and a rusty, beat theme on top. Audi's LeMans car had a Playboy-themed wrap over a black base. When still planning the wrapping, Jules called Autowrap Manchester, and suggested combining these two themes. The white, rugged color was therefore borrowed from Porsche, and the logos and other colors were borrowed from Audi. It took 17 layers of printing to really bring out that scuffed and worn look, after which the vinyl was laminated, and then of course wrapped on the car. If the rear spoiler looks familiar, it might be because you've seen it in a Saab 9-3. The rear bumper is a combination of S4's and RS4's bumpers, since the RS4 bumper isn't made for a sedan model. It's no small feat combining these two so seamlessly, but if you want to go the easy way, you're not suited to own a B5 S4 in the first place.
SPECS:
CAR:
Audi S4 B5 2.7 V6 biturbo 2000
ENGINE:
K04 RS4 turbochargers, RS4 intake pipes, 3” downpipes, custom exhaust, Bosch 044 fuel pump, APR bi-pipe, Wagner intercoolers, 630cc Siemens Deka injectors, MRC software with flatshift and launch control
POWERTRAIN:
B5 RS4 clutch and flywheel
SUSPENSION:
Air Lift Performance air suspension with V2 controller, 2x550c Viair compressors, H&R anti-roll bars, 034 Motorsport billet aluminium subframe reinforcement kit, B5 RS4 upper control arms
BRAKES:
Front: R8 380mm ceramic front brakes
Rear: RS6 356mm ceramic rear brakes with Lamborghini handbrake calipers
WHEELS:
RAD48 RSI 10x19” ET30, 8mm spacers in the front and 15mm in the rear
TIRES:
Falken FK453 255/30/19”
EXTERIOR:
RS4 front bumper, RS4 front fenders, RS4 doors, RS4 rear fenders, S4 rear bumper (lower portion being from an RS4), modified Saab 9-3 rear spoiler, Opel GTE hood gills, Seat Cupra front lip, carbon fiber side mirrors and mirror triangles, carbon fiber B- and C-pillars
INTERIOR:
B7 RS4 steering wheel with leather and carbon fiber upholstery, B7 RS4 front seats, B7 RS4 rear seats with B5 RS4 backrests and S4 sides, added one arm rest, edges of the floor mats are red leather, B7 RS4 shorter gear lever, pedals and footrest, S4's carbon fiber ornaments have been swapped to RS4 versions (including ash tray and hazard light's bezel), black RS4 door handles and hand brake knob, carbon fiber steering wheel surround, AWE boost gauge located in an air vent, RS4 gauge cluster with a new display, upholstered parcel shelf, upholstered lower portion of dashboard, all upholstery has been made with Bentley leather and triple stitching (Adidas style)
AUDIO:
Aftermarket RNS-E navigator/head unit, all speakers have been upgraded, another speaker added on the parcel shelf, two Alpine amplifiers, a 12” Vibe subwoofer in the trunk
NUMBERS:
500hp and 710Nm(stock 265hp and 400Nm)
PREVIOUS PROJECTS:
Ford Escort Cosworth, 5 x Ford Sierra Cosworth, BMW E30 M3, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, VW Golf G60, Audi RS4 B5 with air suspension, Audi RS4 B7 with air suspension and a supercharger, and many more..
THANK YOU:
Birkin Brothers (paint and bodywork), RAD48 Mario (wheels), Autowrap Manchester (vinyls), MJ Interiors (upholstery), Formandfunction (carbon fiber parts), EMP Performance (exhaust), MRC (engine work and programming), Vagbramtechnic (brakes), Dubfiction Posse (thanks for help in general)
