Reader's Rides: Winston's 2004 A4 Avant
Compiled by: AudiWorld Staff
This Audi owner fell in love with a parked car that he later bought from the owner. From there it has been one mod after another into what can only be described as a super clean and well sorted A4 Avant.
As a reminder to readers, we are always looking for Audis that include either very clean and well-done mods or extremely unique enhancements. Please e-mail us if you are interested.
Owner Information
Vehicle Information
Modifications
Featured Car Questions
When and where did you purchase this car?
Why did you choose this car as the basis of your project?
Was there anything unique about the car before you starting modifying it?
What was your objective with this project?
After seeing his car the idea was to make mine as clean, tasteful and sexy as possible while still being subtle. I wanted my Avant to look in such a way that when you see it and walk past it you stop and look back at it and you can't figure out what it is that you are drawn to. I glance back at least once after I park the car and walk away from it.
What companies or individuals were involved in the built-out?
Matrix Integrated in Portland has been a great shop to deal with. They helped trailer my car to their shop when my OEM clutch died at a track event and put in the new clutch, Stasis high bias differential and Stasis front and rear brakes...Incredible service and just great people to deal with.
In terms of performance Bltizkrieg Autowerks is the shop that designed and built the GT3076 turbo setup and 1.9L engine that now lives in the Avant.
Any specific technical details you can share?
The bottom end of the engine has been replaced with a rebuilt bottom end that contains forged Pauter rods, custom cut 83.0mm 9.25:1 CR forged JE Pistons with coated skirts and coated main and rod bearings. The oversized pistons increase the displacement of the engine from 1.8L to 1.9L
What was the most difficult part of the project to get right?
If you had to do it all over again what would you change?
Have you generated any formal test results with this car (dyno, 1/4 mile, etc?)
We took the new turbo setup to the dyno and the very next day the clutch failed. That dyno data is now useless as we do not know if the clutch was slipping during the dyno runs. When the clutch gets replaced and broken in we'll take the car back to the dyno.
Are you finished – what’s next?
Is this your daily driver, and if not what else is in your garage?
What is your favorite thing about this car?
As modified, what makes your car unique?
Where can other enthusiasts see your car?
Anything else you’d like to share?
Well I never thought it would be a 'project' car as I thought the form I purchased it in was everything I wanted it to be. I attended a local Audi owner meet and when I saw the other beautifully modified Audis there my Avant just wasn't as beautiful anymore. So the modding began.
One evening I was driving to Whistler in my Explorer and I lost control on the snow covered road and spun into a ditch. After that experience I questioned the ability of the SUV to make it to the mountain and back safely and being an avid snowboard this was a problem. I did consider a Subaru at the time and did not consider buying an Audi until my friend showed me just how hard it was to lose control in the snow in his A6. Then seeing the beautiful Avant sealed my decision.
When I first bought the car it was everything I wanted it to be. I didn't know the possibilities until I attended that fateful first local Audi meet. I saw one car that became the primary inspiration for my build, it was a Denim Blue Avant owned by my friend Stephane (username is Avanteix).
For the exterior my friend who owns George's Body Shop is the only person I trust with the paint and bodywork on the Avant. There were many things I wanted to do that he talked me out of since he knew what my end goals were visually.
The turbo has been upgraded to a Garrett GT3076 ball bearing turbocharger. Blitzkrieg Autowerks hand made the tubular exhaust manifold, front mount intercooler, cold air intake, and 3" downpipe which contains a 200 cell high flow catalytic which is flanged to mate up with the rear resonators and mufflers from my Milltek exhaust.
The toughest part to get right was the stance of the car. With the stance it was a compromise between handling and looks as an equal stance on all four corners doesn't necessarily mean a properly balanced car for the track. Being as particular as I am with how I wanted the car to look when parked or in motion this took a lot of time to get right and the shop who had corner balancing scales did have a lot of patience with me.
I would have peered into my crystal ball, seen that the RS4 was coming and bought that instead of mega-modifying my car. But too bad the RS4 didn't come as an Avant over here or I'd be first in line for one.
I have dyno charts posted for my various upgrade stages when I had the K03 and K04 turbos to show people the benefit of each piece of the puzzle. The K04 setup I had registered 169whp on a Dyno Dynamics unit.
The next major project will be changing out the throttle body with a larger unit and replacing the stock intake manifold with a better unit.
The Avant is my daily driver but I still have my old Ford Explorer in the driveway.
My favorite part of the car has got to be the S4 Recaros I have transplanted inside. I was lucky enough to find a complete set in black leather for sale in LA and did a non stop 20 hour drive to go buy them and have them installed. Driving to LA was agony as the stock seats are horrible and offered no support. On the way home I was in heaven and for a guy that drives as much as I do the seats are a blessing.
The attention to detail I have in regards to the lines of the car, how it flows and the small accents that pull it all together. A lot of time was spent to make sure everything fits tight as the eye can spot a flaw from a distance.
There are lots of pictures of it posted online at Audiworld and Audizine. In person you can see the car at most of the Audi show events in the Pacific Northwest and try to go to as many track events I can fit into my schedule. I'll even drive to Nevada to participate in the track events they have out there.
I don't have the mod virus. I have mod cancer. I'm doomed.
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