The Audacious Automotive IV is a wild new Audi Quattro tribute that packs a 10,000rpm V8 engine capable of propelling the restomod to a claimed 200mph.
The IV merges the underpinnings from the B7-generation Audi RS4 (2006-2008) with the look of the short-wheelbase Quattro. Buyers can even opt to use an original Quattro shell – though Audacious founder Mac Zaglewski previously told Autocar that pristine donor vehicles are avoided and that his intention is to give tired cars a new lease on life.
Alternatively, buyers can opt for carbonfibre bodywork, which does not require a donor. Audacious expects these cars to comprise around 80% of the total production run.
Although the Quattro was defined by its five-cylinder engine, the V8-powered RS4 was chosen as the basis of Audacious’s new car because it offers a suitable blend of modern refinement and analogue engagement. Zaglewski said the car must be “very much usable, very much enjoyable and very much analogue”.
This stipulation also ruled out the using the current RS3 – which has a 2.5-litre five-pot – because that would have precluded the installation of a manual gearbox. Zaglewski also said the current RS3 is less rigid than the B7-gen RS4, with suspension that is “nowhere near as good”. In addition, the RS3's Haldex differential means its four-wheel drive system has a front-biased power delivery, whereas the RS4’s Torsen set-up gives it a rear bias.
To that end, Audacious has now confirmed that four engine specifications will be offered. The entry-level option bolts a supercharger to the RS4’s 4.2-litre V8 for an output of 600bhp, while the Stage Two package brings strengthened internals, cooling and fuelling systems to net 750bhp. The “most ambitious expression” of the powerplant will rev to 10,000rpm, with the choice to omit the supercharger altogether if a buyer wishes. All are mated to the RS4’s original six-speed manual gearbox.
Audacious is targeting weight figures of 1400-1450kg for cars built from Quattro shells, or 1200kg for those made from carbonfibre.
The bodywork is inspired by the Group B rally version of the Quattro, though some details are reminiscent of the IMSA GTO racing version of its replacement, the 90. Notably, it does not wear Audi badges but those of Audacious's own design.
Inside, the IV has been overhauled to more closely resemble the brutalist look of the Quattro, with a dashboard, instruments and switchgear that are entirely new, and the RS4’s digital kit has been removed. However, it retains the RS4’s signature ‘wingback’ seats with electronic controls.
