In June of 2010, I decided that I needed a car to drive every day that wasn’t my racecar. Unable to accept simple econobox transport as an alternative to superior German innovation, I decided to substitute it for…more superior German innovation!
The Swap
To me, anything worth doing is worth doing differently, I purchased the car for a song since its engine was blown, and scored another Audi with a somewhat similar donor engine in exchange for installing aftermarket parts on a friend’s car. I took two and made one; this involved many custom fabricated bits and pieces to shoehorn the new motor into a car that had been farm-field-ridden for upwards of a decade. The result was a turbocharged inline 5-cylinder all-wheel-drive monster that oozes originality.
I completed the swap in four months without any prior knowledge of the chassis, even sidelened for a few weeks after a filthy appendix rupture. Below is a video of the car’s maiden voyage.
The car continues to impress, especially in snow, where it’s revolutionary (in 1987) all-wheel-drive system makes quick work of any loose surface presented. Obligitory video of some sideways shenanagans is included below.