AudiWorld flogs the 535HP MTM RS4 Clubsport
Messing with perfection is a tough trade, but for the world-renowned Audi tuners at MTM, it's another day at the office. Based out of Wettstetten, a suburb of Ingolstadt, and headed by an ex-Audi engineer who took part in the development of the quad-ring's turbo'd five-cylinder engines of the '80s, MTM has a hard-earned reputation for being the best in the biz, and they're not letting that rep subside.
Their newest creation is tasked with pushing the performance envelope of Audi's most hardcore grocery-getter, the RS4. By strapping a liquid-to-air intercooled, Lysolm-type supercharger onto the 4.2-liter V8, the MTM RS4 Clubsport can surge to sixty in under four seconds. How's that possible? A strict diet and a motor able to produce 535 HP and 428 ft.-lb. of torque – all on the stock internals.
Naturally, power is only part of the equation, as the RS4 Clubsport hits up WeightWatchers to drop 350 pounds off the car's curb weight, even with the addition of safety equipment and larger brakes. Other necessary mods include a revised suspension and the awkward carbon fiber power bulge that makes room for the supercharger beneath the hood.
AudiWorld has a full review of MTM's RS4 Clubsport, with tons of technical details about the car, the company and the facility in which it's being developed. It's well worth the read.
Oh, and since the RS4 and the R8 share the same engine, the supercharger development on the 4.2-liter V8 is serving as a test bed for a 500+ HP R8. When that comes out, we hope that we can live vicariously through AudiWorld again.
[Source: AudiWorld]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
F451 12:26PM (6/09/2007)
What is that eBay looking "thing" on the hood? Is it magnetic so I can easily impress my friends whenever I want to? Oooooooh, it a hood scoop. LOL, and very tacky.
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ruggels 1:16PM (6/09/2007)
yeah loose the cf bulge, or paint it the color of the rs4, and i'm sold. come to think of it, 350 lbs less then normal and 115 more hp and lots more torque... i'm sold already... well that and the sub four second quarter mile and typical attention to handling the RS4 natively connotes.
Now... MTM needs to do the same to the R8!
zeroSignal 1:31PM (6/09/2007)
Tacky it might be, but it's functional, and in reality - that's all that matters.
Awesome car too. I really really really want one. :)
Lucas 3:30PM (6/09/2007)
...what Audi is that? All I see is that VENTURI Race car! Meow.
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Rob Poitras 1:24PM (6/09/2007)
From the looks of this picture:
http://www.audiworld.com/news/07/mtm-supercharged-rs4/MTM047.jpg
The supercharger needs more clearance.
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F451 1:39PM (6/09/2007)
I too love the car, but the hood adornment needs some major refinement, if not integration, as to not degrade what is already a refined automobile. Doest not one thinketh?
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mxrz 4:20PM (6/09/2007)
It's work in progress, no one said the final product will look like that. Some people need to take the time to read the article, instead of posting stupid comments. Regardless, if it needs to be there, so be it. MTM doesn't do ricer bling.
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F451 4:37PM (6/09/2007)
I would have never released this work-in-progress if I were known for OEM spec fit-and-finish. The ricer graphics on the side, and back are most appealing. MTM shouldn't have to advertise in such a tacky fashion...they don't need to.
Pouya 5:26PM (6/09/2007)
Mxrz, I respectfully disagree on a few points. I agree with F451, that carbon fiber bulge is ugly and lazy . . .and may be permanent. There are so many better hoods designs than what looks like an ebay hood bulge double-taped to the hood (which I actually think is closer to "ricer bling" than not). Your contention that MTM's design is acceptable, because it needs to be there is too generous. Although the bulge is a sufficient solution to clearance issues, it is not necessary, and thus they could have come up with some other (better) solution. Using your rationale, I should also support the use of tacky incredibly large wings as long as "it needs to be there."
In addition, since the article has made no reference to the hood bulge being temporary specifically, and only make a general comment about it being a work in progress, you are merely speculating that it may not be on the final product. The fact that MTM went out of its way to put lines through the bulge and make it (or wrap it) in carbon fiber points to the fact that they put more time into it than you would think, and accordingly, it may end up on the finished product. Either way, the bulge takes away from some of the nice work MTM has done to the car, thus, I think it is a bad business decision.
On another note, wow, 350 lbs reduction is a lot, but the car still weighs 3650 lbs! And that is with a V8 that is actually very light (lighter than the new BMW M3 V8). It would be great if MTM could get he car down to 3300lbs. Anyone know how much weight could be saved by getting rid of the AWD and some more of the luxury amenities?
mxrz 6:09PM (6/09/2007)
MTM already made a full carbon fiber hood for the B7 RS4, so it's safe to assume a modified hood will be available for the supercharger application, once it's finished. The vehicle pictured here is an in-house test car slash press loaner, so the tacky graphic on the side is understandable, it's a rolling advertisement, and commenting on these two most irrelevant things is silly, the real story is the performance and reliability MTM is known for.
Also, I don't think getting rid of quattro is something an Audi tuner would even consider. That's one of the main attractions, and strengths of the RS4. The next M3 won't be a featherweight either.
col337 7:35PM (6/09/2007)
Pouya, there is no V8 that is lighter than the new M3's V8. And the Audi's is bigger.
And I wish it were a turbo or two instead of a supercharger.
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Barney 12:07AM (6/10/2007)
I can't believe the comments about some stupid hood modification as if the rest is not relevant. A blog of supposed gear-heads couldn't care less that the MTM people could shed 350 lbs off the car and get 535 Hp from a stock car. They talk about why room had to be made in the hood for a turbocharger but not the turbocharger itself.
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F451 4:42AM (6/10/2007)
Gear-heads drive Corvettes and Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 trucks while chewing snuff, and raving about Nascar. I prefer to be an enthusiast where both style, and performance go hand-in-hand. After all, it is the twenty-first century.
Barney 11:19AM (6/10/2007)
F451, the major concern seems to be looks over function. The guys raving over NASCAR are not making comments about how pretty the winning car was. I am an enthusiast where the priority is how well it runs first and cosmetics next.
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F451 1:39PM (6/10/2007)
Barney, point well taken.
ruggels 2:52PM (6/10/2007)
While that may be your priority, simply taking a gander at cars like the R8 and TT would indicate that audi, of all car brands, spends a significant amount of time focusing on design, if not as much as they do on function. Lambasting people enthusiastic about the audi brand for focusing equally or more so on design, a key element that has made audi what it is today (go find an audi review which doesn't mention interior design and i'll send u a cookie) is a bit harsh.
Pouya 9:52PM (6/10/2007)
Barney, your comments are merely supporting my assertion that whether the bulge is temporary or permanent, "[it] takes away from some of the nice work MTM has done to the car, thus, I think it is a bad business decision." I do appreciate the weight reduction and the bump in power, but I cannot ignore the pink elephant in the living room. There are a lot of tuners that can shave hundreds of pounds off a heavy luxury car (much easier than on already stripped down cars like a Lotus Exige or Ferrari Challenge Stradale) and increase power on a V8 by forced induction (much easier than increasing power without forced induction). Please note, I am not sitting here as an armchair general or a Monday morning quarterback, I own a business that specializes in weight reduction, aerodynamics, and tuning. From my experience, weight reduction and an increase in power is not the most difficult part and, as a result, not all that impressive. What is impressive is doing it in a refined and reliable manner that complements the car. Doing it in a way where you can make something functional look beautiful. From Formula 1 cars to road cars, you can find evidence of absolutely gorgeous designs – some with no evidence of compromising pure functionality. That not only takes clever engineer, but also creativity and good taste. Aesthetics does not have to trump functionality, but it also should not be treadted as if they are mutually exclusive and, accordingly, should not go ignored. To suggest that anyone with this standard is not a gearhead is grossly inaccurate. In my opinion, there is nothing clever, beautiful, nor creative about an uncomplimentary bulge that looks like it was sourced from eBay. A poor design made/wrapped in carbon fiber is still a poor design . . .just made/wrapped in carbon fiber.
Barney 10:16PM (6/10/2007)
Perhaps Pouya, they'll deal with it when the time comes. I'm sure MTM is not sleeping on this one. The main goal(s) was achieved and the cosmetics will follow. It's bot like they have a reputation of spoiling cars. My post was based on the observation that many posts were degrading the work in progress because MTM had used an aftermarket part to accomodate the blower and few remarks about the achievment.
Barney 6:23PM (6/10/2007)
I agree with you Ruggels that Audi does make fantastic eye-candy and great engineering but this is a case where other engineers tricked out Audi's work. They stripped the body of excess weight and increased the HP. Those two items are what's marvelous and the fact they had to modify a hood is trivial. The hood may not meet Audi standards but the other two mods exceeded it and that is the marvel.
ruggels 8:20PM (6/10/2007)
Oh, I totally concur, I was just defending the argument for aesthetics when discussing tuned audis.