On the cool side of things, an RS2 airbox and airmass sensor allow for augmented intake capabilities. Once compressed, the intake charge passes through a RS2 front-mount intercooler; the plastic factory plumbing has been replaced with stainless pipes fabricated by Bennett. A hand-ported 20-valve head works its top-end magic according to 2B's use of custom-ground cams and specially made valve stems and guides. Fuel enrichment and ignition duties are masterminded by one of two Bennett-hacked ECUs. For everyday driving, fuel and ignition maps are scaled back, and boost runs about 21 psi to produce somewhere close to 325 bhp, a conservative estimate according to 2B. For club or track events, or gross displays of all-wheel tire-smoking madness, 2B plugs in the "big ECU" for advanced, aggressive fuel and ignition curves and an additional 4 psi of boost. 2 Bennett claims these advanced properties, along with a little high-octane race fuel sloshing around in the tank, are good for at least another 100 bhp.
The factory transmission and drivetrain have been unaltered, other than a Sachs clutch assembly with a special 2B street disc for maximum streetable grip without painful actuation and disengagement. Ken Bennett, one half of the 2B tuning equation, stated that Audi production drivetrain components are not far removed from their race-proven counterparts; in fact, he believes the older the car the stronger the parts. Therefore, the drivetrain remains unaltered.
The suspension has been screwed down using 2 Bennett's own 2B Coil Program upgrade, a height-adjustable coilover conversion with externally adjustable Koni shocks. The brakes have been upgraded using big, slotted 330mm 2B rotors and Brembo four-piston calipers.
Possibly one of this car's best features is its understated exterior. Unless you live, breathe, eat and shit Audi, the car is aesthetically unremarkable, other than the meaty, 8x18-in. HRE wheels and Pirelli P7000 rubber at the corners. In fact, the car does remain mostly stock Coupe from the mirrors back; the front end has seen a bit more work. An RS2 bumper and headlight conversion are the first hints of what may lurk beneath, but only to the eclectic European enthusiast or the average Audi geek on the street. RS2 mirrors, mounted on 2B mirror mounts, continue the theme. Clear turn signals on the corners and a late-model B4 hood wrap up the forward modifications.
Interior treatments on the Coupe were kept even simpler. The factory instrument panel was changed over to the white-face look using an S2 cluster. Three auxiliary gauges were installed in the passenger's dash; AutoMeter Phantom series meters read boost, fuel pressure and air-fuel ratio. A Sparco three-spoke tiller replaces the factory wheel, and Sparco harnesses anchor driver and passenger in stock leather bucket seats.
Vehicles like this Coupe are what performance street vehicles should be-faster than all hell, but you'd never know just by looking at it. 2 Bennett Audimotive deserves credit for producing one mean, clean package that will get the job done, whatever is asked of it, whether it's a night out on the town or a tough day of chewing up the track. This project also serves to spotlight the latent quality inherent in an automotive marque like Audi, where power, and elegant application thereof, are not new concepts in the company's repertoire. Such attributes have been built into the cars all along. Sometimes it just takes a little wrenching to get them to really stand out.