Claims of a powerful 530-bhp 1.8T running loose on the highways of New Hampshire were treated with skepticism. Such grandiose numbers are, in our experience, often just overexcited conjecture, and let's face it: New Hampshire is rarely associated with high-performance automobiles.
However, a certain name was dropped-Dahlback-and this compelled me to fly east and check out what I discovered was indeed a very overachieving Audi A4.
Dahlback, a Swedish firm, is one of the hottest names in European tuning, and it's coming to North America through the efforts of Randy Makee and Tim McLean at TJM Motorsport, sole importer and distributor. How this A4 got the Dahlback treatment involves a tale of highly built, and also quickly blown, engines. The search for the tuner with the expertise to set things right eventually led McLean to Hans Dahlback, whose shop supplied the engine hardware.
Unfortunately, McLean had chosen to ignore Dahlback's suggestion that only Dahlback software be used. The result, only 50 miles later, was an orange-sized hole in the side of the block.
On the assumption that the third time's the charm, McLean flew to Sweden to meet Dahlback and to arrange for a full crate engine to be built with all of Dahlback's goodies. In the process, a deal was struck for TJM to become Dahlback's North American connection and technical center.
More of Hans Dahlback's craftsmanship will be seen next issue, when his 900-hp Golf RSI-basically a one-off race car under a carbon-fiber MkIV shell-competes in european car's berGolf Challenge.
This A4's 1.8T block was punched out to 2.0 liters with Dahlback-spec parts from the bottom end up. The rods are off-the-shelf parts, custom manufactured specifically for Dahlback Racing, and are guaranteed up to 9000 rpm and 900 bhp-as long as the engine management is tuned by Dahlback. Extensive headwork included attention to the water jackets, which were modified for better cooling. Of course, getting many of the details on the valvetrain specs or headwork was expectedly impossible, but suffice it to say that not a single part in the engine was left stock.
All external components used on McLean's race-ready engine also are inventoried Dahlback parts now carried by TJM, and most are derived from Audi or VW factory parts, not from aftermarket stock. Dahlback's previous involvement with Audi racing allows him to purchase surplus Audi and VW race equipment, which includes turbos, manifolds, fuel system components and even external wastegates used on older stock S and RS cars. This is the backbone of Dahlback's philosophy-using tried-and-true OEM or factory motorsport parts. Dahlback reasons that the OEMs have the resources and talent to bring high levels of quality to their engineering and racing programs, and they know most about such things as durability.
For the A4, a K26/27 hybrid turbo was selected and hung from a modified O.E. manifold featuring an Audi S2 external wastegate. Audi knew what it was doing with its early turbo cars-external wastegates are the key to massive horsepower. The exhaust system and downpipe were all fabricated for the application and feature a Dahlback 100-cell race cat similar to those used on rally cars and a straight-through-design muffler. On the pressurized side, the dump valve and intercooler were parts built specifically for Dahlback by his network of specialized European manufacturers. Piping was fabricated specifically for this application.
This combination of components was potent enough to make my alarm clock redundant when McLean pulled the A4 into the hotel parking lot-and I was on the other side of the building on the second floor. On the way to the shop, McLean explained how extensively modified his car had become.
With the engine back from Sweden, a full rebuild continued, utilizing every available part from Dahlback's list of goodies. First, McLean directly mated a late-model S2 six-speed transmission with a taller first gear, hooked to a custom shift linkage. For the amount of power anticipated, a twin-plate clutch-built to Dahlback specifications by Sachs-was installed along with a lightened flywheel made from steel, as that material is less prone to deform under extreme heat and stress.
The A4 was stripped of all amenities and rebuilt with an isolated fuel cell, fire suppression system, rollcage and relocated battery. The interior and sound deadening for the rear half of the car were completely stripped, the remaining area paneled off with sheet aluminum. The A/C and stereo were, of course, considered useless. Even the sunroof was replaced with a carbon-fiber panel.