B6 Audi A4 With a Gated Manual Transmission Is All About the Love of Driving

B6 Audi A4 With a Gated Manual Transmission

One upgrade was all it took to make this B6 Audi A4 exponentially more fun and satisfying to drive on a regular basis.

Gated manual transmissions have always been what many enthusiasts consider to be the perfect way to shift gears in a sports car, largely thanks to the way they feel and sound, with a satisfying “click” every time one fires off said gear change. Unfortunately, however, gated manuals have largely been relegated to exotics and expensive vehicles that have only risen in value in recent years as these gearboxes become more and more sought after and popular as automakers move away from manuals in general. Regardless, enthusiasts such as the owner of this amazing B6 Audi A4 can simply resort to making a satisfying machine themselves.

That’s precisely the case here, as we can see in this video from Auditography, and this particular B6 Audi A4 is no show queen – in fact, it has a whopping 415,000 kilometers or nearly 258,000 miles on the clock. However, one would be hard-pressed to tell by looking at it, because the car’s Denim Blue Metalic paint and iconic Bauhaus styling – inspired by the TT – still looks amazing, and in this case, has been enhanced with the addition of an S4 body kit and 19-inch VMS wheels.

B6 Audi A4 With a Gated Manual Transmission

The owner left this car’s original 3.0-liter V6 alone, which means that it churns out a mere 220 horsepower – but thanks to a custom exhaust, it certainly sounds the business. Leaving the powertrain stock also likely helps with its longevity, at least, and with a gated manual behind it, there’s no denying that this B6 Audi A4 is a hoot to drive even with that modest amount of power underhood – this much is clear watching its owner slide around in the snow.

Otherwise, this A4 was left mostly alone, save for the addition of an iPad inside the cabin that doubles as a makeshift infotainment screen and navigation system. With so many miles on the clock, one might expect to see a lot of wear here, but that simply isn’t the case – this car has been lovingly cared for over the years, that much is for certain. It’s clear that the main focus of this concoction was to make this Audi more enjoyable to drive, and with the addition of one component, its owner accomplished that goal and managed to build one of the coolest A4s out there.

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Craziest Aero Ever!?! Here’s Two Giant Wings with an Audi S4 Attached to Them

S4 Audi

This Audi S4 is the result of what happens when you exploit a rulebook that allows unlimited aero mods.

Racers are a unique breed. Racers who look to take advantage of the rule book are even better. Audi, as a corporation, did that with their Quattro, and dominated the World Rally Championship. On a more localized level, JXB performance is looking to dominate the King of the Mountain autocross championship.

The idea came about when the JBX crew was at UMI Motorsports Park’s TeamCross event. In that event, this S4 did good and their performance earned them a spot in the KOTM event. But they wanted to dominate. Some serious mods have already been performed on the car by this time, including an S7 engine, with RS7 turbos, too. It’s the first 4.0T swapped S4 in the US based on what the team could find, and the only one paired with the car’s factory manual transmission. JXB also made a host of suspension components to really give the S4 the tarmac bit that it deserves.

However, a 10-hour drive home from the event offered ample time to think of new ways to go fast. Jay Bullington, the owner of the car and one of the team drivers wondered a simple theory; “How fast do we need to go in order to win with a cone?” In essence, they wanted a car fast enough that even with a penalty for tipping a cone, they could still emerge victorious.

Hilary, a team member opened up the rulebook and discovered that the class wasn’t really restrictive, and had next to no rules at all when it came to limitations on aero devices. At first they thought of putting on a front wing. But when real thought was given, why not add more wings? Why not put a total of 10 elements on the car? Five in the front, and a matching number in the rear.

Craziest Aero Ever!?! Here's Two Giant Wings with an Audi S4 Attached to Them

Craziest Aero Ever!?! Here's Two Giant Wings with an Audi S4 Attached to Them

It’s a lot of wing, but Formula SAE cars do something similar. And autocross speeds are lower so stall speed and drag aren’t that big of a factor. Best part is JXB Performance didn’t buy off-the-shelf units for this. They made all of the aero. Foam was laser cut, and then carbon fiber was laid by hand for each element.

Will it work? That’s to be determined. One quote from their Facebook page sums it up; “We went from reading the rulebook to final product in less than 6 weeks, so there wasn’t much time to do anything but read a few formula SAE papers and take a stab at it.”

Craziest Aero Ever!?! Here's Two Giant Wings with an Audi S4 Attached to Them

We’ll be keeping an eye out for the results to see how they finish.

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