The noise and motion in this clip of a 2018 Audi RS3, juiced with a whole bunch of prototype modifications from upgrader APR, is so fierce and fun looking that it’s giving me goosebumps.
A “frisson,” I learned, is what I’m experiencing. As in “a frisson of excitement” according to Google.
Now when Vin Diesel used the phrase “ten seconds or less” to describe a quarter mile race in a 2001 movie, the general public unfamiliar with drag racing may have started thinking that such speeds were normal. No, non-car people, doing the 1320 (more drag slang for you) in single-digit seconds is freaking pants-ruiningly fast and most daily driver road cars couldn’t come close to such a pace.
Ever since my drag strip experience in the 2018 Dodge Demon, I’ve held and elevated respect for quarter mile racers and the extreme mental stress a nine-second car is capable of assaulting its driver with. This RS3 looks scarifun.
In 2017, Motor Trend said this Audi could lay down a quarter mile time of just over 12 seconds without any upgrades. Now, German car tuning outfit APR says it’s effectively shaved a whopping two seconds off that by adding some parts of its own while continuing to claim the car is an “excellent daily driver.”
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I’m not sure about that last part, but here’s the list of things that had been done to the car:
APR ECU & TCU Upgrades with E85
- TTE625 Drop-in Stock-Housing Turbo
- Intake System
- Straight-Pipe/Dump Tube Exhaust System
- Intercooler System
- Fueling System
- 18×8.5 Wheels
- 245x40R18 Hoosier Drag Radials
- Seats Removed
The car is owned by somebody named Keith Brantley, who apparently has had a relationship with APR for some time (you can watch a similar video of him doing a drag run in an RS7 last year if you want). I’m not sure if a professional or experienced drag driver is at the wheel of the car while the video’s being shot or not, but the best time clocked was a 9.83 second run. And it looks like it was a clear, clean day at Montgomery Motorsport Park in Alabama.
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APR has stated that the parts on this car are prototypes and “proof of concepts” meaning that it’s testing some stuff out to see how much power it makes and whether or not it will be profitable enough for the company to bother making. I’m sure if RS3 owners see this post and call or email them, that’ll increase the odds of these things going to market.
In the meantime, I’d just be happy if APR lets me drive it.
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