Feature Car: Audizine Avant

As the founder and owner of Audizine.com, one of the largest Audi discussion forums on the web, Anthony Marino has had his fair share of well-specced Audi automobiles in his possession. Among his favorites is this pristine 1995 Audi S6 Avant – something he’d sought to own for a very long time, built to his fantasy specification and has enjoyed for over a decade.

Anthony’s journey with this car began back in January of 1998, acquiring the S6 from a couple in Davis, California and becoming its third owner. The car was highly desirable, silver over black sport cloth with carbon fiber dash trim. He bought the car figuring it would be a keeper, and also his daily driver at the time.

Even in 2008, a well-maintained S6 Avant was hard to find. The car had been out of production for over a decade, and in that time so many had been modified, driven hard and put away wet. Finding a clean one was a challenge, and here he’d managed that first step with relative ease. The next question was just how to modify the silver Avant. As he considered the build, he figured it wouldn’t just be the oldest Audi he’d ever owned, but perhaps the fastest as well.

His first modifications were a set of European bumpers. Back in 1995, Europe had different bumper requirements, allowing those home market cars to have a smaller bumper design that was often a more sought-after appearance. Anthony sourced a set and had them painted and installed by longtime friend George Freitas. While they were at it, they also color-matched the black plastic lower bumper segments and side skirts for a look more consistent with modern Audi models.

Wheels are always a key part to any build, and here Anthony knew exactly what he wanted. He’d been dreaming about a set of RH ZW4 Cuprad wheels and moved to source a set in 18×8.5-inch size from GMP Performance. The wheels’ design harked Porsche Cup wheels from the 993 911 era, adding some OEM plus flare with a hat tip to the Audi x Porsche theme embraced by the Audi RS2 sold in the same year as his S6 Avant. He shod those wheels with a set of 225-40-18 Pirelli P Zero Nero tires.

With the visual upgrades locked down, Anthony next moved to overhaul the suspension. For this he sent the car to 034Motorsport where a set of 2Bennett coilovers were added, including their “Revolution” camber caster adjustment system.

After a year or two of just getting to know the car with its stock engine and power, he finally gave in to the tuning devils on his shoulder over at 034Motorsport and dove into a significant power upgrade. It all began with a 3-inch 034-built exhaust including high-flow cat meant to unlock a few horsepowers and decibels. One change begets another though, and this led to installation of 034Motorsport’s full GT3071 turbo kit, ECU tune and front-mounted intercooler.

With great power comes great responsibility and also the need for improved braking. For that Anthony decided upon an AP Racing Big Brake kit and pattern-matched rear rotors from Adam’s Rotors. Finally, the last upgrade was a more capable clutch kit from Spec Clutch, and he paired that with an aluminum flywheel from 034Motorsport.

That was all circa 2010, and for the most part he was done… mostly. Ownership of a car like this means you still find things to do over the years as you enjoy it. Later minor upgrades have included things like clear corner markers, a center console-mounted boost gauge, a short shift kit and a billet shift knob from JH Motorsports.

The resulting S6 Avant you see here has been living an interesting role. Quite obviously, the car fulfilled Anthony’s fantasy as the vintage Audi he’d always wanted to own, built in a way he’d always wanted to build it. He documented the car on the Audizine forums, and when Anthony described it as the Audizine “Hero Car” we felt that label really seemed appropriate.

In a lot of ways, the S6 seems a fitting embodiment of the position the Audizine website has enjoyed in the Audi owner community. Both are of an era at Audi when the brand had a smaller and more intimate following – a quality product designed and created in a simpler time. Both have staying power, created as they were with the support of a community. Whether it’s the site or the car, each resonate with so many because they are rooted so deeply in the DNA that is Audi passion. Thanks to Anthony for sharing his car with us for this story, and also for sharing his website with the community.