By: Brad Kordwitz, photos by Nicholas Flom
Blurring the line between show car and race car is the space Nick Flom’s RS 3 occupies in the motoring universe. This wide-body TCR-inspired RS is sheer amazement to see out on the road and not on a racecourse. Judging by the owner’s love of DTM and ALMS, it’s no shock how he arrived at this very unique RS 3 roaming the streets and racetracks. A cyber security consulting engineer from Virginia, Nick is no stranger to taking a vehicle through the modification process. Still, this RS 3 is his first Audi, and he’s given it the all-in build treatment.
Nick took delivery of this 2018 Mythos Black RS 3 from a dealership in Arizona in 2019. It was already fitted with all of APR’s Stage 2 hardware tuned on 91-octane fuel. Once in his possession, he modified the tune for 85 octane, lowered it and added a set of aftermarket wheels… all within the first month. His original vision was to pursue a moreOEM–plus build, but a track-cross event only a month later changed the trajectory. A friend asked him during the invite for the track-cross, “How about you bring that out, and see how it does?”
Nick obliged and was hooked, but even he would admit he didn’t expect the car to eventually be at the level it is now. That came down to vision, plus a little luck in sourcing the most visual parts.
A big part in any build is having a clear goal. Nick’s end game, as he puts it, was Audi’s RS 3 TCR race car. With this for inspiration, he treated the RS to a set of Clinched universal fender flares, which were then molded to match the car. However, a Facebook marketplace ad would soon render those original flares a waste of time.
Nick’s motto is “buy once cry once.” In other words, do it right, and be satisfied. Bulgarian firm MComposit makes a carbon RS 3 TCR replica body panel kit for the road car. When he reached out, he quickly found out the kit was priced well beyond what he was willing to spend. Fast-forward about two years and with a stroke of luck a local friend spotted a MComposit kit posted for sale in a Facebook group. The kit was for sale in northern New Jersey by an owner who was moving back to his home country and never had a chance to install it. He messaged the seller immediately and paid his full asking price, which was about a third of the original cost.
Even with a clear vision, you normally need a great team to help. Enter Vincente from Extraordinaries Customs & Collision in Sterling, VA, who performed virtually all of the work on the Flom Motorsports project, including installing that wide-body kit. Given a self-imposed deadline of about three months to be ready for the Dubs at the Gap event in Maryland, the “race” was on.
Vincente and his crew worked their magic, and the results came out to better than factory fit. Beyond the flares and massive front end, the car wears a TCR trunk and rear wing setup. A single headlight resides up front, the other being replaced by an Eventuri carbon race intake duct.
The exterior only tells half the story, because the upgrades to the interior and mechanicals are equally race car cool. The interior features both eye candy and safety necessities. Driver and passenger are greeted by a pair of Sparco EVO L QRT seats wearing Sparco six-point harnesses. Piper Motorsports provided the four-point chromoly roll bar that takes up the space once reserved for rear passengers. From the B-pillars back the car has been gutted. Nick plans to bring the cage forward in the future for a full six-point structure, replace the Sparcos with carbon shells and add a full fire suppression system, just in case things turn for the worse.
Nick’s RS 3 differs from the RS 3 TCR from Audi Sport customer racing in a very significant way. Per the FIA’s rules for its TCR class, the RS 3 LMS race car comes with the EA888 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive. Nick’s RS 3 obviously retains its DAZA 5-cylinder turbocharged engine and Haldex all-wheel drive system. A healthy list of additional bolt-ons and add-ons is extensive enough to achieve about 500+hp.
Because the RS 3 resides in Virginia, Nick is fortunate to have a full cast of Audi performance players in his backyard. New German Performance is no stranger to big builds and has a vast wealth of knowledge to help direct expectations. They were responsible for most of the mechanical work done on the car. The engine features bolt-ons from APR, Iroz and 034Motorsport, with much more to be thrown at it soon. On that list are a set of JE forged pistons, Boostline rods, 1300 injectors from Injector Dynamic and a Garrett GTX3582R hybrid turbo from Silly Rabbit Motorsports. The exhaust is highlighted by a custom titanium center-exit exhaust, APR downpipe and Milltek midpipe. Eleven-inch-wide Forgeline GW3R wheels currently wear sticky Toyo R888R rubber in 295/30-18 proportions.
For chassis mounts and suspension components, virtually the entire 034Motorsport RS 3 catalog has been thrown at the car. Quality is second to none with 034Motorsport, and Nick proudly entered a partnership with the California firm during the build process. A set of 510 coilovers from Fortune Auto are responsible for soaking up the bends as well as keeping the power down. Terry from Fortune Auto also used Nick’s RS 3 as the development car for their 8V A3/S3/RS 3 suspension lineup.
During one of the car’s first HPDE events, Nick discovered the need to upgrade the brakes as well, replacing the RS 3’s factory Brembos. In the spirit of “Buy Once, Cry Once,” he opted for the Essex Parts’ Radi-CAL competition kit. It features 372 mm two-piece rotors and AP Racing Pro 5000R calipers. Again, 034Motorsport was the go-to for the rear setup, featuring a 350 mm two-piece rotor. Fluid is track-stable Motul RBF 600, with Ferodo pads rounding out the setup.
Everything going on with this unique RS 3 begs the question: what could possibly be next? Nick shares that it’s only about a third to halfway complete. There’s an ECU tune waiting to go in from Dyno Spectrum to get all the extra ponies out of the internals. The drivetrain will also get some love from an Iroz flywheel, DEKA 1400 clutch and a Wavetrac limited slip differential that should further transform this road course-focused car.
Further wishlist parts include Verkline front and rear subframes and a set of air jacks to make raising the car less stressful. Combined with the aforementioned carbon fiber seats, completing the MComposit lightweight treatment with their carbon doors and roof will help Nick realize his goal to keep the car around 3000 pounds once everything is in. Ultimately, the goal is to have a fully streetable race car that augments the TCR formula so much further than it already is. Even now without the remaining planned upgrades, we think he may have done it.
One last part of the story of this RS is Nick’s wife Lauren who supports all his endeavors through his career and racing events. As the RS 3 moves through the build-up process, the pair seems to have a track monster that doubles as a top Audi show winner wherever it goes. If Nick and Lauren are the representation of the passion of Audi enthusiasts, then the future is very bright and very fast for the four rings
Nick Flom cyber security consulting engineer, located Virginia.
2018 Audi RS3 Mythos Black
EXTERIOR:
- MComposit LMS TCR widebody
- Eventuri carbon headlight
- TCR trunk and rear wing
INTERIOR:
- Piper Motorsport custom 4 point weld in chromoly roll bar
- Sparco EVO L QRT seats w/Sparco 6 point harnesses
- Premium Deutsch Carbon, carbon fiber center console cover
- B-pillar back stripped
- Innovate Motorsports ECB-1 ethanol gauge
Engine:
- APR carbon fiber intake
- APR turbo inlet elbow
- APR front mount intercooler
- APR Stage 2 E85 ECU tune
- APR TCU tune
- 034Motorsport TrackSport engine mounts
- 034Motorsport spherical dogbone mount with upper and lower mount inserts
- 034Motorsport intake inlet pipe heat shield
- 034Motorsport DSG catch can
- Iroz engine catch can
- Vargas Turbo Tuning intercooler piping
Exhaust:
- APR cat-less down pipe
- Milltek cat-less mid pipes
- Custom titanium exhaust with single center exit
Suspension:
- 034Motorsport spherical rear sway bar end links
- 034Motorsport rear upper control arms.
- 034Motorsport spherical rear trailing arms
- 034Motorsport spherical rear toe arms
- 034Motorsport front subframe locking collar kit
- 034Motorsport rear subframe locking collar kit.
- 034Motorsport rear strut mounts
- 034Motorsport Dynamic+ RCO – camber & roll center adjusting ball joints.
- ECS Tuning rear subframe inserts.
- H&R front and rear sway bars
- Ultra-Racing front upper strut tower brace
- Fortune Auto 510 coil overs
Wheels and Tires:
- Forgeline GW3R (18×11.5)
- Toyo R888R 295/30/18
Brakes:
- Essex Parts Radi-CAL competition brake kit, 372mm, two-piece rotors with AP Racing Pro 5000R calipers
- Ferodo DS2500 brake pads
- 034 Motorsport 2-Piece floating rear brake rotor, 350mm
- Motul RBF 600 brake fluid
