words: Bill Cho, photos: Damon Young, Martin Kruk
Editor’s Note: With the announcement yesterday of Audi of America celebrating the final year of the TT RS, we decided to rerun this article. The article originally ran in the Q1_2021 issue of quattro Magazine. If you would like to subscribe to quattro Magazine, please join Audi Club here.
Every once in a while, something you saw as a kid ends up sticking with you into adulthood. For Ricky Goyal, that was the stealth fighter. When Ricky saw the initial concept sketches of the TT RS, he flashed back to those stealth fighters he dreamed about. As an adult, he went through a string of vehicles including a TT and an S3 but they didn’t quite fulfill his dreams until this TT RS flew into his life. Between the minimalistic interior, the aggressive exterior, and the fact that it was quicker than its cousin, the RS 3, Ricky saw the perfect basis on which to build his own stealth fighter.
When you look at this Audi, you are drawn to the go-fast parts that appear from every angle. Mounted on the rear is a lightweight ILR Carbon wing. While not exactly subtle, it flows perfectly with the lines of the TT RS. ILR Carbon also supplied the carbon gas cap and frame as well as the carbon kick plates. Maxton Designs is featured with its V2 front lip, side skirts, and rear splitters. XPEL finishes off the look with 35% Prime XR window tint and Ultimate Paint Protection Film (PPF) on the gloss black trim, plus Stealth PPF on the Nardo Grey paint.
The coupé rolls on BBS 19×9 CIR Satin Black wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4s Limited Edition tires and positioned perfectly with H&R TRAK 10mm spacers. A lower stance complements the look and handling thanks to H&R sport springs and H&R front and rear sway bars. The combination makes tackling a curvy mountain road child’s play.
Out of the box, a stock TT RS has 400 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. Even still, Ricky was looking for more. Starting up front, he added BFI engine and transmission mounts, plus 034Motorsport upper and lower dog bone mounts, and rear subframe mount inserts. All of these made sure everything was secured for the engine and exhaust updates. Speaking of these, Unitronic’s Stage 2+ engine software and Stage 2+ TCU update made the TT RS’s heart beat stronger and faster. Final touches came from an Eventuri carbon intake and Milltek downpipe with high-flow cat that made it breathe better; a Milltek non-resonated catback exhaust that made it sound much better and a Forge Motorsport intercooler that kept everything nice and cool. All this adds up to 550 hp, 520 lb-ft of torque, with an estimated 0-60 mph in 3 seconds.
The interior has mostly been left OEM with the exception of Leyo Motorsports paddle shifters. On the outside, Audi Genuine Accessories rounds out the project with OEM gloss black rings and TT RS emblem.
For now, Ricky’s project is pretty much done now though going full E85 isn’t out of the question. When is a project ever truly done?
Ricky would like to thank all his partners (listed below) for helping him with creating his own stealth fighter though it’s hard to think of this bodacious TT RS as anything but stealth.
Project Partners:
Michelin: www.michelinman.com
BBS: www.bbs-usa.com
Milltek: www.millteksport.com
XPEL: www.xpel.com
ILR Carbon: www.ilr-carbon.com
Unitronic: www.getunitronic.com
Black Forest Industries: www.blackforestindustries.com
H&R: www.hrsprings.com
Forge Motorsports: www.forgemotorsport.com
Leyo Motorsports: www.leyo-motorsport.com
Maxton Designs: www.maxtondesign.com
Induktion Motorsports: www.4induktion.com
Kormodiv: www.kormodiv.com
Detail Authority: www.detailauthority.com
Sticker City: www.stickercity.com
Audi Genuine Accessories: www.parts.audiusa.com
