Member Profile – Michel Fortier – San Antonio Area

 

I am, as they say, a recovering modaholic.  I can’t say when it began, I simply refer to it as the epiphany, the love of race gas and engines nearing redline.  It just sort of happened at a young age which I suppose is a common theme amongst enthusiasts.

 

Growing up, my best friend’s father had both an AC Cobra and a Ferrari.  It may have all started then but I distinctly remember my ability to mispronounce Porsche (I would say Por-Shee) long before I knew what either of those cars were. He’d always correct me on my pronunciation and I’d always run my hands over his Cobra when he wasn’t looking.  

 

My early years were spent memorizing the specifications and performance of all the cars I loved.  I could spot a Ferrari 308GTB a quarter mile away across eight lanes of highway as it was headed in the other direction.  I’d rattle off all the passing cars.  The ones worth mentioning anyway.  

 

When I was finally able to indulge myself, it was always a hands on affair.  I never looked at a car I didn’t think, rightly or wrongly, I could make better.  At least nothing less than a quarter of a million. Back then, that bought you a real top-of-the-heap supercar.  High school was a small town in the Midwest where I was Kevin Bacon in Footloose and even the librarian drove a cool muscle car.  Somehow I survived despite all the street racing.  Cruising was a real thing.  

 

I went through a rash of American muscle and then turned to the high tech world of Japanese cars with their endless array of aftermarket parts.  It’s here I learned how to tune, build and rebuild.  I honed my skills on-track and for a while, had a 600 horsepower, 2500 pound daily driver.  Bikes made a calling, Italian of course, and even those didn’t stay original for long. Like I said, a modaholic.

 

This is my first Audi.  Yes, I went all-in.  I’d been in love with the RS5 since its introduction and always knew I’d have one someday soon.  My mother had an Audi 100 many moons ago.  I still remember the color and the leather seats of all things.  I considered a few other cars while looking at the RS5 but I have to say the initial test drive haunted me.  I could not get my mind off the engine’s rapid, effortless acceleration to redline or the singular responsiveness of the S-Tronic gearbox.  It has to be one of the greatest V-8 engine and transmission combinations of all time.  And that sound…

 

The RS5 is far from stock.  Still, it’s a daily driver that manages to keep me sane and smiling day in and day out.  I recently returned from a 3,000 mile road trip and the car was flawless.  I, however, was not.  Thirteen hours in a day is not something to strive for but the RS kept me intact and comfortable.  Currently it has every suspension modification you can throw at it including adjustable coil-over suspension, sway bars, bushings, the whole nine yards.  Wheels are forged Klassen iD 20×10” wheels with Michelin’s exceptional PS4s in a 285 section width.  The car is pure Velcro.  In the power department I have an AWE Touring exhaust, Eventuri carbon fiber intake and the new ECU tune by JH Motorsports.  No worries, Audi, I no longer have a warranty anyway.

 

I did spend a lot of money initially on tools, on the Ross-Tech VCDS cable and other items to keep the car running in tip top shape.  I pretty much do all the maintenance myself mostly because I enjoy it.  I even made sure to download the entire service manual off of Audi’s site and I often read it at night on my laptop even though there’s nothing in need of repair.  My wife calls it obsessive.  Sounds about right.