Scarlet style makes Adam Waggott’s 287bhp, bagged Audi A4 B6 an Audi like no other.
Fast Car magazine. Words: Emma Woodcock. Photos: Rich Pearce
Class. You know it when you see it. It can’t be measured like ride height or g-force but automotive elegance makes every journey special. Sometimes it’s the way a paint job works under every kind of light, or how a minor styling tweak lifts the best out of the bodywork. Maybe it’s the style of an interior that’s been tailored to the driver’s tastes. Or the way a perfect set of rims looks so right you can’t imagine the car rolling on anything else. For Adam Waggott and his bagged Audi A4 B6, class is all that and more. It’s how they stand out without compromises.
Coilovers and a set of BBS LM alloys kicked the build into action but it wasn’t long before the Audi got serious. Adam wanted to go lower and air ride was the answer. Working with a friend, he installed a full set of AirREX air springs, 12-level adjustablestruts and digital management in a single day. “It took us from eight in the morning till half seven that night but I was over the moon with it!” The fit was flawless and the Audi can lay frame at will.
Adam built up the bagged Audi A4 in JDM style and turned heads around the country, but winter 2019 came and it was time for a change. Faced with the cold, quiet months, Adam tore down the car to take it in another new direction. “I wanted to go really high end, with too much carbon and too much leather.” When lockdown hit and the show season disappeared, he went even further. The engine, running gear, sound system and paintwork have all been transformed. But it started with the interior.
The colour. That’s the first thing you notice because the rich red is everywhere, from the seats and steering wheel to the doorcards and rear bench. Chocolate brown flocking provides a counterpoint on the doortops and dashboard, creating a unique combination. The plastics have been swapped out too, Adam fitting C6 Carbon Reflex Red tinted carbon fibre in its place, and an Audi B7 RS4 donated the flat-bottomed steering wheel and front Recaro seats. Every memory of entry-level executive commuting has been banished, to the point that almost none of the original cabin remains.
Twin Rockford Fosgate twelve-inch subwoofers add equal might to the audio system, which also benefits from a Pioneer 1200 watt monoblock amplifier and a heavy duty four-gauge power cable. Vibe component speakers provide support and it’s all controlled by a Kenwood doubleDIN headunit. “I’ve always liked minimal audio builds in my earlier cars but I had to go all out on the Audi. I’m putting my twist on every part of the car.”
In sharp contrast, the bodywork received its most important alteration straight from Audi. Adam’s car is fitted with a full Votex bodykit, an official package that combines full-length sideskirts with a deeper front apron and redesigned rear bumper. It’s a rare package and one he’s only altered by smoothing the front assembly and teasing out the rear wheelarches. “The Audi already looks aggressive with this kit, so I didn’t want to do much to the outside.” A vanishingly uncommon JE Design rear window spoiler tightens the rear quarter even further.
Other styling modifications are subtle but effective, bringing the nineties Bauhaus look right up to date. Debadging declutters the shape, HEKO front wind deflectors add definition and a full set of front and rear DEPO LED lights brings the B6 in line with modern Audis. “They’ve got a slight tint to them which looks really 2020 and I love how all the lights cluster together at the back. It really works with the paint.” A full respray at PMC Paintworks ensures the Audi Misano Red has the intensity to match.
A gloss black roof breaks up the scarlet shade and keys in with a collection of race-ready exterior details. Adam has fitted a Maxton Design RS4 splitter to skim the road, while the door pillars and mirror base plates have been replaced with glittering red-weave carbon. It’s the same tinted material that upgrades the interior. “When the sun pops on the carbon it just looks absolutely insane,” Adam grins. A pair of Audi B7 RS4 door mirrors complete the conversion, replacing the chunky B6 generation items with a smoother, more aerodynamic shape. Adam loves their dual mounting points and chose them to stand out.
Get behind the Audi and there’s no missing the other twin-pronged modification – the four-inch exhaust finishers dominate the wide Votex rear bumper. Built by fabrication experts Read Performance, the rolled tips emulate the legendary Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and form the last stop on a custom three-inch system that starts with a decatted turbo downpipe. “The tips look so aggressive, they really make a statement. I don’t think I’ll ever change them.” There’s the sound to match the looks too. “You can drive it quietly but, really, it’s loud. When the turbo comes in the noise is immense.”
The exhaust improves airflow with the help of a Ramair induction kit and a larger, eight blade K03s turbocharger to give the Audi serious power. Combined with Audi S3 fuel injectors and an Ozmo Motorsport ECU software calibration, it’s enough to push power up by almost 100 horsepower. The standard 1.8T produces 188bhp and Adam’s car puts down 287bhp. “It’s not about going fast with this car but I still want it to be nippy and reliable!” Engine trouble almost brought the build to a halt in 2020, when the cambelt snapped. Adam’s friends convinced him to keep going and – with the help of Josh at ICON Automotive – he’s rebuilt the motor to be stronger than ever before.
More mechanical heartache was in store when Adam went to fit a set of Porsche Cayenne Z18 brakes. The upsized calipers bolted to the front hubs without issue but the rear end was nothing but trouble. “We bolted the backs into place with adapter plates and only then – at half nine that night – did we find out my current wheels didn’t clear the brakes.” A set of 30mm spacers got the alloys spinning freely but pushed the tyres way outside the arches, so Adam started hunting for a set of adjustable camber arms. 034Motorsport parts provided the solution.
The handbrake provided yet more strife. Audi built the A4 with a self-adjusting emergency brake mechanism and it just wouldn’t function with the manually-adjusted Wilwood replacement caliper. “It was a nightmare of little changes and new cables just to get it working,” says Adam. After all the heartache, the A4 finally rolled back onto the road on a set of 19-inch Ispiri FFP1 Carbon Grey alloys. “They’re the best wheel I’ve had to date. I always try to do something different and a mesh design really suits the B6.”
Now the brakes are mounted and working, the Acid Green calipers form an integral part of a three-hue colour scheme. Adam has painted the rear show rollcage in the same vibrant hue and – when fitted – it gives the Audi an unmissable side profile. “I went one step further with the cage and the feedback has been insane. Red, black and green. It all flows now.” The bagged Audi A4 has only made it to two shows in 2020 but the high class aesthetic has gained recognition at both, with a show and shine win at 24/7 Modified UK and best interior at a TUCKED Automotive Meet & Eat. You can’t buy class but you can sure as hell build it.
Tech Spec: Bagged Audi A4 B6
Styling:
Audi Votex full bodykit, JE Designs rear window spoiler, Maxton Design Audi RS4 front splitter, Audi B7 RS4 wing mirrors in gloss black, smoothed front bumper, PMC Paintworks full respray in Misano Red with gloss black roof, DEPO front and rear LED light conversion, HEKO wind deflectors, C6 Carbon Reflex Red tinted carbon fibre mirror base plates and door pillars, carbon fibre engine cover, scuttle panel, ECU cover, battery cover and bonnet strut
Tuning:
Audi 1.8-litre turbocharged inline-four with Ramair induction kit, K03s turbocharger, decat, Read Performance three-inch custom exhaust with twin four-inch rolled finishers, Ozmo Motorsport
ECU calibration
Chassis:
Ispiri FFP1 alloys in Carbon Grey, 8.5×19-inch front and 9.5×19-inch rear, 235/35×19 tyres throughout, AirREX air ride conversion with AirREX struts and management system, Porsche Cayenne Z18 brake calipers throughout, 380mm brake discs front, Wilwood handbrake caliper
Interior:
Marana Upholstery custom retrim in quilted red leather, brown flocked dashboard, glovebox and doortops, black flocked centre console, Audi B7 RS4 steering wheel, Audi B7 RS4 Recaro front seats, Audi RS4 headlining and pillar covering, C6 Carbon Reflex Red tinted carbon fibre front seat backs, pillar covers, steering wheel, rear view mirror and armrest, rear show rollcage in Porsche Acid Green
Audio:
Kenwood doubleDIN headunit with Vibe component speakers, Pioneer 1200 watt monoblock amplifier, Rockford Fosgate twin 12-inch subwoofers, four-gauge power cable
