Featured Ride: Randy’s Matte Turquoise B7 Audi A4 on HREs
The latest Featured Ride is a car that has been turning heads and breaking hearts for quite some time – Randy Sarmiento’s (known as “Quattro” on Audizine) 2006 Audi A4 2.0T. I’ve had a poster of Randy’s car at my desk for nearly two years ago, although in the poster the car looks quite different – still brilliant black, sporting BBS wheels, and missing a lot of the more eye catching mods you see now. Randy has been a staple of the A4 community both on the forums and Southern California in general, and his car has been progressively pushing the limits of what these cars can do and simultaneously shattering records for the amount of sheer enjoyment an owner can get from a vehicle. The car has evolved into the head turner and heart breaker you see pictured here.
The first thing you probably noticed (unless your color blind, then hold on to your seat for second) is that Randy’s car is matte turquoise. Randy’s car was originally brilliant black, but the black just wasn’t unique enough nor was it doing all of the custom body work justice, so he had it wrapped in vinyl by Extreme AutoWerks in So Cal. Speaking of custom body work, just several of the other mods include S6 LEDs, an Deval RS4 front bumper, custom headlights with angel eyes, a Vorsteiner double sided carbon fiber hood, a slew of rare ABT parts, custom LED tail lights, and even some goodies from my friends at oCarbon. It’s a well rounded list of mods that makes it no ordinary A4, even if you ignored the custom color for a minute.
Exterior Modifications:
- Matte Turquoise Vehicle Wrap with Satin Black Roof and Accents
- Deval RS4 Front Bumper with Shaved Headlight Washers
- Custom RS4 Matching Mesh
- Custom Retrofitted Audi S6 LED Lights
- Deval Carbon Fiber Splitter
- Audi Bi-Xenon European Imported Headlights
- Custom Painted Inner Black Housing
- Custom Dual Angel Eyes
- Vorsteiner Double Sided Carbon Fiber Hood
- OEM Audi S4 Door Blades
- ABT Rear Valance
- ABT Side Skirts
- ABT 3 piece Trunk Spoiler
- Oettinger Roof Spoiler
- Custom L.E.D. Taillights – Red/Clear
- Audi Imported OEM European Trunk
- oCarbon – Carbon Fiber Exterior B & C Pillars *Custom 4×4 Weave*
- oCarbon – Carbon Fiber Rear Bumper Trim *Custom 4×4 Weave*
- Osir Carbon Fiber Door Mirror Covers
- Mercedes Brabus Puddle Lights Integrated into ABT Side Skirts
Body work aside, the wheels make the car. Randy knows this quite well, as he’s gone through an impressive wheel list including several sets of BBSs. His HREs are still my favorite wheels he’s had (and that’s saying something, as someone whose owned multiple sets of BBS wheels myself), especially with the custom finish he had done in Satin Bronze with polished lips. Even better, he has a beautiful (and also custom painted/matching) Brembo setup hiding behind the wheels, resulting in some rolling artwork.
Wheels & Suspension Modifications:
- HRE C20 19×9.5 All around – Satin Bronze With Polished 1.5” Lip
- Toyo T1-R – 235/35/19
- Blistein PSS9 Coilovers
- H&R Front Sway Bar – 32mm
- H&R Rear Sway Bar – 20mm
- Brembo 355 6 Piston Front brakes *Custom painted Candy Red*
- Audi S4 Rear Brakes
So you’re probably thinking – all show, no go – right? Wrong. I didn’t even know this until Randy sent over his mod list (he’s a modest guy) but he’s packing some serious power under that uber-sexy Vorsteiner hood of his. The car features an APR Stage 3 turbo kit that puts down some serious power to the wheels. I’ve driven an APR Stage 3 before, and they’re no joke. When Randy told me he had an engine pic for me, I jokingly told him “all 2.0Ts look the same, that’s not necessary” but he even proved me wrong there, with one of the cleanest 2.0T engine bays I’ve ever seen. Touche, sir.
Engine/Exhaust Modifications:
- APR (Garret) GT2871R Stage 3 Turbo Kit
- Braided Stainless Fuel Lines & Coolant Lines
- NGK Spark Plugs
- APR High Pressure Fuel Pump
- Labree 2.5” Downpipe
- GhostSquadGarage Front Mount Intercooler
- Carbonino Carbon Fiber Intake
- Forge Diverter Valve
- ABT Quad Exhaust with 2.5” Exhaust Piping
- Devils Own Stage 2 Kit
- BSH PCV Catch Can
- RS4 Engine Covers Custom Painted (side, battery cover)
I’m not much of an audio person, but Randy has left no inch of this car un-modded. Here’s his full A/V and in-car entertainment setup:
Audio/Visual:
Speakers:
- Focal Utopia 6.5” Speakers – Front
- Focal Utopia 6.5” Speakers – Rear
Subwoofer:
- 13.5” JL Audio W7
Amps:
- JL Audio 300/4 x 2
- JL Audio 1000/1
- Dynamat – Full Trunk + Doors
Custom Subwoofer Enclosure + Amp Rack
Visual Equipment:
- Alpine IVA-D106 – 7” In dash TV
- Alpine NVE-872a Navigation
- Alpine Video selector
- Alpine/Sirius satellite radio
- Alpine PXA-H100 Sound processor
- Alpine Center Channel Speaker
Randy owes me better pictures of his interior, so consider the above to be a teaser shot. Randy and I worked together on some of the first B6 to B7 Recaro swap projects, and it was nice to have someone I had never met in person be so friendly & patient to work with on trouble shooting the swap over the three months it took to finally eradicate my airbag warning light. Little did I know that Randy’s Recaro’s were so unique. They were re-upholstered in diamond stitching, along with a matching center console, a black alcantara headliner, and a whole host of other mods such as OEM RS4 pedals and an e-brake handle. It’s unique but not over the top, and definitely something I want to see next time I make it out to So Cal.
Interior Modifications
- ABT Retrofitted Shift Knob For Automatic
- Audi TT Flat Bottom Steering Wheel
- Audi RS4 Pedals
- Audi RS4 E-brake Handle
- oCarbon – Carbon Fiber Interior Trim *Custom 4×4 Weave*
- Custom Rear View Mirror
- Concepts in Motion Boost Vent Gauge
- Alcantara (Suede) Black Headliner *A/B/C Pillars*
- Recaro – Black Alcantara Inserts With Double Diamond Stitching – Front + Rear Seats
- Custom Heated Rear Seats
- Tunerdomes – LED Interior Lights
- Hardwire Valentine Radar with Conceal Display
I always love to get the back story from the owners on their cars, and Randy had a lot to share. Rather than paraphrase, I’ll give it you straight from the owner himself:
Uniqueness is a quality sought by many and achieved by few, and that’s been my underlying goal of this car. My style may not be for everyone, but that was part of my goal, too. To achieve the uniqueness I wanted in my car, I sought to encompass rare parts from abroad, like my ABT parts, and aimed to digress from your typical modifications through my vinyl wrap and S6 LEDs – items that few dare to pull-off.
I wanted to build a car that would make you do a “double take,” and when people give the car a longer look, they’ll notice the subtleties I put into the car and appreciate it. When the wrap was done by the guys at Extreme AutoWerks , I was pleasantly surprised they shared my same vision; despite the vehicle’s color screaming for attention, the subtleties are still present and there to be appreciated by the discerning eye. For instance, not everyone may notice my shaved shark fin antenna, but it’s those subtleties I really enjoy.
I still haven’t achieved my car’s full potential, but I’ll keep pushing the limits until it gets there.
Another thing about Randy that he failed to mention as he’s a humble guy – he’s one of the nicest dudes in the car scene, he’s created a bajillion DIY guides on Audizine for others, and he’ll always take time out of his schedule to help out a fellow Audiphile. Props for that!
Last but not least, a few shout-outs. Anyone that has ever built a car, even cars far less modified than this, know that building a car like this can’t be done by yourself. While Randy is a modification guru, he’s had the support of many, and would like to thank the following people:
I want to thank my family and my girlfriend for supporting me through the years of this build. It may have not have been monetary, but the emotional support in most circumstances was invaluable. A big shot out to all my friends who have also helped me (cousin included), #JMS, Europrojektz & Zumpepe.
Shop recognition for their fine touches: Alex/Edgar@Extreme AutoWerks for the killer Wrap thanks to HexisUSA, Matt@ oCarbon for the lovely Carbon tidbits, Dan/Tom@CustomEuropeanPlates for my stealth European plates, David@Tunerdomes for blinding myself and others with my LED lights, Lon@ HRE Performance Wheels for the killer finish and rebuilding my wheels, Nick@OEMPlus my car has an identity crisis with its European Plates, Greg@ Labree MotorSports, Nico @Nicoshowcase.com the guys at YokohamaTires and Nick @Nick’s Car Blog for pushing out a killer website and being a great contribution to the scene!
Ladies and gentleman – that is Randy & his unique A4.
Photo credits: Nico at Nicoshowcase.com, KJMann – photos used with owners permission.
Congratulations to our great friend Randy for this feature. His car is definitely a work of art that screams UNIQUE!! It was an amazing pleasure shooting his amazing car and getting to him since Randy is a very nice down to earth guy.
Nico,