All Audi Restomod: 100 Coupe S Packs Modern V8 and Quattro
The modern Audi drivetrain swap is awesome, but the builder should have quit while they were ahead.
When you think restomod, you might immediately envision a piece of classic iron that sports a Chevy 350 or LS motor under the hood, which makes sense. The robust nature, dead-easy parts availability, and compact packaging make those mills fantastic choices for myriad applications — even Ford’s legendary deuce coupe isn’t immune to the trend.
But it’s super cool when a builder keeps things in the family, and that’s exactly what happened with this 1972 Audi Coupe S restomod.
We spotted this build over on the Audi Club North America site, and in the video, YouTuber Jamie Orr walks us through all the changes which have been made to this formerly humble hatch. In place of the 1.9-liter four-cylinder it came from the factory with, this 100 Coupe S is now powered by a 4.2-liter V8 from a 1995 European-spec S4. There are no specifics in the video, but since the more modern eight-pot is good for over 300 ponies, it’s safe to say there’s more than triple the stock poke on tap.
To help put all the extra the power to the ground, the S4’s quattro system was also transplanted, and shifting comes courtesy of a six-speed manual poached from a 2005 Audi Allroad. Other than the fact that it came from Sweden, we don’t have too much info on the history of build, but it was recently purchased by George Achron, co-founder of VW Vortex and Fourtitude.
Hopefully, that means we’ll get more info on this baby over the new few months. Because as you can tell, this was far from a bolt-in undertaking. To accommodate the mighty quad-cam, 32-valve motor, the radiator had to be moved to the rear, as there just wasn’t enough room in the engine compartment. Unfortunately, that means there’s no air conditioning either.
When Orr is giving us a tour of the engine bay, he points out how well the air intakes seem to line up with the headlights, and says it would be cool if they were routed through the grille. We’ve seen that done on several swaps, including on this crazy Maserati Biturbo LS project, and have mixed feelings about going that direction here.
We happen to think the exterior of the 100 Coupe S looks fantastic just the way it is, and even love the original color. But if the sleeper looks are going to be compromised by modifying the grille, we’d hope Achron follows the lead of the Biturbo’s owner, and fits a pair of snails to crank up the power. Because as we like to say, there’s no kill like overkill.
Given how nice and clean the exterior looks, we have to say it’s surprise to see what a mess the interior is. The S4’s dash has been transplanted, and it’s clear that if this had been a human patient, the new bits would have been rejected. Apparently, it’s impossible to roll down the windows without opening the doors, as there’s no clearance for the crank to clear the dash with them closed.
There’s also lots of visible metal in the rear of the cabin, and while we don’t get a demonstration, to use the seat belts, you have to manually thread the fabric through the latch. Yikes. This car would have been so much cooler if the builder hadn’t gotten so Frankenstein here — the harsh juxtaposition of old, new, and unfinished just looks bad.
That said, this build is still an impressive feat of engineering, and we’re stoked it made it to a proper enthusiast who’s sure to give it a good home. Check out video for some more details, and make sure to let us let us know what you think of this all-in-the-family swap. Or better yet, give us the scoop on your build, so we can profile it for the blog — we’re sure our readers would love to know what you’re up to!
Photos: YouTube