Several years ago, I was asked to shoot a widebody A4 for Modified Magazine. This was back in 2004. Before that however, I had written an article about this widebody A4 for another online website. Amazingly enough, a quick search on Google pulled up another website that had taken that content and reposted it on theirs. This was back all the way in 2002. Several years has past since then, but Donny Mak's Audi A4 has still been searched for on the 'net and is still one of the nicest A4s ever built. Doing the custom sheetmetal widebody himself, this A4 had styles that some are barely touching on today in building their cars. To celebrate this blast from the past, we're going to go ahead and copy/paste the article I previously wrote all the way back in 2002.

Scouting around HIN in Orlando, we were out on the prowl for the newest and hottest cars to feature. What quickly caught our eyes in the normal mixture of colorfully painted Hondas and Acuras, was this crazy wide body Audi A4. We immediately knew that this car was going to be featured before anyone else could get their hands on it. This is definitely one bad ass four door Euro.

The perfect beauty of this car definitely lies on the outside. Walking around the perimeter of the car, we're not sure what catches our eyes first. Perhaps it's the custom DTM sheet-metal wide body conversion, or perhaps it's the custom modified DTM front bumper? But how could we miss those sheet-metal side skirts and that custom vented hood? This car sports a plethora of customized body modifications, all done by none other than the owner himself. Give credit where credit is due? Definitely. What else flares out from this beautiful car? Euro spec S4 HID headlights are hard to miss, along with Hella clear corners and Projektzwo side mirrors. No body work is complete without shaved moldings and a carbon fiber rear diffuser. Little amenities include race tow hooks, clear side blinkers and a custom DTM rear emblem.

Take another breath, and trancely stare at the wheels and suspension. Nothing but wide can be found on these HRE 540's which are in the 18x10 style wrapped with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso 265/35/18 tires. You hardly have time to breathe again before you notice that the behind the HRE's are Movit Porsche 911 Turbo brakes with Neuspeed brake lines to back them up. H&R coilovers gives the car the menacing stance that it needs while Neuspeed rear 19mm swaybars stabilize the suspension during those hard drives out. Last but not least, APR front snub mount rounds off all the wheels and suspension mods.

We stopped for a few minutes to catch our breath while staring at the exterior of the car, but we were just dying to jump inside the cockpit to see what awaits us. The Recaro SPG seats with Sabelt 5pt seat harnesses felt comfy and secure while the custom 4pt bolt in roll cage offered something we don't see everyday. Custom red suede trims jumped out from all sides while a Sparco Flash 5 steering wheel to an OMP hub w/ quick release stared back at us in the driver's seat. Down bottom we noticed Razo race pedals decorating the floor while a UUC short shifter rounded off with a SPO Motorsport shift knob was ready for our grasps. Electronics galore blinked with an Armtech Sequential shift light ready to go, a Split Second a/f meter for those crucial fuel boosting measures, and a VDO boost gauge custom mounted in the vent monitors the pressurized A4.

Sitting inside the car, we clicked the ignition on to get some ear-candy. Infinity Kappa 50.5 and 60.5 components adorned the pure sounds powered by an Infinity Kappa 255A 5 channel amp. The bass was far from lacking from the Perfect 10.1 subwoofer, also powered by the 5 channel amp. An Element enclosure keeps the stereo looking sound, along with a Lightning Audio 1.0 cap for extra power.

Last but not least, we begged the Audi to pop its hood so we could see the beauties hidden underneath. An APR Stage III+ turbo kit (which offers 310hp / 345ft/lb tq) which features a Garrett GT25 ball bearing turbo sat there staring back at us. An APR Inconel exhaust manifold runs to an APR high flow cat and out through a Scorpion DTM exhaust system. Extra fuel is handled by Porsche 911 turbo injectors while an APR custom front mount intercooler keeps the pressurized boost nice. A GReddy Type-S blow off valve found its way under the hood along with an ITG carbon fiber intake and Canton catch can. A Mocal front mount oil cooler is there for extra safety while an Aquamist water injection system backs it up. The engine cover was powder coated to finish off the looks, along with a polished intake manifold.

This is definitely one done up Audi A4 that stepped it up a notch, taking it to a whole ‘nother level. Keep coming back, because the HIN feature cars don't stop here...well, we never stop with bringing you guys the best that no one else has touched!

Now when this article was written back in 2002, there were several new modifications done to the project prior to its feature in Modified Magazine. A full custom stereo was installed as were a few other exterior modifications including a rear spoiler. Even though this shoot only dates back to 2004, it's great to look back to see the changes the sport compact scene has gone through. European tuning is on a huge rise, and believe it or not back in 2004, this was the first European car ever featured in Modified Magazine.

In terms of photography, the use of a 'rig' in shoots were rare and we were all learning new and unique ways to get one to work. Now, photography rigs are plentiful and though they still do a neat aspect of photography has become a little oversaturated. Many of our own photographers have come a long way in 2004 and so has Donny Mak and his project cars!