Having carved itself a niche within the Audi RS3 tuning community with attractive styling and performance upgrades for the previous RS3 model, MR Racing now presents its new 8V-generation RS3 project car.

Audi’s turbocharged 2.5-liter turbo engine is a gem, winning the international Engine of the Year award five times in a row. MR Racing’s technicians unlock the latent potential of this charismatic engine by improving its breathing and optimising its electronic governing parameters.

On the intake side, a modified air system with sports air filter helps the engine to breathe more deeply. Simultaneously, backpressure is lowered by a hand-made Friedrich Motorsport stainless steel sport exhaust system, which includes a larger downpipe and HJS sport metal sport catalytic converters. This system also features a valve control system that amplifies the warbling growl of the five cylinder motor in sport mode, and gives it a spine-tingling cry at high revs. Finally, the MR Racing’s ECU remap optimises the fuel, ignition and boost curves to make full use of the more efficient intake and exhaust flow characteristics. The result is a rousing 448 hp and 653 Nm of torque.

Thanks to quattro all-wheel-drive, the RS3 effortlessly dispenses its newfound power, catapulting the car off the line like a jet fighter from a carrier deck. The fatter torque curve makes it faster and more effortless in every gear.

If 448 hp is not sufficient to whet your appetite, the next level of tune provides up to 535 hp and over 700 Nm of torque. However, this is not a simple bolt-on conversion, and requires serious hardware upgrades that include a TTE 500 turbocharger, high-pressure fuel pump, and a more efficient intercooler.

To complement the dynamic foil design applied to the bodywork, MR Racing fit a set of 9.0x19-inch (ET48) lightweight ATS GTR alloy wheels finished in “traffic red” and shod with 235/35R19 Pirelli tyres. The height adjustable KW Clubsport coil-over suspension features independently adjustable bounce and rebound control dampers. Adjustable top mounts allow the front-end camber to be set precisely.

The versatility of the RS3’s MMI system was further extended with a DVD player and navigation system, perfectly integrated into the factory control system by MR Racing’s automotive electronics project partner, Herrmanns, who are also based in Eschweiler.