Double Apex reader and fan Christo Rigaard has built, what must be, the world’s first and to date only Audi RS2JZ. Yep, you read that correctly, and if you are a car enthusiast you know exactly where this story is going.

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Power hungry

Christo is a self-confessed petrolhead. The contractor from Potschefstroom has owned a few fast cars over the years including a Mercedes C63 (with the 6,3-litre V8) and more recently the black Audi RS4 you see above. Not happy with the standard RS4’s power output Rigaard slapped a turbo onto the 4,2-litre V8. Unfortunately, due to a slight user error, the motor met with a smoky end.

Click here to watch an Audi RS4, BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 drag race.

It was while sitting roadside waiting for a tow vehicle to arrive Christo formulated a plan to drop Toyota’s most famous performance engine into his German saloon. He bought and fitted a 2JZ into his Audi creating the world’s first Audi RS2JZ. It also happens to be, according to the owner, the only all-wheel-drive powered 2JZ vehicle in the country.

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The turbocharged inline-six required a large shoehorn to squeeze it into the engine bay. Rigaard trimmed the slam panel and repositioned the radiator to make room for the longer block. Mated with the RS4’s original six-speed transmission, and in an early state of tune with a Precision turbocharger the car made 400-odd kW, which was good for a quarter-mile time of 11,2 seconds (see video at the bottom of this post); remember, this is a complete road-car with a full interior. He also prefers that the car’s appearance remains close to standard on the outside as well, not wanting to give the game away with any scoops or unnecessary styling, which must make this one of SA’s most devastating sleeper cars.

Check out a crazy RS6 wagon from ABT at this link.

More powwwaaaaahhhh

It wasn’t long before Christo pulled it all apart in search of even more power. With help and advice from Tyron Scholtz, he stripped the motor and had it completely rebuilt from the bottom up by Pieter Bezuidenhout from G-Force Performance SA. With some choice internals, new conrod bolts, an uprated clutch, and a MASSIVE Holset turbo in place he was ready to roll again. Rigaard replaced the internationally sourced standalone management system with a locally made unit from Powermods. The new ECU has boost-by-gear as well as launch-control functionality and even features its own multi-function screen to keep tabs on all critical info.

The new set up was tuned by Marius Fullboost Oosthuizen. When the Audi RS2JZ hit the dyno for the first time the car made an incredible 794 kW, well over 1 000 hp (and more than the original Bugatti Veyron) along with 1 116 N.m of torque (check out a video of the dyno run below), and that was at just 1,8 bars of boost. Christo says the car still needs further tuning and that the engine has been built to take up to 2,5 bars of boost…  who knows how much power it’ll make then.

To keep safe the Audi will soon be fitted with a roll cage and set of semi-slick rubber for added traction. Once the car is tuned properly Christo will be attacking his nearest drag strip where he is aiming to set respectable times. Oh, and while he was unable to work during the recent lockdown, he built another completely unique creation which we will feature in the not too distant future.

 Images by Blackwolf Photography and Christo Rigaard.