Reflection of the Past: Rui Paulo Nascimento's 2001 Audi TTRS

Vehicle Features Jordan Lenssen. Photos by Raynald Bélanger, John Wakely, Brian Mundy.

Building and dressing up an already established sports car like the Audi TTS is no easy feat, but to do it in a way like Rui Paulo Nascimento did to clearly stand out from the rest takes vision and, more importantly, a great deal of execution. Along with his father being an established rally racer at the wheel of a Ford Cortina RS in 1970, Nascimento has a history of working with vehicles that break the mold, including a 1979 Pontiac Phoenix with a Nova SS block, 1990 Suzuki Swift GTI, and a 1990 RHD Skyline GT-R (R32), among many others. This TTS – while no longer in its black and red form – is a culmination of those years of experience and passion. Inspired by his love for German cars and touring car racing, Nascimento infused his TTS with some DTM inspiration that can be found front to back. It was a reflection of his past, his personality and his deep connection to motorsport – and as you can see with his fighter-plane update, his passion for German engineering has been taken to a whole new level.

LIGHTWEIGHT GOODS: With motorsport inspiration and performance at the forefront, Nascimento opted for carbon fiber where strength and lightweight matters: his front splitter, hood and rear spoiler are all dressed in wet.

BIG STOPPA’: Hidden not so discreetly behind these black XXR wheels are a set of Neo Motorsport 14.5-inch drilled and slotted rotors, which are clamped on by giant six-piston calipers of the same make.

SUBTLE & FUNCTIONAL: Nascimento carried his red/black theme inside, where you’re encouraged to look at the finer details. An NRG quick release hub, short throw shifter, custom seats and VAG Performance vent-mount display in the left-center pod are just some of the performance upgrades.

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ESSENTIALS
Owner: Rui Paulo Nascimento
Vehicle: 2001 AUDI TTS (2014 SPEC)
Location: Rigaud, Quebec, Canada
Car Club: Team Street Authority
Engine: BVP 1.8L 20V DOHC turbocharged I-4 (bored to 2.0L)
Horsepower: 395 HP

ENGINE Bored to 2.0L l Garrett GT28RS turbocharger l Turbosmart BOV l Unitronic stage 3 ECU l ZEX nitrous wet kit l Highflow intake l Integrated Engineering high-flow induction manifold l EVO intake manifold gasket l TFSI Redhead ignition coils w/ adaptors l 42 Draft billet aluminum fuel rails l Bosch 880 cc fuel injectors l NEUSPEED Power Pulley kit l Diverter valve relocation kit l Polished throttle body cover l Wrinkled oil catch can EXHAUST Custom designed stainless steel headers l 4 2 1 racing manifold l 42 Draft 3-in. ceramic coated downpipe l Borla ceramic coated cat-back exhaust) DRIVETRAIN Short shift kit l Spec stage 3 aluminum racing flywheel l ECS Tuning Dogbone transmission mount/subframe insert kit l Shifter cable bushings WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES XXR 535 wheels – 18 x 8.75 +20 (f/r) l Pirelli Trofeo racing tires – 245/35 ZR18 (f/r) l Neo Motorsports 6-piston big brake kit w/ 14.5-in. drilled rotors

(f) w/ braided stainless steel brake lines (f/r) l Ventilated carbon pads (f/r)CHASSIS / SUSPENSION Neo Motorsport racing coilovers l NEUSPEED 22 mm anti-sway bars (f/r) EXTERIOR Regula Tuning 2012 DTM Racing body kit l Camo Customs custom 3-in. widebody l OSIR vented fenders l Carbon fiber (front lip, hood, rear wing) l APR custom wing brackets l Nikolas Racing custom carbon fiber DTM mirrors l Audi TT RS LED taillights l WRAP DESIGN graphics l Metallic black paint with cherry red metallic fleck INTERIOR Sparco (pedals, shift knob) l Custom black/red leather seats l VAG Performance vent-mount computer control l NRG (custom steering wheel, quick release hub) l OSIR illuminated shift ring l Xenon interior bulb kit l Dashboard button covers MOBILE ELECTRONICS Pioneer DEH-P9400BH multimedia radio l Kicker (1,000 W amplifier, 15-inch subwoofers (2)) l Bose speakers l iPhone multimedia adapter SPONSORS Camo Customs, Unitronic, Croftgate, Pirelli, Regula Tuning Germany, Spec, ECS Tuning, Lacroix Tuning, Integrated Engineering, Kicker Canada, Wrap Concept Design, SF Autospa

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