Feature Cars
Usurper S6 - Ultimate Ur S-Car by Ray Tomlinson
By by: George Achorn, photos by author
Aug 15, 2006, 07:20

Those familiar with the Audi old school aren’t new to the “ur” designation. The German word, basically translating to “original”, was initially applied to the first turbocharged Quattro coupe – the quattro that began the all-wheel drive era at Audi. However, use of the “ur” designation is no longer just limited to the ur-Quattro. It has also been commonly applied to C4-bodied S4 and S6 models to differentiate them from the modern era A4-based S4 generations in the case of the ur-S4 and to differentiate from the latter normally aspirated S6 models that have come from Ingolstadt.

These Ur S-cars are highly sought after by enthusiasts. They featured a high level of comfort and luxury, along with the most developed version of Audi’s turbocharged 5-cylinder engine to be sold in North America – those with the AAN designation.

These cars might have been a bit heavy, but don’t let that fool you. The ur S-cars were true enthusiast cars. With manual transmission availability, a full selection of gauges to keep the driver informed and Audi’s legendary quattro all-wheel drive, these cars landed smack dab in the gun sights of enthusiast owners looking for a performance bargain. That the car’s AAN engine is quite close to higher-spec Euro versions and easily tunable for nosebleed power numbers is icing on the cake. It’s no surprise then that cars like the S6 would be at the top of the list for a person like Ray Tomlinson.

Tomlinson is a lawyer, which may not be rare amongst Audi ownership. However, how many lawyers do you know who put in part time hours working at a tuner to feed their hunger for turning wrenches as well as turning up the juice on their own personal car.

We found Tomlinson behind the counter at New Hampshire-based TJM Motorsports – the North American arm of Dahlback Racing. Yes, that’s the same Dahlback Racing that can claim to have built that ridiculous fourth-generation Volkswagen Golf with longitudinally-mounted Audi 5-cylinder, as well as the same Dahlback Racing with ties to Audi Sport.



TJM has been making a name for itself as one serious tuner based in the heart of New England. That’s just as well for Tomlinson and other Ur S-car owners like him. New England is Ur S-car heaven. While these cars have become rare on the roads of most regions of the country, sightings of not only Ur S-cars, but also modified versions are ever so common. However, sightings of S-cars modified as extensively as Tomlinson’s car aren’t quite so easy to make.

Ray began with one of the more sought-after combinations to be produced. His rare, fully optioned black-on-black S6 sedan is a 95.5 – the last of the breed. From this starting point, Tomlinson spared no expense in building one of the most potent street-legal AAN Audis to be found, also honing handling, braking and more to create a daily driver that will mix it up and then some with German exotics priced well above his S6, all while running pump gasoline.

Tomlinson’s motor build began by beefing up the block. Dahlback Racing connecting rods with proprietary ARP connecting rod bolts were added, along with hardened rod bearing shells sourced from Audi Sport. The AAN’s pistons were upgraded with Mahle units featuring custom oilers. A steel head gasket was added with stock head bolts, attaching a massaged head that had been ported and polished, intake and exhaust valve guides relieved and the throttle body was modified. A 7A exhaust cam was installed, along with heavy-duty valve springs. Bosch Motorsport “orange top” fuel injectors were installed, along with a Bosch Motorsport fuel pump and adjustable fuel pressure regulator. A TJM Motorsport crankcase breather system and catch can were also added.



The block built, it was time to move on to a significantly upgraded turbo system. For boost, this ur S6 now uses an Innovative Turbo Systems K26 #8, T04-50 with a Stage 5 wheel (62mm exducer, 51mm major). This has been mated to a much sought-after manifold from an Audi Sport quattro with polished ceramic thermocoat. There’s also a GSM Motorsport custom tunneled K27-K26 stainless turbo adapter flange. Further upgrades included a modified S2 race wastegate with polished ceramic thermocoat and custom wastegate spring, an N75K frequency valve. There’s also a Svenska Thermotechnique digital EGT pyrometer mounted in the turbo scroll. Boost for this monstrosity is controlled by a Dahlback Racing proprietary pressure transducer that can be programmed from 450-512 hp.

With so much power, it’s no surprise Ray was as serious about the car’s cooling system as he was the build of the engine itself. For starters, there are custom Earl’s braided oil/coolant feed/return lines with Aeroquip fittings. There are also 600F silicone/aramid reinforced hose couplers , breeze constant torque clamps and ThermoTec aluminum hose sleeving all from Turbohoses.com No surprise, there was also an intercooler upgrade – moving to a proprietary vertical-flow front-mounted 9x6x3 seam-welded unit with Spearco race cores, custom tapered cast manifolds and custom inlet and outlet. Castrol TWS Motorsport 10w-60 synthetic oil is now the lubrication of choice.

To help inbound air pressure, Ray went with a TJM Motorsport 3-inch stainless intake with 76mm MAF and Green Racing open air filter mounted inside the front bumper. To help move that air out, there’s a TJM 3-inch stainless downpipe, relocated and enlarged wastegate outlet with ceramic thermocoat, header wrap and a 3-inch Stromung Generation III stainless exhaust with catalyst delete option. From there, a 76mm HJS Motorsport 100-cell race ceramic substrate catalyst from TJM Motorsport – boasting FIA homologation for the WRC.



A Billet aluminum fuel rail and electrical cover from Northern European Automotive tops it all off.

Needless to say, the resulting power figures are quite impressive. Running pump gasoline and 26 PSI of boost, Ray reports power figures of 455 horsepower at the wheels and 487 lbs. ft. of torque at the wheels.

Considering he’s transferring one significant amount of power, the driveline has been comparably upgraded. A Dahlback S2 racing steel flywheel has been installed, along with a Sachs Race Engineering sintered, 4-puck non-sprung clutch disc and 720nm pressure plate begin the upgrade. The Torsen differential has been replaced with one from an Audi V8 sourced from Force 5 Auto Recycling – a neighbor of TJM Motorsport. Redline transmission and differential fluid have been added. A polyurethane front snub mount helps lessen engine flex and to improve shift time, a TJM Motorsport shortened and weighted shift linkage has been added, also with a shortened shift lever.

To bring this beast to a stop, the braking system was also given a complete overhaul, beginning with black Stoptech ST-40 4-piston 2-piece calipers, mounted with Stoptech 7075-T6 billet aluminum mounting brackets. Rotors, also by Stoptech, are 332x32 slotted, floating Aero rotors with 7075-T6 billet aluminum AeroHats and directional standoffs. Goodridge stainless lines are fitted front and rear.

Hawk HT10 race pads have been fitted in the front, while Kerr Friction Magnum race pads are installed at the rear. Ray prefers RFB600 fluid on the track, and ATE Super Blue brake fluid on the street.

Suspension modifications follow the same line as other changes to the car – extensive and not your typical off-the-shelf solution. Changes start with 2Bennett’s own “Revolution” spherical bearing adjustable camber plates. From 2Bennett also comes adjustable coilovers using Koni adjustable race struts paired to Eibach race springs 380 lbs. in the front, 450 lbs. in the rear. A 28mm anti-roll bar has been added, along with upgraded bushings. A “Happersized” 28mm rear anti-roll bar with custom reinforced brackets and elongated spherical heim joints has also been fitted.



On the outside, changes have been kept subtly simple and functional. A rare S6 plus front bumper has been fitted, with the plate section cut out for better flow to the front-mounted intercooler and also fitted with custom mesh grilles. A Kamei black mesh grille is installed above, sans rings for that extra sinister look, adorned only with a silver Dahlback badge. At the rear, a European center filler panel cleans up the look, while Yosemite Sam “Back Off” mudflaps say goodbye to you when Ron depresses the accelerator.

Nighttime driving is augmented thanks to European A6 HID ellipsoid projector headlights has been fitted, sourced from Force 5 Audi recycling.

Helping handling and the car’s appearance, Ray has upgraded the rolling stock to OZ Superleggera wheels in 17”x8” sizing with an ET of 35mm and shod with Kumho Ecsta MX (255/40/17) for the street and Kumho V700s in the same size for the track. During the winter, these are replaced with ASA IS6 wheels and Nokain Hakkapelita C2 studded tires.

Interior changes are purely functional, and heavily used when Ron is running the S6 at the track. Schroth 4-point harnesses keep front seat passengers in place, while an Autometer Phantom boost guage mounted on the A-pillar keeps need-to-know information right in front of the driver’s eyes. And for those not aboard the S6, a FatBastard headrest camera mount can hold a camera in place so that the experience can be shared by those who haven’t had the pleasure of riding in this sickeningly fast S6.

What Ray Tomlinson accomplished with this S6 is perhaps one of the most impressive builds of an Ur S-car we’ve seen. It’s not the prettiest C4 you may have seen… until the hood is raised or you are lucky enough to get a ride. Then, it becomes most apparent just how truly impressive, and sinister this car is – ready to usurp the street cred of most exotics who happen to fall prey to this black beauty.



Editor’s Note: The story of Ray Tomlinson’s S6 almost didn’t get told on Fourtitude. We ran into Ray at TJM and subsequently shot this Ur S6 back in July of 2004… not long after this website’s launch.

The photos of Ray’s car were virtually misplaced and recently found on an auxiliary memory drive in our office. A quick Google search on Ray’s S6 showed us that he listed it for sale in May of 2005. We haven’t reached Ray to see what became of this S6, though plan on doing so and will update our readers in the link below.

Though much time has passed since we met Ray and shot the car, we couldn’t stand by and not publish this car’s story. We loved it too much, and it’s evident that Ray did too. Thanks to Ray Tomlinson and TJM Motorsport for the patience exerted in waiting for us to publish this story. We regret it taking so long, but are honored to be able to tell it.

More Information:

TJM Motorsport, LLC Northern European Automotive GSM Motorsports, Inc. Stoptech Brake Systems Force 5 Audi Recycling, Inc.

For more discussion on this story, click on the link to our discussion forums to the left.	For more photos of the car in this story, click on the link to our gallery at the right.

© Copyright 2004 by YourSITE.com