Feature Cars
Grey Matters: John Holdridge's B6 A4
By by: John Holdridge, photos by Jared Frazer
Feb 1, 2007, 19:00

You have only one life, so make sure to live each day to the fullest. If you can make something happen, don’t just sit around and think about it…go get it. That’s the philosophy of John Holdridge, a young entrepreneur just finishing college and diving right into the ever so crammed car industry. Holdridge, with a passion for European Automobiles, came back to the United States with a completely new perspective on European tuning and a new found appreciation for the elegance of German engineering after spending a year in Europe.

In 2004, John acquired his first Audi- an A4 1.8T, fully loaded and with no intentions to ever modify the car. However, like many enthusiast owners, Holdridge quickly changed his tune, hatching out plans for personalization almost immediately. John explains that he modified his car in a very unnatural way, though he learned so much about the process that it drove him to open his own shop with his close friend and fellow Audi enthusiast, Justin Giritlian. Today, what you see is what you get, and by the looks of his car, he clearly found his theme.



Appreciation for the storied German tuning house Oettinger is obvious. Holdridge knew instantly that Oettinger’s styling for the B6 chassis was the only way to go, and focused on this exterior upgrade as his first major investment in the personalization of the A4. A full Oettinger body kit was installed: including the front bumper, sideskirts, rear valence, grill, roof and trunk spoiler. Keeping with a pure Oettinger styling theme, a set of 19-inch Oettinger RZ wheels were also added.



Additional subtle modifications were applied to tailor the exterior just a bit more, though careful not to clash with the Oettinger theme. Wanting to eliminate the chrome headlights for a more menacing look, S4 Bi-Xenon housings were added, along with subtle carbon fiber accents. LED taillights were also desired, so John sourced a set from close friend John Tsai at Nine1TwoInc.



Inside, the A4 benefits from even more attention to detail. From Audi’s deep partsbin came an S-line steering wheel and shift boot, along with B7 spec aluminum beltline trim. Keeping with the Oettinger theme, John also added pedals and a dead pedal from the company. Door sills and floor mats were also added. John has even more extensive plans for the future with a full S4 Recaro interior on order from Germany, along with an Alcantara RS 4 steering wheel.



Looks were important, though performance often an even higher priority for most owners and Holdridge is no exception. To help reign in the speed, a Stoptech 332 big brake kit was added at the front, along with Stoptech drilled rotors at the rear, stainless lines and hawk pads. Control in the corners is augmented via an H Sport sway bar at the rear and a set of Tein Basic coilovers.



Skeptical of larger turbo upgrades as they might apply to the daily driver intentions of his A4, John finally chose a GIAC tuned K4 setup with injector upgrade from the TT 225-hp, a Forge diverter valve and a Creative Test Pipe. Gases escape via a custom Remus exhaust. Looking for more stealth than show, he also added a driver’s side mounted intercooler.



With an L.A. commute very much a part of the daily driving experience, what car on this level would be complete without a full sound system? The B6’s head unit was swapped for a newer RNSE Audi navigation system and then proceeded to replace the rest of the audio system with a full setup from Lightning Audio. This included tweeters, a full trunk setup with custom box and amplifier rack courtesy of J&G Customs in Fountain Valley, CA.



What started as a simple driver with no intent to modify turned out to be a major undertaking. It’s a common story, though a rather uncommon result. Like many who make this sort of investment, Holdridge has no regrets, even though the long process included struggles throughout – struggles he really wouldn’t have overcome if it weren’t for the close support of many of his friends along the way. Having gone to a level much further than he ever expected, Holdridge hopes to use the car as a demonstration of what he is capable of with his new business, EuroTuning Haus in California’s San Fernando Valley.

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