This is my takeaway from Mauricio Martinez’s Audi RS3. How many of us tell ourselves ‘we can always buy another one’… but we never do. Truth is: as a car enthusiast, when you sell a car, you’re at a very vulnerable point. And it’s not just emotional either lol. Because whether you realize it or not, when you sell a beloved car, you’re at a crossroads. The whole world is steadily trying to pull you away from car culture. And for a second… it’s won.

Car culture requires a lot of resources…

A lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of energy, a lot of discipline, and a lot of mental preoccupation. The older you get, usually the harder it gets to find (at least most) of those resources. But – when you stay in a hobby for life, it all tends to become muscle memory. What’s that saying… an object in motion stays in motion?? That’s why we call it a lifestyle.

But when you sell a car, there’s a break in the motions.

And the muscles can fade quickly. If you don’t stay sharp & adamant, it can be real hard not to get swallowed up by sensibility & compromise. Weeks turn into months, months turn into seasons, and season turn into years. How many people fall out of the lifestyle altogether because they sold a car that they had every intention of replacing with something else… but then life got in the way & they never did.

Unitronic audi

Mauricio Martinez has owned an Audi RS3 before… 

It was a nice tuned-up street car,  a recreational trackday car, and he had no real intention of selling it. But then a guy came along & wanted it more, so he sold it. Mauricio told himself he could always get another one. And you know what, he freaking did! The man stuck to the damn plan, never slacked-up, and didn’t let sensibility or compromise come creeping in. He went & scouted-out another blue RS3 right away, except this one had the black optics package, which had always been his first choice. 

intercooler

The 2nd time around with an RS3…

Mauricio knew exactly how he wanted to build it. A fresh slate! You know how it is: At some point in any journey with a car, you can’t help but think, “If I could do it all over over again what would I do differently?” Well this was Mauricio’s opportunity to do just that. And from previous ownership experience, he now had a better real-world sense of which mods played well together. Viola! 

blue Audi RS3

Engine

Unitronic Stage 2 (FBO) ECU & TCU flash 

APR turbo inlet (powder coated by LRB) 

Other Unitronic parts (below): 

— catted high-performance down pipe & mid pipes 

— 980 injectors

Custom 5″ intake & custom intercooler piping (fabbed & coated by LRB)

4.5” intercooler rated for 1000+hp (fabbed & installed by LRB)

Iroz engine & trans catch can (powder coated by LRB)

Eventuri carbon fiber engine cover 

Remus exhaust (no resonator) w/ titanium tips covered in carbon

Thanks to: LRB, The Autoshop ATL, and Eurofed

lowered Audi RS3

Suspension 

KW Suspension V2 coilovers 

Ground Control front camber kit 

iSWEEP DCC mag-ride delete kit 

ECE dog bone mount 

034 suspension parts (below): 

— front adjustable end links (powder coated by LRB)

— subframe locking collards (front)

— adjustable rear sway bar (powder coated by LRB)

— rear spherical sway bar end links (powder coated by LRB) 

— billet aluminum rear subframe 

JXB upgraded drive shaft carrier

iSweep rear center floor brace rear (powder coated by LRB)

Audi RS3 TE37

Wheels / Brakes 

Volk TE37s in 18×9.5 +45 

GiroDisc 2-piece slotted rotors front & rear (custom color by LRB) 

Neuspeed stainless steel brake lines (in transblue)

Porsche titanium stud conversion kit 

Lugs & studs were burnt by JD Custom USA 

fast Audi

Interior

Custom alcantara steering wheel with LED display 

Red carbon fiber paddle shifters

Carbon Freakz carbon center console

P3 gauge

•CHECK OUT OUR FREE APP•  (APPLE)

•CHECK OUT OUR FREE APP•  (ANDROID)