Turbocharged Audi a real boost to club promoter

Pulling up to a trendy D.C. nightclub in a mid-level American sedan might not get you noticed. But add a turbocharged Audi with unique European appointments and an insatiable urge for speed, and the party might just end up being in your passenger seat.

Rodolfo Lamaestra, who moonlights as a club promoter around the D.C. metropolitan area, knows that even though image is skin-deep, without it, sometimes there’s simply no going deeper. But his 2000 Audi S4, which makes a whopping 550 horsepower, was not simply built to help him keep up appearances. He grew up around European cars, and the Audi is a tribute to a childhood built on fond memories of his father and his Porsche that glued the two to their seats at high speeds.

“Right away I was fascinated with German cars. I remember the first time I saw an Audi was when I was watching ‘CKY,’ and Bam Margera had an S4,” Lamaestra said. “I loved how sporty, yet luxurious, it looked.”

Another experience with a friend’s Audi A4 when he was just 17 years old pushed him toward buying his own S4.

He started with exterior modifications first, adding new bumpers directly imported from Germany, an aftermarket hood, new coil-overs for a lower profile and 18-inch HRE 545 three-piece wheels with black/white center caps. Lamaestra, whose eye for detail was tested on an already gorgeous rim set, found a way to make it better by having the lips painted gloss black with satin black graphite center caps.

Without so much as a second thought, the Porsche experience he craved as a youngster found its way into his stage 1 engine upgrade package for the S4. After achieving roughly 330 hp, he decided to remove what he fashioned “excessive restrictions on power” and bumped up to a stage 2 setup, which included new downpipes and an upgraded exhaust. After adding about 30 more horses, and with summer just around the corner, the fear of heat exhaustion causing additional stress to the engine required him to find a solution to bring in some cold. This resulted in the installation of a front-mount intercooler and silicone hose kit.

Pushing his stock k03 turbochargers to 26 pounds per square inch eventually caused catastrophe. The turbochargers, no longer able to maintain the load, met an early demise.

Lamaestra decided this time to indulge in more power. An additional $14,000 later, the Audi improved drastically when a AWE stage 3 kit was added, which included a performance chip, intake, diverter valves, new exhausts and downpipes. His dedication also earned him a sponsorship from Induktion Motorsports, which rebuilt his engine, while AWE provided the turbo kit.

At this moment, his stage 3+ setup is capable of nearly 450 hp on pump gas with a mild tune and 550 hp with race gas and a tune. The 2.7-liter biturbo now more than handles those pesky Camaros and Mustangs, dialing in with light frame construction thanks to carbon fiber fenders, hood and trunk, and tons of power. Add to that an RSK04 turbocharger setup that allows him to run a staggering 22 pounds of boost, spiking at 26 pounds, and you must give respect to a car you don’t often see modified to this extreme.

With all this power in hand and the engine squeezing out every remaining burst of power, Lamaestra did the next logical thing. He bought another Audi and upgraded to a 2001 RS4, this time capable of nearly 600 hp. And with specifications that read out of the pages of the most illustrious magazines in the market, he concedes that his cars have become something of celebrities on the Internet chat rooms where German automobile innovation is all the rage.

What do you drive? A 2000 Audi S4.

Why do you drive it? I drive it because I love it. I guess I could say I’m a purist. I’ve owned three cars, all of which are Audis and all of which have been driven as daily cars — no garage queens here. I put 50,000 miles on my 2000 Audi S4 in one year.

What makes this car special? My car has been fully converted. It’s hard to find another B5 S4 on the road like mine. It reflects my style and taste, truly making it one of a kind.

What is your most memorable driving experience? I did a rally from Virginia to New York and back with Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Mercedes, Audis and BMWs. At one point of the rally, I was racing a couple Porsche 996 911 Turbos, and I received a call saying that we were being chased by multiple state troopers because my friend had a police scanner. I took the first available exit and hid from them. We waited it out for a few and rerouted to avoid the men in blue. I managed to complete the whole rally without a ticket.

What was the first car you owned? An Audi A4. I made it stage 3 and was pushing around 300 [wheel horsepower]. It was a fun little car for a 1.8T and had solid power.

What music are you currently listening to in your car? I love minimal/tech house; Dubfire, Steve Lawler, Danny Howells and Sven Vath are my favorite DJs. I drive a European car, so European music fits the part. I plan to make a trip to the Winter Music Conference in Miami and Amsterdam for Vath’s legendary Cocoon parties — 124-126 [beats per minute] is where it’s at.

And your first ticket? What was it for? I was doing around 100 mph in a 55 mph zone when I was 18 on Fairfax County Parkway. The cop came out of nowhere and pulled me over instantly. After talking to him for a couple of minutes, he said he loved my car. Since I had no prior tickets, I persuaded him to let me off with a written warning. He was the nicest cop I’ve ever met, actually. Ever since that little incident, I invested in a radar detector.