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1/4-mile: 11.7 sec @ 119 mph
Road course: 51.0 sec
150-to-0-mph braking: 742 feet
Total course time: 107.5 sec
Street drivability: ★★★★
The engine barked, the hammer dropped, four tires screeched in chorus, and the HPA R32 flew off like a square cannonball. The world’s quickest lunchbox posted a 3.6-second 0-to-60 run and an 11.7-second quarter-mile at 119 mph, although the R32’s best overall time—107.5 seconds—had slower acceleration legs. In this field of big-bore buffalo sedans, only the Vishnu Evo was quicker in the quarter-mile, a triumph for the pipsqueaks.
Crack the R32’s hood to see what all the shouting is about. The 3.2-liter DOHC 24-valve VR6 V-6 is chewing on twin BorgWarner (formerly KKK) K04 turbos and exhaling 450 horsepower. This is no Pep Boys hack job; the turbines and the compressor wheels spin side by side in custom housings and manifolds developed by HGP Turbonachrüstung of Germany. Also bespoke is the silicon-wrapped plumbing to the stock Audi TT intercoolers. The forked turbo hoses are also molded in Deutschland on tubular jigs supplied by HPA. Engine twiddling amounts to race-spec rod bearings and a laser-cut spacer between the block and head. It drops the compression ratio to 8.0:1 to digest the 17.0 psi of peak boost.
Other than the bubblegum-blue hoses, this $41,140 powertrain upgrade to a $29,675 R32, which has 240 horsepower in stock trim, is clean enough to pass for a factory job. The HPA R32’s fluff-’n’-buff includes a $3975 clutch pack, a $2675 reinforcing of the six-speed manual, a set of Porsche Cayenne Turbo front brakes ($4320 including labor), plus a few suspension tweaks to firm up the handling. Recaro Pole Position buckets add $1200. The R32’s Haldex all-wheel-drive system is left stock, and the HPA putters through town much like a regular R32: supple, refined, a munchkin Mercedes. When the light turns, aim sharp and fire. Brakes for a 5700-pound Cayenne feel as if they’ll stop the 3355-pound R32 between crosswalk lines. But it takes a lot of room—742 feet—to stop from 150 mph, owing to its narrower tires. Other than that, this super-cube has no shortcomings. —Aaron Robinson
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 3-door coupe
PRICE AS TESTED: $81,840 (base price*: $79,530)
ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
MODS engine/transmission: $41,140 Suspension: $1935 Brakes: $4320Wheels/tires: $2460 Body/interior: $2310
Displacement: 193 cu in, 3169cc
Power (mfr’s claim): 450 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Torque (mfr’s claim): 470 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual
Front brakes: Porsche 14.2 x 1.3-in vented, cross-drilled discs; Porsche 6-piston calipers
Rear brakes: Porsche 12.3 x 0.9-in vented, cross-drilled discs; stock 1-piston calipers
Brake pads: front: Porsche; rear: PBI Metal Master
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 99.1 in Length: 164.4 in Width: 68.3 in Height: 56.1 in
Curb weight: 3355 lb
Weight distribution, F/R: 62.0/38.0%
*Base price includes all performance-enhancing options." http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2004-hpa-motorsports-stage-ii-twin-turbo-r32-page-5
