Audi S2 Restomod Gets V10 Power From R8 Supercar

As restomod culture has become increasingly prevalent, the

best shops
have been forced to break away from the tried and true

muscle cars
and

European exotics
in order to stand out from the crowd. Accordingly, you’ll now find that everything from

Mini Coopers
to

Rolls-Royces
can claim some sort of restomod on the market, and there are countless interpretations vying for the most authentic expression. With

R8 supercar
power under the hood, however, this Audi

S2 is truly something unto its own.

Audi

Divisions

Audi Sport GmbH

Founded

1909

Founder

August Horch

Headquarters

Ingolstadt, Germany

Current CEO

Markus Duesmann

Status

Active

Expand

Giving The Classic Quattro Supercar Power

Seeing as some 7,370 examples were built from 1990 through 1995, the Audi S2 isn’t exactly a common car. Thankfully, the team at Race-Art South Africa had a connection from a prior Mazda RX-7 build who was able to help. Donor secured, they set about transforming the

classic German coupe
into the wild restomod you see before you.

Race-Art originally wanted the build to include a Prior Design widebody kit, but those are extremely hard to come by — just 80 of them exist in the world today. Accordingly, they turned to South African bodywork specialist Top Secret for a painstaking recreation. It’s a handbuilt design, but you’ll see under close study that it bears a striking resemblance to the original

widebody kit
.

Engine

Power

Torque

1991-1996 Audi S2

2.2-L T Inline-5

227 Horsepower

280 LB-FT

2011 Audi R8 Spyder

5.2-L V10

525 Horsepower

391 LB-FT

Audi

To give the S2 a dose of modern power, Race-Art ditched the stock turbocharged 2.2-liter five-cylinder. Though the team had initially considered an RS3 engine for the swap, they ultimately settled on an

R8 V10
— the same lump that powers

Lamborghini’s Gallardo
. As if that wasn’t enough, though, they decided that the engine would be best showcased through a NASCAR-inspired exhaust. Riding on some performance-tuned

air suspension
and fitted with a bespoke Farud Audio sound system, it’s made only better by custom touches like the ring-shaped air tank, pod-shaped speaker design, and red leather interior.

A Hoonigan’s Ride Inspired This Audi S2 Avant’s GT Racer Transformation

It isn’t hard to image this Audi competing in a German DTM race.

The S2 Is An Uncommon But Affordable Audi

In keeping with their relative rarity,

Audi S2 coupes
aren’t regular sights at auction. For this reason, Hagerty doesn’t provide a valuation, and Classic.com reports just nine sales in the past five years. Still, it makes for an attainable classic if you have your heart set on some retro

German luxury
.

10 Used Audis Nobody Is Buying (But Should)

These underappreciated gems from Audi will have you sitting up and taking notice.

For instance, the most recent example sold online went for some £9,150 (roughly $11,560) through a Collecting Cars auction in the UK. Of course, you’d have to factor in shipping, duties, and other logistical complications if you’re a buyer here in the United States, but that kind initial of investment does leave room in the budget for

automotive import possibilities
.

Assuming you want to keep your search to the Americas, you’ll find that S2 coupes will cost much closer to Classic.com’s $24,721 average sale. A 1996 Audi S2 sold on Bring a Trailer back in 2020 for $24,250 — even with 100,000 miles on the clock and a Canadian seller. You’ll have to be patient, as S2s are just one of the many

forbidden fruits
that we didn’t get here in the States.