Karl Funke - PES Tuning

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“I feel the need… the need for speed!”—Maverick, Top Gun/// RAPTOR DESCENDING /////////SPEED: THE ELUSIVEFEELING, THAT UTTERLYSATISFYING SENSATION OFFASTNESS. It’s the number onereason so many of us are drawn to thisautomotive pastime.You could deny it, sure, but thenyou wouldn’t be entirely honest withyourself, would you? Whether you lustto drive a 500-hp Lamborghini or prefera 50-hp Austin-Healy Sprite, the endgame is usually the same: pursuit ofthat sensation of rapid motion, speed(whether or not you’re actually goingfast is a different matter entirely).There’s just one problem: the postedspeed limit. Given, you don’t have todeal with them if you live on the Isleof Man, the one place on Earth wherethere is no generally accepted speedlimit, or if you’re blessed with access toroughly half the German autobahnenthat remain unrestricted at the top end.Otherwise, you’re a gambling man (orwoman). And speed, as it happens, canbe detrimental to your good standingas a responsible motorist. Don’t ask mehow I know.All things considered, driving a fastcar fast in any one of the fifty UnitedStates of America could be one ofthe more frustrating and frighteningproposals you’re likely to face as anautomotive enthusiast. But what ifyou could, nearly literally, fly under theradar? See speed traps coming beforethey see you? Listen in on big brotheras he attempts to listen in on you?Enter the Performance OutfittersGroup R8 Raptor. This car is purposebuiltto drive fast—really fast—andstay utterly off the radar while doingit. The car’s owner—a shadowyindividual who we’ll call Mr. R—had itassembled for one specific task: takingthe top spot and requisite braggingrights in that exhibition of speed, excessand debauchery known as Bullrun.As I type, with the event still twoweeks hence, we have no idea if he’llbe successful. But given the tools at hisdisposal, I’d say nobody has got a betterchance. And even if it all goes south,Mr. R has certainly stirred things up.The R8 Raptor has become somethingof a legend by now on the East Coast.Performance Outfitters Groupout of Stamford, Conn., got the nodwhen it came time to do the work. Anunknown number of man hours havebeen invested into the project to date.At first glance it may look nothingmore than your basic R8. You’ll notethe lack of a contrasting “sideblade”panel; move in a little closer and you’llnote the paint is a custom matte-finishblack. Outwardly, this car is probablyabout as subtle as an R8 can get.To accomplish the paint job, everyexterior panel was removed and theinterior was gutted. The latter was anecessary step anyway to make roomfor the host of electronics modificationsplanned for the project—moreon that in a minute. The panels wereThis car ispurposebuiltto drivefast—reallyfast—andstay utterlyoff the radarwhile doing it.also stripped of their R8 badging, andthe side markers and all three taillampswere smoked.Reportedly, when the time came todecide on an entry for the 2009 Bullrunrally, Mr. R had narrowed the field totwo vehicles: the R8, and a Ferrari F430Scuderia. While few would doubt the430’s on-track prowess, the R8 won outmainly over comfort and ergonomics,as well as the option of reliably superchargingthe R8’s 4.2-liter FSI powerunit. At the time of the initial teardown,the R8 wore white paint and no otherperformance modifications outside of aMilltek exhaust.Performance Engine Software, PES,out of Shouthampton, Penn., wastapped to provide a means of forcedinduction: supercharger assembly withintegrated intake manifold, intercoolingprovisions, and the requisite supportsoftware. PES claims, unofficially atthis point, an approximate 103-hpgain over the stock peak power figure.With the free-flowing Milltek pipes inplace, Performance Outfitters Groupestimates this R8, only the second suchsupercharged example in the UnitedStates, to put down around 558 hp58EUROPEANCAR 10.2009www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com

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RAPTOR DESCENDING /////////and 437 lb-ft of torque (corrected formeasurement at the crank).The exterior was reassembled withcustom CAD-designed “R8 Raptor”badges (named after the USAF’snewest superjet, the F22) were applied.The wheels were replaced with 20-inchHRE M47s wrapped in Michelin PilotSport 2 rubber. The HRE alloys wereendowed with custom R8 center caps,and the Milltek exhaust tips werecustom powdercoated black.What makes this car special, however,is really what you can’t immediatelysee. The interior is a technical work ofThe interioris a technicalwork of art,a triumph ofreverseengineering.art, a triumph of reverse engineering.I remember a quote from the originalKnight Rider where David Hasslehoffrefers to KITT’s interior as somethingakin to “Darth Vader’s bathroom.”There’s no toilet inside this R8, so Iwon’t reckon it approximates Vader’sprivy. But it does make the Knight RiderTransAm interior look like so much1980s high-tech baloney. The amountof technology sunk into this cockpitbasically makes the Raptor a highspeedmobile command center. Which,essentially, it is.Start with GPS; the R8 Raptorincorporates no fewer than fiveseparate GPS devices, four of them ableto interface directly with the cockpitinhabitants. One: Garmin 855T moldedinto the A-pillar. Two: Thinkpad laptopfolded into the glovebox by way of acustom sliding and locking tray. Three:Apple iPhone molded into the driver’ssunvisor (what Performance OutfittersGroup techs lovingly refer to as the“iVisor”). Four: Alpine IVA-W505 touchscreenhead unit mounted in place ofthe factory MMI display screen. Andfive: a GPS locator device that can beaccessed from any external computer(with the appropriate credentials) andwhich updates the vehicle’s real-timeposition every three seconds usingGoogle Maps.To stay a few steps ahead of theauthorities—or at the very least, to stayabreast of their activities—the Raptoris equipped with a Uniden BCD996Tdigital police scanner and Uniden BCRH96 remote head mounted in thenew, all custom interior headliner. ThisR8 is also armed with a Passport 9500ci,with all-band radar detection and360-degree laser shifting technology—pretty much the daddy of all radar/laser detectors, with its display locatedin the rearview mirror and its controlsresiding in a custom pod where theashtray was.To keep in contact with its immediatesurroundings, the Raptor is alsofitted with a Cobra 75 WXST CB radio.Performance Outfitters Group actuallypulled the radio apart and added anadditional microphone for the PAsystem (for saying hi to your adoringpublic, or for shouting at slow moversto kindly make way). There’s also aswitch to activate the police siren (yes,60EUROPEANCAR 10.2009www.w.ststororememagags.s.cocom & www.w.fafantntamamagag.c.com

RAPTOR DESCENDING /////////PERFORMANCEOUTFITTERS GROUPR8 RAPTORLAYOUTLongitudinal mid-engine,all-wheel driveENGINE4.2-liter V8, dohc, 32-valve.PES supercharger system andsoftware, Milltek exhaustTRANSMISSIONSix-speed manualWHEELS AND TIRESHRE M47, 8.5x20 (f), 11x20 (r)Michelin Pilot Sport 2, 235/30 (f),305/25 (r)EXTERIORCustom matte paint, smokedmarkers/taillights, Whelan TIR3LED burst lights front and rear,custom R8 Raptor badgingINTERIORCustom suede upholstery, Garmin855T GPS molded into A-pillar,Apple iPhone molded into driver’s r’ssunvisor, custom fiberglass dashpanel, Passport 9500ci radar/laser scanner, Uniden BCD996Tpolice scanner with headlinermountedhead, Alpine IVA-W505,Cobra 75 WXST CB radio,motorized “Raptor Compactor”waste bin, Autonet WiFi Internetwith antenna booster, gloveboxmountedThinkpad laptop, customLEDs in headliner and doorpanels, Morel ELATE speakers,Zeitronix LCD gaugethe Raptor has one of those too).The custom headliner, engineeredby Performance Outfitters Group fabricatorPedro Negron (who reportedlydedicated several hundred hours tothe interior, and who also molded thecenter dash and designed the iVisor),incorporates pods at each upper cornerof the windshield for the Whelan TIR3flashers, one red, one blue.Negron also supplied the customcenter-dash surround, modeled afterthe contours of the factory unit, whichhouses the Alpine head unit and thenew various control switches. Thecustom A-pillar, along with dutiesto wire the whole monstrosity, wereundertaken by Performance OutfittersGroup fabricator Jon Bacco.In the lighting department, the R8Raptor incorporates two clusters ofwhite Whelan TIR3 “burst” lights:an array of six stealthily embeddedin the trapezoidal Audi grille, andeight located on the underside of thespeed-deployed rear wing. These areto encourage slow-moving traffic infront of the car to dive out of the way,or to discourage fast-moving tailgatersat the rear. Each light cluster can beoperated independently of the others,or all at once using a pre-programmed“show” mode.If the lights fail to modify ambienttraffic patterns, the R8 Raptor is alsoequipped with a Hella industrialairhorn—attached to a toggle switchso the factory horn can also beselected—as well as the aforementionedPA system.There are other various points ofinterest inside the car, too many tocover in great detail. The factory speakershave been replaced with MorelELATE components with a subwoofermounted centrally between the driver’sPERFORMANCE*Peak Power: 558 hpPeak Torque: 437 lb-ft* Performance Outfitters Group est.and passenger’s seats; cameras aremounted in the A-pillar, one trainedon the cockpit, one pointed outsidethe car, to capture the whole eventdigitally; a motorized waste bin(dubbed the “Raptor Compactor”) atthe rear of the center console; an accessorypanel beneath the bin offering 12and 120-volt, Ethernet and compositeaudio/video hot links; red LED “fighterlights” and reading lights embeddedin the headliner; a Zeitronix digitaldisplay gauge monitoring the PESforced induction system; Autonet WiFifor mobile high-speed Internet access.It’s enough to make your head spin.But is it enough to win the Bullrun?We’ll know by the time this makesit to print. Of course, Mr. R has a fewother tricks up his sleeve that arebeing kept mum until the big day—maybe even forever. And speculationswirls; there’s even word that he hascontracted a helicopter to pre-run thecourse for him. But at this point, it’s allstill speculation.Rumor has it that after the rally he’llbe returning to Performance Outfittersto turn the car back to “mostly stock.”We’re calling it a ruse. Whether or notMr. R takes the prize at Bullrun, there’sstill one more record he may see fit totackle. And this seems just the tool totackle it.N.Y. to L.A., anyone?CONTACTPerformance Outfitters Group203.975.1188www.performanceoutfitters.com62EUROPEANCAR 10.2009& www.w.fantntamamag.c.com