Thanks to a motorsports background and a passion for driving sporty European cars, Fabryce Kutyba might just have the highest mileage B7 Audi RS4 in the USA.
Southern California has been an integral part of automotive culture since the first hot rodders needed to quench their desire for performance. It’s no surprise that many automotive aftermarket companies have either entirely operated, or have an office somewhere close to the heartbeat of the cultural trends.
Fabryce Kutyba has been around motorsports since he was sixteen years old. Early in his career, he worked for Ferrari, S.p.A., and Bentley North America before becoming a founding partner at Global Motorsports Group. He left GMG to become the Sales Director at Momo, started his own shop called GT Technik, and is still actively working with Audi Sport Customer Racing, Porsche Motorsport North America, and Aston Martin Racing North America.
Living in an area where the automobile is an essential part of life, it’s pretty easy to throw a stone and find multiple examples of low production vehicles. That same ease of seeing some noteworthy cars also translates very easily to seeing build diversity of some cars never seen in middle America.
Some Californians might not even care to look at a pair of McLarens at the local cars and coffee event, but a single one would likely draw a crowd in the parking lot of a grocery store in Albion Nebraska. An Audi might be a rare sight in Albion, but with only two thousand RS4s hand-built by Quattro GmBH, Audi’s performance arm over a two year period, the Audi RS4 is an exceedingly rare sight anywhere you go.
Sometimes without even trying, a car will become a unique build. Subtle details or minor improvements in power or handling manifest themselves to the builder’s desire, and soon enough, the car sets itself apart from other identically optioned siblings, rarity be damned.
Being owned by an automotive aficionado, one would be hard pressed to find him in a car that was exactly as delivered. Fabryce's Daytona Grey Pearl 2007 Audi RS4 is a testament to that.
This B7 RS4 left the original owner in Maine in 2013, and showed up in California, being purchased sight unseen. It came with Öhlins coilover suspension, a flashed ECU, and amazingly enough, it was rust free.
A look into the interior will reveal the European spec Audi RS4 steering wheel, which looks cooler and a bit more modern than the US spec RS4 steering wheel. It has a more modern looking center horn button, with the silver spokes and a flat bottom with the RS4 logo, while the US version has a standard round steering wheel and a huge horn button. This wheel was the first addition to the car, followed by a custom designed catback exhaust system to replace the one the car came with when purchased.
Fabryce had the previous owner's modified ECU reflashed back to stock so that it could better stomach the fuel that's available. Despite the factory tune, with the downpipes, custom fabricated T304 stainless exhaust, and 200 cell HJS high flow catalytic converter, the car gained twenty-seven horsepower from when he originally bought it. Fabryce says the factory tune is actually great and reliable, so he prefers it to the aftermarket.
The car revs quickly due to a lightweight flywheel and clutch combo from Advanced Clutch Technology. ACT actually used this car to develop the flywheel and clutch package for the S4/RS4.
The instrument cluster proudly proclaims two hundred thousand miles and growing. Thanks to punctual maintenance, this RS4 has been a reliable daily driver and is still fast on the highway.
When this B7 RS4 hit the showroom floor in 2007, dual clutch automatics didn't have performance supremacy. A nod to performance and driver comfort is the "dead pedal" footrest, adorned in the same stainless trim that the other three pedals have.
The Audi all weather floormats are a subtle reminder of Audi's performance branding, with the eye-catching red logo. That red logo makes even rubber floormats look premium.
The red accent color carries over into the LCD screens on the center console dual zone HVAC system. Of course, when Fabryce isn't listening to his car's exhaust note at high rpm, he's cruising the highway listening to some pretty chill vibey electronic music.
Looking like a jewel between pilot and copilot positions, the shift pattern is engraved into the knob, so one doesn't mistake the position of reverse gear.
The RS4 branding is proudly emblazoned on the seats to let people know this isn't a normal run of the mill Audi A4...
...and the branding continues onto the rear seatbacks.
Audi's product planners didn't overlook any details, including those retractable privacy screens on the rear windows for an executive look.
Fabryce didn’t want something over the top, and while the RS4 is very performance oriented, it has been a reliable commuter for two hundred thousand miles. The Audi shared garage space with a few other quad-ring emblem cars - R8s, S3s, and a six-speed BMW E92 M3, but this car has always been the go-to. A true testament to the car’s build quality and engineering.
The cam covers have never been removed, and oil consumption is fairly minimal, half a quart over five or six thousand miles. Fabryce religiously maintains his RS4 with LiquiMoly 5w40 synthetic engine oil and CERA TEC oil additive for higher mileage engines to keep this beast running smoothly.
The carbon fiber Audi RS cover on the intake manifold is a reminder of its performance-oriented existence. Over time, the heat from the engine turned the once gray-and-black carbon into a more bronze hued piece. In my opinion, it looks better this way!
The oil cap might upset any symmetrical balance to the top of the engine, but dual oil fills are unnecessary. Fabryce added a set of Teflon braided lines to the engine bay, which route to...
...a custom machined aluminum oil/air separator tank to catch any oil blowby. This oil catch can helps to reduce the carbon buildup on the engine's valves. It also looks pretty cool in the engine bay.
See how clear and white this coolant reservoir is? This is a sign that Fabryce left no detail overlooked. He replaced the coolant expansion tank and hoses because he wanted all the plastic pieces under the hood to be in great condition even though the car was aging. It was important to Fabryce that the bits in the engine bay work well and look as new as possible. A yellowing cracked reservoir common to most Audis with this type of mileage simply wouldn't suffice.
When Fabryce worked as the Sales Manager for Momo, he custom designed these 19x10 monoblock wheels. Apparently, they never made it to mass production, but he put a set on his Audi to show off what could have been. These are prototypes, so they're the only set in the world.
Wrapped in 275/30/R19 Nexen rubber all the way around the car, this wheel and tire combo would make anyone want to take the canyon route to that next business meeting.
Those beefy Brembo OEM RS4 calipers are definitely a necessity when your high-speed freeway run meets crazy LA traffic.
The OEM cross drilled floating rotors are matched with StopTech ceramic pads, which keep the annoying brake dust down to a minimum.
Only true motorsport fans will probably notice the license plate on the car - it pays homage to the thirteen times that Audi won at Le Mans.
So, after all of this, is there anything Fabryce would do differently if given a chance? Hardly. After putting a hundred and twenty thousand miles on it, it still puts a smile on his face. It’s just one car he didn’t want to part with.
It has its ups and downs. The untrained eye may pass it off as another Audi, but purists know and recognize it. As he explains, “RS4 ownership has been really pleasurable, its discreet enough to blend in with traffic but those who know what it is, appreciate it - from fellow enthusiasts to valets, to guys on motorcycles giving you the thumbs up when they hear it or see it on the roadway. Not to mention, the V8 at 8500 RPM has a nice song it belches out of the exhaust system.”
Thanks to having a custom tig welded exhaust with T304 stainless exhaust piping and only 200 cell JHM trimetallic sport catalysts separating the atmosphere from the Audi's exhaust headers, this thing wails at 8500 rpm.
And what's a luxury car without a moonroof? It makes sitting in LA traffic tolerable.
What’s next for Fabryce and his Audi? Well, from the experience he gleaned at Momo, (it’s rolling on prototype wheels he designed, for crying out loud), he’s going to design another set of wheels for the RS4. The car’s future may also involve some additional carbon bits, a decklid spoiler, mirror caps, and a subtle front splitter. The main goal is keeping that smile on his face every time he drives it for another hundred thousand miles. If you see him on the Sundry Freeway system, give him a thumbs up. It’s always nice to recognize and appreciate another rare car!
Story by Kelly Doke
Photos by Antonio Alvendia
