Birchall
Dick Chown Award 2016
Hi,
I have added the current spec of the car for those who don't want to read through many pages of chat.
I will update this as anything changes (A project is NEVER finished!!)
P.S. My car is featured in September's Audi Driver magazine (out September 7th). If you want to read more!
Standard Options that were on the car originally
Sport Spec, including DIS, Double DIN, OSS (Working perfectly, touch wood!)
17” Sport Alloys, Sports seats with lumbar etc.
Standard Audi A2 options that were retrofitted (mostly by Tom (TIMMUS) Thanks Tom)
Starting at the front and working back (more or less)
Headlamp washers
Front fog lamps (with LED bulbs)
Auto dimming Rear-view mirror
Auto Headlamps (with “coming home/ leaving home” function)
Cruise control
BOSE
Rear Electric windows
Rear cupholders (my favourite standard option)
Spacesaver wheel and mountings
Rear Power socket
Rear parking sensors
Additional boot light
Improvements / Mods
Remap by Stealth (from 75 to 104bhp)
Six speed conversion
RNS E system
.......With SDS (Voice activation)
.......Bluetooth phone system
.......SatNav with Speed Cameras and 7 didgit Post Codes
.......AV Input (all supplied and fitted by HazyDayz)
Fantastic flat bottomed MFSW (again by HazyDayz)
White dials
TT aluminium pedal rubbers
Latest style window switches (not soft-touch!)
RemoteKey
.......Giving remote closing of the OSS
.......One-Touch opening and closing of all windows via drivers interior window switch
.......Remote opening and closing of all windows (one touch rather than holding the button down)
.......Remote opening of the Fuel Flap (quite useful!)
Second rear fog light wired in (thanks Tom)
AV Input (for Camera / TV)
Interior
Complete custom interior (cost more than the car cost me to buy!)
With Black Alcantara headlining and pillars
Golf Recarro front seats trimmed in white perforated alcantara and smooth black leather
Heated seat panels (standard)
Twin iPad minis built into the headrests
Standard rear seats trimmed in white perforated alcantara and smooth black leather
All door cards trimmed in white perforated alcantara and smooth black leather
Carpets trimmed with white leather
LED bulbs in all interior lights (including the second boot light)
6 Speed emblem from an S3 gearstick
PVR video, to record incidents etc. (automatically)
Exterior
Complete (and I mean complete) Colour change to white with black features
Votex kit fitted including the rear spoiler
18” R8 V10 style wheels and 215 35 18 tyres with flush valves
Bi-Xenon Headlights (Dipped and Main)
LED Sidelights
LED Fog lights
LED Reversing lights
LED Number plate lights
LED Indicator bulbs Using a modified flasher relay
I have probably forgotten a few things but will update this post as and when changes are made.
Just one before and a some "after" pictures (the before state was amazing too!!!) The last few are as it is now







My story of how it got to this follows!!!
I have been a fan of the A2 since buying one new for my wife (back in 2001) and then finding that I REALLY enjoyed the A2 and used it as often as I had chance (perhaps the reason why so many A2s have high mileage?)
Back in 2011 I wanted to buy a new car, but there was no new A2 or I would have bought one.
The next best thing seemed to be an A1, so that was it!
But as cars are such a great hobby of mine (44 years now) building and owning many weird and wonderful cars, I didn't want a basic A1.
So I ticked every possible option on the list (and I mean EVERYTHING). The final bill being £29,000 !!!! For an A1!
It was crazy to do this, but I like being crazy every now and then.
After 2 years of ownership I was getting bored, it was a great car but just lacked "Character" if you know what I mean?
The replacement just HAD to be an A2, after owning cars for 44 years and changing them every year (at most) I had tried every type of car imaginable, ranging from a smart car to a Bentley, NOTHING was as complete a car as the A2.
So having just got rid of a FULLY specced A1, the hunt was on for a fully specced A2, and so the project starts!!!
I had a few "Must haves" that were not really feasible as a retro fit (nothing is impossible but.....)
So the base car for the project had to have an OSS,
After trying to locate the parts to convert a non-DIS car to a DIS car I decided that, even though it is a totally feasible retro fit, it was more hassle than it was worth, so the base car HAD to have DIS.
It also had to have a double DIN dash so I can retro fit an RNS -E system (again, a double DIN dash can be retro fitted, but it is too much hassle (in my view)
I was not bothered about colour, because the plan was always to spray the car in an ideal colour.
I wasn't bothered about leather either, because I wanted a custom Leather interior (looking reasonably OEM, but "Special")
Wheels were not an issue either, because I will be fitting 18" RS4 9 Spoke alloys (yes I know the ride will be FIRM)
I wanted to find a car with as full a spec as possible, retro fits are very expensive!)
The big difference with this project when compared to others on this great forum is something that I am not proud of, and that is this is going to be a "cheque book" project.
I am 61 and no longer able to contort my body into the shapes needed to do most of the work, so my only option is to pay for the work to be done.
So I wouldn't recommend this approach to anyone, because the cost is going to be huge and the value of the car at the end will be a fraction of the cost.
To prevent this post from turning into one long post I will break it down a little and the next post is relating to the search for the base car.
Steve B
I have added the current spec of the car for those who don't want to read through many pages of chat.
I will update this as anything changes (A project is NEVER finished!!)
P.S. My car is featured in September's Audi Driver magazine (out September 7th). If you want to read more!
Standard Options that were on the car originally
Sport Spec, including DIS, Double DIN, OSS (Working perfectly, touch wood!)
17” Sport Alloys, Sports seats with lumbar etc.
Standard Audi A2 options that were retrofitted (mostly by Tom (TIMMUS) Thanks Tom)
Starting at the front and working back (more or less)
Headlamp washers
Front fog lamps (with LED bulbs)
Auto dimming Rear-view mirror
Auto Headlamps (with “coming home/ leaving home” function)
Cruise control
BOSE
Rear Electric windows
Rear cupholders (my favourite standard option)
Spacesaver wheel and mountings
Rear Power socket
Rear parking sensors
Additional boot light
Improvements / Mods
Remap by Stealth (from 75 to 104bhp)
Six speed conversion
RNS E system
.......With SDS (Voice activation)
.......Bluetooth phone system
.......SatNav with Speed Cameras and 7 didgit Post Codes
.......AV Input (all supplied and fitted by HazyDayz)
Fantastic flat bottomed MFSW (again by HazyDayz)
White dials
TT aluminium pedal rubbers
Latest style window switches (not soft-touch!)
RemoteKey
.......Giving remote closing of the OSS
.......One-Touch opening and closing of all windows via drivers interior window switch
.......Remote opening and closing of all windows (one touch rather than holding the button down)
.......Remote opening of the Fuel Flap (quite useful!)
Second rear fog light wired in (thanks Tom)
AV Input (for Camera / TV)
Interior
Complete custom interior (cost more than the car cost me to buy!)
With Black Alcantara headlining and pillars
Golf Recarro front seats trimmed in white perforated alcantara and smooth black leather
Heated seat panels (standard)
Twin iPad minis built into the headrests
Standard rear seats trimmed in white perforated alcantara and smooth black leather
All door cards trimmed in white perforated alcantara and smooth black leather
Carpets trimmed with white leather
LED bulbs in all interior lights (including the second boot light)
6 Speed emblem from an S3 gearstick
PVR video, to record incidents etc. (automatically)
Exterior
Complete (and I mean complete) Colour change to white with black features
Votex kit fitted including the rear spoiler
18” R8 V10 style wheels and 215 35 18 tyres with flush valves
Bi-Xenon Headlights (Dipped and Main)
LED Sidelights
LED Fog lights
LED Reversing lights
LED Number plate lights
LED Indicator bulbs Using a modified flasher relay
I have probably forgotten a few things but will update this post as and when changes are made.
Just one before and a some "after" pictures (the before state was amazing too!!!) The last few are as it is now







My story of how it got to this follows!!!
I have been a fan of the A2 since buying one new for my wife (back in 2001) and then finding that I REALLY enjoyed the A2 and used it as often as I had chance (perhaps the reason why so many A2s have high mileage?)
Back in 2011 I wanted to buy a new car, but there was no new A2 or I would have bought one.
The next best thing seemed to be an A1, so that was it!
But as cars are such a great hobby of mine (44 years now) building and owning many weird and wonderful cars, I didn't want a basic A1.
So I ticked every possible option on the list (and I mean EVERYTHING). The final bill being £29,000 !!!! For an A1!
It was crazy to do this, but I like being crazy every now and then.
After 2 years of ownership I was getting bored, it was a great car but just lacked "Character" if you know what I mean?
The replacement just HAD to be an A2, after owning cars for 44 years and changing them every year (at most) I had tried every type of car imaginable, ranging from a smart car to a Bentley, NOTHING was as complete a car as the A2.
So having just got rid of a FULLY specced A1, the hunt was on for a fully specced A2, and so the project starts!!!
I had a few "Must haves" that were not really feasible as a retro fit (nothing is impossible but.....)
So the base car for the project had to have an OSS,
After trying to locate the parts to convert a non-DIS car to a DIS car I decided that, even though it is a totally feasible retro fit, it was more hassle than it was worth, so the base car HAD to have DIS.
It also had to have a double DIN dash so I can retro fit an RNS -E system (again, a double DIN dash can be retro fitted, but it is too much hassle (in my view)
I was not bothered about colour, because the plan was always to spray the car in an ideal colour.
I wasn't bothered about leather either, because I wanted a custom Leather interior (looking reasonably OEM, but "Special")
Wheels were not an issue either, because I will be fitting 18" RS4 9 Spoke alloys (yes I know the ride will be FIRM)
I wanted to find a car with as full a spec as possible, retro fits are very expensive!)
The big difference with this project when compared to others on this great forum is something that I am not proud of, and that is this is going to be a "cheque book" project.
I am 61 and no longer able to contort my body into the shapes needed to do most of the work, so my only option is to pay for the work to be done.
So I wouldn't recommend this approach to anyone, because the cost is going to be huge and the value of the car at the end will be a fraction of the cost.
To prevent this post from turning into one long post I will break it down a little and the next post is relating to the search for the base car.
Steve B
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