Manhart is a major tuner of European vehicles, particularly the ones from Germany. It's now showing off the vehicle that the company calls the S 400, but this isn't a Mercedes-Benz. Instead, the company turns up the dial on the Audi S3 saloon.
The tuner takes the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder and pushes the output to 400 bhp (298 kilowatts) and 380 pound-feet (515 Newton-metres). In comparison, the stock S3 has 306 bhp (228 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm).
Gallery: Manhart S 400 (Basis Audi S3 Limousine)
The Manhart-tuned S3's figures even beat the European-market RS3 that has a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder making 394 bhp (294 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm). In the US, the RS 3 offers 401 bhp (299 kW). Europe also gets the Performance Edition variant of the RS providing 407 bhp (302-kW).
To achieve the major horsepower improvement, Manhart fits a new intercooler, a carbon-fibre intake, Remus-sourced stainless steel exhaust, and a re-mapped ECU.
Beyond the powertrain tweaks, Manhart fits a set of H&R springs that lower the S3 by 30 millimetres (1.2 inches). The exhaust pipes exit from carbon-fibre surrounds.
The show car for highlighting the modifications features a grey body with accents in red and black, including an asymmetric stripe. It rides on a set of Manhart's Concave One 19-inch wheels with a satin black finish.
The show car has no changes to the interior or brakes. However, Manhart says that it can upgrade both aspects at a customer's request.
More Manhart-Tuned Machines:
While Manhart's upgrades are impressive, the German tuner Motoren Technik Mayer (MTM) has even more extreme S3 tweaks. The company's stage four improvements boost the output to 480 bhp (358 kW). With so much power, the car hits 62 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) in a claimed 3.2 seconds and 124 mph (200 kph) in 10.7 seconds.
In the UK, a 2023 S3 starts at £39,610 and the range-topping S3 Vorsprung is £47,360.
Source: Manhart