[Video] Sadistic Iron Werks Bags an Audi R8 and Drops it to the Deck at SEMA 2017

There aren’t too many custom car builders at the 2017 SEMA Show who came with the expectation of “flattening everyone’s expectations” but that was exactly the intention of Bobby Martins of Sadistic Iron Werks.

If passed on the highway by this R8 doubtful you'd see this view for very long

If passed on the highway by this R8 doubtful you'd see this view for very long

According to Bobby, much has been made online about the inability to slam an Audi R8 on the ground, and Bobby decided to show his latest creation at the industry show to prove them wrong.

The car is a 2017 Audi R8 with a twin turbo V10 that Sadistic modified for FLO Airride Manufacturing. A stunning custom body from Prior Design North America was fitted, then covered with an APA Wrap in an anodized silver color, what Bobby refers to as “the inside of a Coke can,” though that understates just how striking the car is in person.

Looking more like it landed there than drove the completed R8 heads en route to the SEMA Show

Looking more like it landed there than drove the completed R8 heads en route to the SEMA Show

The engine was fitted with a Dallas Performance Stage 1 twin turbo system fed through K&N RU-5121 K&N air filters. Fitted to a stock 5.2L V10 engine, the Stage 1 modifications raise output to 750 wheel horsepower on 93 octane fuel. "We chose K&N as they're the best filters on the market. With an engine with this much power you can't let the smallest micron through," Bobby stated.

Filling out the wheel wells are B-Forged 315TS wheels wrapped in Toyo tires. Bobby created the suspension using utilizing AirLift struts, but as there aren’t many aftermarket components for a 'bagged Audi R8, Bobby had to fabricate many of the pieces that complete the system.

On Sunday the R8 still looked like this. Check out the assignments on the white board in the back

On Sunday the R8 still looked like this. Check out the assignments on the white board in the back

The result is a range of seven inches. And according to Bobby, it rides about the same, if not a bit softer than the original equipment steel springs and shock absorbers he replaced. And, for at least a minute or two, he silenced the internet.

Bobby’s expertise comes from both formal and informal education. He was a certified Toyota Master Tech for 20 years, but his hobby has been to 'bag vehicles, his first a Bug ('69 that is). He opened Sadistic Iron Werks in 2001 and has become a full-service one-stop shop for air suspension conversions and other performance upgrades.

Hard to believe that the project started just two months before the SEMA Show, and given that information, it’s not hard to believe that the R8 was completed on the Monday before the show. Maybe that’s how Bobby decided to name his shop “Sadistic.”

There's a photo posted here that shows the condition of the car on the Sunday before the show, with a whiteboard in the background that lists all the tasks that need to be completed. Most likely every one is a major undertaking and it's a small wonder that the team completed the car in time for the show. Thankfully Bobby’s shop is located in Hesperia, California, which is less than a 200 miles drive from Las Vegas and the SEMA Show.

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