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 sedan.
The tuner takes the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and pushes the output to 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) and 380 pound-feet (515 Newton-meters). In comparison, the stock S3 has 306 hp (228 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm).
Gallery: Manhart S 400 Based On Audi S3 Sedan
The Manhart-tuned S3's figures even beat the European-market RS3 that has a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder making 394 (294 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm). In the US, the RS3 offers 401 hp (299 kW). Europe also gets the Performance Edition variant of the RS providing 407 hp (302-kW).
To achieve the major horsepower improvement, Manhart fits a new intercooler, a carbon-fiber 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 1.181 inches (30 millimeters). The exhaust pipes exit from carbon-fiber surrounds.
The show car for highlighting the modifications features a gray 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.
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 hp (358 kW). With so much power, the car hits 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in a claimed 3.2 seconds and 124 mph (200 kph) in 10.7 seconds.
In the US, a 2023 S3 starts at $47,895 (after the $1,095 destination fee) for the Premium trim. Premium Plus takes the cost to $50,595, and the range-topping Prestige is $54,595.
