Cliff Torrijos - 2010 Gated Audi R8 V10

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Genuine mid-engined exotics don't tend to wear German badges, they rarely received the acclaim of their Italian counterparts. Here's the car that broke the mould, the Audi R8. Here was proof that you could buy a car with the charisma and presence of a Lamborghini and the engineering of a supercar, but as an Audi and in V10 guise, it has the performance to match.

Hard work and dedication to achieve your goal pay off, it always does, and this car is further proof, that if you have a goal shoot for it and don’t stop until you get there, Cliff has certainly done this and proven its achievable his Audi R8 is a holy grail, why?, because its manual, besides looking outstanding there is no denying that a gated R8 is worth its weight in gold, both for performance and drivability.

Cliff as decided because the power and performance is pretty much on point he will concentrate on the aesthetics making his dream car look just as good as it performs, I think we can agree he certainly is achieving this goal, Marvin the photographer as taken great care to make sure he captures the car in its perfect setting and bring out the best look possible, careful editing in the background to highlight his work even more, marvin as done an excellent job highlighting this car, its many features and colors, make sure to check the rest of the photographs and his work out on his Instagram page, give him a follow for even more awesome cars….

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Cliff Torrijos

2010 Audi R8 V10

Instagram: @gated_v10

Photographer: Marvin Recinos/ @mr2mivin

For Audi enthusiasts, an R8 equipped with a 5.2L V10 mated to a 6-speed gated manual transmission is the holy grail. Purchasing this dream car was the culmination of decades of hard work! Two years and a whole lot of money later (I don’t like to know the real number so I haven’t actually added it up) the car is nearly complete!

My name is Cliff Torrijos and I’m 44 years old. My hometown is Malibu, California but I’ve also lived in Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Virginia, Hawai’i, and China. In 2017, I made my way back to SoCal where I currently reside enjoying the great weather, incredible car culture, and high gas prices. Since graduating college, I’ve primarily worked for the U.S. Department of Defense helping design, launch, and operate military satellites. However, a little over a year ago, I made the decision to go on a sabbatical to take care of my ageing parents full-time. It’s definitely been a challenge but I feel extremely fortunate to be in the position to do so.

A couple of years ago, before taking on full-time caregiver duties, I had actually been less focused on cars and more focused on travelling and going on adventures in the outdoors with my family. In particular, my girlfriend (Veronika), my son, and I would go outside to rock climb nearly every weekend. We would plan out-of-state trips every month and at least one trip out of the country each year. However, with COVID restrictions and the additional responsibilities at home, building cars and getting back involved with the car community seemed like an easier thing to do. We still rock climb and work out in our spare time but we have also become quite involved in the local car scene. 

What got me interested in cars, to be honest, I can’t point to a single moment or person. Sure I grew up with model cars, Hot Wheels, Micro Machines, and car posters on my wall. I played racing video games like Gran Turismo, Forza, and Need for Speed. But I think just growing up in Southern California in the ’80s and ’90s was enough. This was ground zero for the sport compact car scene. And since SoCal has always had a terrible public transportation system, cars here are life and have become an extension of our personalities. 

In 1997, while in college, I purchased my first iconic sports car, a red 1993 Mazda RX7. I spent countless hours with my friends fixing, modifying, and cruising around town all on a college kid budget. As I got older, my involvement in the car community fluctuated but my passion for fast and sexy cars has always been there. I love cruising, racing, and going to shows/meets to meet other enthusiasts and check out their rides. 

You may ask why I choose this car, long story short, I became a Euro enthusiast back in 2005. I purchased a brand new 6-speed e46 M3 and a couple of years old B5 S4. Coming from the JDM world, there was something I really loved about the classy understated European looks and much more luxurious interiors. In addition, there were just so many fewer in the scene during that time. In the end, the highly-tunable twin-turbo 2.7L V6 of the S4 beat out the NA 3.2L V6 of the M3 and so I became an Audi enthusiast.

So for an Audi guy, the R8 is the ultimate vehicle. So when I took a new job with a significant pay bump, I decided it was finally time. Since I knew it had to be a 6-speed manual, my original plan was to pick up a V8. But after doing several weeks of research, I knew that I would always regret not getting the V10 so I decided to splurge on another “forever car”. I was really fortunate that I purchased it at the beginning of the pandemic as the market value for my car has gone up 50% since I purchased it!

So why did I build this car, It’s never been a question about whether my cars get built. The only question is, how far will I take it? 

When I first purchased this car, I intended to build a twin-turbo monster. But after putting the car through its paces and realizing the rarity of the spec, I’ve decided to focus less on the engine and more on the aesthetics. 

Owning and driving this car is next level. First, if you haven’t driven or at least driven in a mid-engine V10 supercar, you need to ASAP. Heck, if you’re ever in SoCal, I’ll give you a ride in this one! Having the engine a few inches behind your head and hearing the F1-like symphony out of a titanium exhaust, is something that just needs to be experienced and appreciated. 

I’ve owned some very nicely modified cars in the past but the amount of attention and love this R8 gets is like nothing I’ve experienced previously. No matter where I go, people are pointing, staring, and taking photos with their cell phones. People are always coming up to me to compliment me on the car and ask me questions like, “how much is one of these?” and “how fast have you driven in it?” 

But the real reward comes at the shows. It’s a great feeling when fellow car enthusiasts stop to admire and talk about my build. But the absolute best is to see the sparkle in the kids’ eyes. Because I remember being that kid at one time. If I’m around, I always try to give them a sticker of my car so they can put it on something they love and keep them inspired to work hard so they can someday own their own.

Advice/Tips:

I get this question all the time…

1. If you are going to be modifying your car, make sure you have a reliable daily driver. There’s nothing more frustrating than starting in on a project and it ends up taking days or weeks longer than anticipated. Or something breaks unexpectedly and you have to wait on parts and repair. When you own a modified car, these things happen often and you don’t want to have to worry about how you’re going to get to school or work the next day.
2. Make a plan and budget for mods. Figure out your end vision and make a schedule and plan to get there. Organizing your build into phases will help avoid having a car that looks incomplete or half-finished for long periods of time
3. Finally, focus on making yourself happy. Don’t build your car for anyone else. Build it for YOU. Make it a reflection and expression of YOU. If you build it to get the approval of others, you’ll never have as much satisfaction as if you build it for yourself.