# S5 E01: Building an Audi A5 That Can Outrun a Porsche 911

An episode of [Gearhaus](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1839239303), 23 Sep 2026, 1 h 35 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/103f40d90/podcast/play/126185815/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-8-23%2F432498948-44100-2-b50cbb1cdd1e.m4a

Gearhaus is back with Season 5, and we kick it off with one of Kenya’s most dedicated car builders: Melvin Mulanda. Melvin purchased an accident-damaged Audi A5 as a daily cruiser but later embarked on a 4½-year mission to chase 500+ horsepower. In this episode, Kalasinga and Vanilla sit down with Melvin to discuss the reality of unconventional car builds in Kenya. We discuss forging the 2.0L TFSI inline-4 engine, custom exhaust manifolds, massive turbo upgrades, fueling hurdles, and the terrifying moment the car burst into flames at high speed on the Nairobi Expressway. We also explore why he switched to the MQB platform with Kenya’s first VW Arteon, how he built a 550HP+ flex-fuel road weapon in just 6 months, and the common myths around VW DSG gearboxes, cooling issues, and what it takes to build high-performance European cars locally. Welcome to Season 5! Guest: Melvin: https://www.instagram.com/b8.5a5/ Follow Gearhaus on: Website: https://www.itsgearhaus.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsgearhaus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsgearhaus/ WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7MoK22Jl8Epvkjrz2I Gearhaus is a Palahala Media Group production.

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