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Showing results for tags 'tuning news'.
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Fancy a 710bhp BMW M3? If you do then I suggest that you head over to the nearest G-Power dealer and ask for the G-Power BMW M3 Tornado RS. For about 35,000Euros G-Power will give you 710bhp and 700Nm of torque for you to play around with or you just simply need those figures to show off to your friends at the local bistro. I also wonder if the price includes the orange and black paintjob. It should as it costs nearly as much as a brand new 330i. In one of the slickest power upgrades this side of a supercharged E60 M5, this E92 BMW M3 gets a supercharger system that is called the SKIII
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The ABT 'Speedie' - ABT starts tuning the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
The totally new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle has barely hit most markets around the world but as usual, the tuning houses have gotten their hands on it. ABT, known for tuning VW Group cars have their pimped out Beetle ready and wants us to call it the 'Speedie'. A bodykit, alloy wheels and 'go-faster' stripes and it deserves to be called 'Speedie'? I doubt it if you went out and bought the base 105bhp 1.2-litre TSI version. Even with ABT's ECU tweaks for that engine. But do continue reading anyway. Anyway, the ABT Volkswagen Beetle Speedie (which I think is what it's called in full) is basically ABT's first step in tuning the all new, new Beetle (I just had to say it in this way as this IS the revamp of the first new Beetle). ABT have not finalized details of the engine mods and have just stated that the Speedie will have tweaks for its looks. It has a complete bodykit -
A victim of wheel madness - Graf Weckerle's Ferrari 458 Italia
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] Got a Ferrari 458 Italia and hate the way the rims look? No, I don't think so. This is because the Italia is one of the nicest looking V8 Ferraris that we have seen in recent years. It's rims included. But not to some people, specifically German tuning firm Graf Weckerle and their Ferrari 458 Italia demo car with Graf Weckerle -
-Project Kahn Audi TR8- Recently Project Kahn previewed its reworking of the Audi TT. It basically looks like an R8 with the R8 side panels in a different colour and all so much so that they have named it the Project Kahn Audi TR8. It does look good in all of its photo enhanced glory doesn't it? But we have to note that this isn't the first Audi TT that was done up to look like its bigger brother. We already have Caractere doing the same thing with their Audi TT bodykit and we also have Niche Design doing the same thing. I suppose this shows that at least a good number of Audi TT owners actually cannot afford to buy the Audi R8 and end up modifying their TT for good measure. Or bad measure. Or whatever way so that they can achieve their goal in a slightly warped sort of way. Now this is similar to those that end up making their BMW 3 or 5 series into the M versions of their car. Of course some of them end up just changing the rear badging to achieve this goal. This is actually the cheapest way of 'achieving' their dreams, and the fastest way to be laughed at by a true motorhead. Or if you're talking about the lower end of the scale we have people doing up their Proton Saga into Subaru Impreza and it isn't even the same brand! The thing is, why won't anyone who actually owns an Audi R8 decide to turn it into a TT? Now this would be a really interesting project for people like Project Kahn or any of the Audi tuners. Imagine Project Kahn selling the R-TT; an Audi R8 with an Audi TT aping bodykit. It would be fabulous. Imagine cruising down the autobahn in the R-TT and then some insignificant little Volkswagen Golf GTI giving you the 'Get out of the way' flashing headlights and you simply floor the throttle and leave the puny Golf and its driver wondering what the heck just happened. Or if a Mercedes Benz C63 AMG owner would be so humble to remove his car's AMG and '63 ' badges and stick on the C180 'Blue efficiency' badging instead. It would be a Mastercard moment indeed to watch those pesky Toyota Camry drivers on the Malaysian highways thinking that they've got a big car and that they're pretty fast. I suppose this will only happen if the owners of the higher powered Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz would become 'humble' and be willing to step down an imaginary notch to pull a really fast one on others. Let's hope that someone affluent enough reads this and is totally willing to do what I've just suggested. So if you're rich and you couldn't care less about your Audi R8 looking like a TT, you should be the one doing such a thing. Everyone is making cheaper cars into more expensive ones so it will be something unique indeed if someone did it the other way round. -Niche Design Audi TT- -the original Audi R8 - Imagine if this was rebadged as a TT! -
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The very new R172 Mercedes Benz SLK gets tuned by Piecha Design
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
The speed of aftermarket tuning houses these days are sometimes surprising. Take a look at this fresh out of its unveiling R172 Mercedes Benz SLK that has been breathed upon by Piecha Design. The Piecha Design 'Accurian RS' SLK focuses on the exterior styling and nothing performance enhancing. Styling exercises actually make more money for these tuners as nearly everyone wants the car to look really good outside of clubs, bistros and hotel lobbies instead of tearing up the autobahn. The bodykit gets the usual front bumper tweak with LED running lights. Side skirts, a boot spoiler and a rear diffuser styled bumper with quad tailpipes. It also gets 25mm lowering springs and 19inch alloy wheels to finish up the look. Actually it is pretty easy to tweak an already good looking car. Try this with a Nissan Latio Sedan and no one will bother to look. This latest R172 SLK looks pretty sweet as it has that baby-SLS look to it. It is much better looking than the previous R171 which was already a pretty good looking small coupe. I suppose it would be wise to just enjoy the photographs of the Piecha Design SLK. source:carscoop -
Heico Sportiv tries to keep the Volvo XC90 fresh with a new bodykit
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] Did you know that the Volvo XC90 has been in production since 2002? If you haven -
Project Kahn has a new styling package for the Audi A5 which draws its inspiration from its bigger brother, the Audi R8 supercar. Take a look at the front and rear bumpers and you can clearly tell the 'R8-ness' in the bodykit. But if you drove a Project Kahn Audi A5, the only thing that would come to my mind is that you can't afford an R8, ergo the bodykit (much like another company's R8 kit for the Audi TT I suppose). So if you agree with my train of thought and think that this car is actually a poor man's R8, you may just as well stop reading this article and move on to the next. But if you don't actually care what I think of the Project Kahn Audi A5 and think that it is absolutely drop dead gorgeous, then read on. The Project Khan A5 gets new ala-R8 bumpers front and rear (which includes a a diffuser
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When it comes to tuning an Audi, most would think of ABT Sportline. The performance tuner has been tuning Audis since the 1980s and is pretty well regarded amongst Audi/VW enthusiasts. ABT Sportline has had one of its cars, an Audi 200 Wagon driven by James Bond around Bratislavia in The Living Daylights. The Audi 100/200 evolved into the A6, and now, years later we have ABT Sportline tuning the latest C7 Audi A6. Not one of my best opening statements but it does tell you that ABT have been tuning Audis for a few decades. As with most European tuners these days, ABT Sportline has started with tuning the C7 Audi A6 diesel. The A6 3.0 TDI gets 282bhp instead of the standard 245bhp. The ABT Power S package adds another 18bhp with a different turbocharger as well as a whopping 610Nm compared to the already fantastic 510Nm. With diesel tuning, its more about torque than horsepower, more about mid-range pull than outright maximum power. ABT also states that it also coming out with a tuning package for the petrol powered cars. The 2011 Audi A6 3.0 FSI supercharged V6 engine will get its ECU tweaked making it develop 410bhp instead of 300bhp. No torque figures are revealed as yet but the FSI supercharged engine is similar to the one powering the Audi S4. This means ABT has a base figure of around 440Nm. Already a nice figure for a mid-sized sedan. ABT Sportline adds a subtle bodykit for the Audi A6 too. Discreet spoilers, slightly more aggressive bumpers front and rear and bigger wheels. The tuning firm proposes rims that range from a 'sensible' 19 inch to steam roller sized 21 inches. There are three types of designs to choose from and all look huge in the press photos. No performance figures are revealed as yet but the details given above are good enough for coffee shop/forum discussion amongst enthusiasts. IF they have gotten over their discussion on why the C7 A6 looks so similar to the B8 A4.
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[extract] This is the Mansory Cormeum. It was originally the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG but in the hands of Kourosh Mansory, owner and head honcho of Mansory, the SLS AMG gets a new nose aside from a wide arch body kit. The Cormeum, named after an opera solo performance or aria, tries to fit the earlier Mercedes Benz SLR's nose into the SLS AMG together with the front headlights from a Ferrari 599. Looks like nothing is sacrilege these days
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NOVITEC ROSSO mods the Ferrari 458 Italia...and it isn't Red
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] Hot on the heels of their Race 606 tuning package for the Ferrari California, Novitec Rosso has now come up with their first complete package for the Ferrari 458 Italia. It -
[extract] The Ferrari California is a V8 powered Ferrari that isn't that extrovert in its looks and was built for a different sort of market compared to its other V8 powered sibling, the 458 Italia. This is one that feels at home puttering around at slower speeds, around Orchard Road, the Marina area, the Cote D'Azur, Beverly Hills and other happy shopping/pleasure/leisure zones. In fact it looks more Maserati than Ferrari. Especially its stance and posture
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Six or seven months ago word first broke out that tuner Merdad intended to come up with a 'coupe' version of the Porsche Cayenne SUV. Some shook their heads in amazement, while some eagerly waited for it. Those that were eager for it would be pleased to note that Merdad had indeed built such a Cayenne and had displayed it at the Londow Motor show in the United Kingdom last November. Merdad of UK has basically released official press photos of the car, called the Merdad GT 902 2door coupe. No real details have been made public as to how the conversion was done. They must have welded the rear doors shut and made a new rear window surround as well as new rear glass in order to achieve the 'sleek' (for an SUV) 2 door look. What you' get if you bought one would be the lack of rear doors, full Merdad 'unique' exterior styling (i.e. a bodykit), special leather interior trim, special Merdad 'Super Sound' exhaust system, electronic lowering module (up to 40mm lower), 22inch forged black or silver edition rims, Merdad alloy racing pedals, Merdad 'entrance blends' (door sill trims), Merdad floor mats and Merdad special steering wheel. It basically started getting boring after the 'super sound' exhaust system for me. But you know how marketing statements are. Strange thing is that Merdad seems to act as if a 2 door Cayenne is a normal item that we see everyday. They should be making a bigger fuss about it. I do wonder if there would be any gray imports of this 2 door monster SUV in our region any time soon. A door door luxury SUV harks back to the days when you could only get a Range Rover in 2 doors
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We already know that the newly launched Audi RS5 is a pretty fabulous car. Actually, it is pretty fabulous driven in isolation as if you try one against its smaller sibling, the supercharged S5 (cabriolet), it doesn't gain much ground as all of its power and torque comes in high up the rev range. Usually a 4.2liter normally aspirated V8 is stupendous but a supercharged 3.0liter V6performs just as well due to the torque it produces. And so, to avoid embarrassment, a RS5 owner can head over to Senner Tunning for their latest RS5 tuning package. To fend off other Audis, Porsches and other Uber-wagens the 4.2liter FSI V8 gets an ECU upgrade and a valve controlled stainless steel exhaust system. From more precise monitoring and fuelling, as well as that freer flow exhaust system the RS5 now makes 499bhp instead of 444bhp and more importantly 478Nm of torque. Up from 430Nm previously. It should make the RS5 hustle slightly faster than before. It does, as the RS5 gets to 100km/h from zero in 4.2seconds. Down from 4.6 seconds. The maximum speed is also increased as the limiter is lifted from the usual German 250km/h limit to 280km/h. 300km/h is another option that could be had with a tire upgrade. So after the 50bhp power upgrade, Senner Tuning shoves 20inch wheels under the arches of the RS5. 9.5inch x 20 up front and 11inch x 20 at the rear. Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta tires are the rubbers and the tires are 255/30R20 fronts and 295/25R20 at the rear. The 20inch alloys come in the Spider SC1 design and the Varianza T1S design. The display car featured the Spider on the driver's side and the Varianza on the passenger side. I suppose Senner Tuning were a little lazy for the photo shoot. Do note that the car is a left hand drive model, and the driver's seat is in the 'wrong' side of the car. The Senner Tuning RS5 package is rounded up by carbon fiber side mirrors, a front grille and windo frames in their Black Edition trim. The interior gets the usual carbon fiber bits and pieces as well as the usual leather trimming for the seats, steering and door panels. So the RS5 gets 50bhp. The S4 gets about the same from a tuning package and more torque. It usually is the case for blown engines to make more power than a normally aspirated one. Even one as good as the RS5. However, the one very important thing I have to add it the V8 makes a stonkingly marvelous sound that no supercharged V6 can every dream of achieving. Its all about the whole experience, not only all out power. But the 50bhp that the Senner Tuning RS5 makes is very much appreciated for RS5 owners who wants to play Top Trumps with the guys at the golf club.
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Marangoni/TRC Italia Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Eco-friendly tire color overdose
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Before we get to the details, I have to say that going green does not actually mean having things colored green. But no one told Marangoni who has decided to showcase their new eco-friendly line of tires which are very green in color on a TRC Italia tuned Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1750 Quadrifoglio Verde. The Marangoni/TRC Italia Giulietta has been christened the Giulietta G430 iMove. I suppose the name comes from the fact that the car features a body kit that takes all of its cues from the Ferrari F430 but I have no idea why they also named it the 'iMove' as it isn't a product from Apple not does it multi-task as good as one. I suppose Marangoni requires something new and flashy and the new Giulietta suits the part. The eco-friendly tires must be like more energy saving tires – low rolling resistance thus improving fuel consumption. However, I doubt how much fuel savings you could get from low rolling resistance when the tires and wheels are 19inch in diameter and has a width of 235mm. Those funky green demo tires are 235/35 ZR19 and boast a....get this...fluorescent green pigment that glows in the dark. It is also has a very high silica content which should also help in the grip department. So in order to for the very over-tired Giulietta to move TRC Italia have changed the turbocharger and meddled with the electronics so that the car pushes 286bhp instead of 235bhp. So aside from the steam roller wheels and tires, the car gets KW's fully adjustable suspension setup which lowers the car by 40mm to improve handling. The 51 extra horses get to stop much faster too as the brakes are upgraded to 330mm TAROX discs and calipers. The interior is as green as the tires. The seats and door trims have that same fluorescent green color. But whatever the case, the whole human race has been so used to having normal black/dark gray tires that fluorescent green tires look tacky, or totally weird. Maybe the main point is to attract as much attention as possible and nothing else. If that is the reason, it would totally work. The car is set to appear in this month's Bologna Motor Show and all of the TRC Italia upgrades stated will be on sale by early next year. However, I am seriously hoping that Marangoni does not sell their 'Green' tire in the color green. -
The Brabus Widestar Mercedes-AMG SLS: A not-so-wide widebody kit.
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Brabus has taken to opportunity to launch their widebody version of Mercedes-AMG's gull-winged SLS at the 2010 Essen Motor Show in Germany recently. The car gets a widebody kit called the 'Widestar' and this modification is for those who somehow think that the SLS isn't butch or, shall we say isn't wide enough to create an impact at the local nightspots or at the country clubs. Since the most important addition to the SLS is the body kit, we'll start with this first. The Widestar gets the usual front bumper/spoiler setup, rear bumper/diffuser setup, bootlid spoiler and only slightly wider rear wheel arches with optimized (and larger) air inlets and outlets. It isn't one of those really over the top, super wide body kits like we've seen on some tuned cars. It actually pretty subtle for a 'widebody' kit. Too subtle in my opinion. Anyway, the front inlets and fender outlets are also aerodynamically tuned and tested at Brabus' wind tunnel facility to optimize airflow throughout the car. All of the components mentioned above are made from carbon fiber and customers can opt for a matte or glossy finish for the parts if they do not want to paint the add on parts. But do note that it is only wider at the rear wheel arches as the front fenders and arches are not extended. Only the front fender outlets seem to protrude more than the stock ones giving some illusion of a wider front end. To complement the package even further Brabus gives the Widestar SLS an adjustable suspension that is driver controlled from inside the cabin. Aside from being 30mm lower, the suspension system allows the driver to increase or decrease the ride height as well as harden or soften the damping rates to make the car handle better when needed or ride better when the driver wants some comfort instead. The bespoke system was developed in collaboration with suspension specialists Bilstein. If the customer still feels that this isn't extreme enough, there is an option for stiffer anti roll bars front and rear. To complement and to ensure that the rear wheel sit nicely under the wider arches the rear gets 21inch wheels running rubberband 295/25ZR21 series tires and the fronts get 20inch wheels with 275/30ZR20 tires. The wheels are Brabus specific Monoblock F Platinum Edition and must cost a bomb too. According to Brabus, the alloy wheels are lighter even though they are bigger than the stock versions. The press release also states that the car gets Brabus' titanium sports exhaust system. This system increases the power output by 10bhp giving the SLS 573bhp to play with. The exhaust system is also 12kg lighter. I suppose both of these small improvements would only enable the Widestar SLS to power past a standard SLS by a mere whisker or so. -
Hamann Motorsport and H&R combine forces: H&R Hamann Fiat 500 Abarth
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
There recently was news regarding a collaboration between horsepower brokers Hamann Motorsport and suspension tuner extraordinaire H&R. Between them they have basically created the ultimate Fiat 500; the 275bhp, 380Nm H&R Hamann Fiat 500 Abarth Essesse. This is basically the ultimate bubble sports car as it should have the handling to match the power supplied to it. We start with Harmann's contribution to the package first. In order to achieve the desired 275bhp, Harmann has basically thrown in everything it has at the Fiat 1.4liter Multijet turbocharged engine. The engine gets forged pistons, uprated & polished conrods, cylinder head porting & polishing, different camshafts (most probably high lift with a different duration), Hamann fuel rail with fuel pressure regulator and larger injectors, a larger geometry variable vane turbocharger, Hamann specific intercooler & air baffles and colder high heat resistant spark plugs as well as the usual ECU tweaking and tuning. All of the fuel and air gets exhausted via a 200cell sports cat and then through a quad tail pipe sports exhaust system. This then passes through a limited slip differential equipped 6 speed manual gearbox that gets an uprated clutch & pressure plate and a 20% lighter than stock flywheel. With 350Nm going through the Fiat's front wheels, all of the goodies mentioned are very necessary. Hamann also adds larger 4pot brake calipers up front with 305mm diameter discs and larger than stock 264mm discs at the rear. This is added insurance for those trying to quell such a ballistic little car from very high speeds. Hamann then throws in their body kit complete with front splitter and rear diffuser, LED daytime driving lights, wide wheel arches and side skirts. Also assisting in the looks and handling are 18inch alloy wheels running 225/35//18 tires. H&R then comes up with the handling package for the car after Hamann is done upping the horsepower and the stopping power. H&R have stated that they had developed a new suspension system that consists of coil-overs front and rear (with high-low/soft-hard settings). They have also increased the width of the little Fiat's track front and rear with the use of wheel spacers specially designed for the Fiat. The suspension takes into account of this extra width and it isn't like some aftermarket tuner slapping some spacers without any proper research. Aside from improving grip, H&R claims that the handling is greatly improved as the firmer suspension and wider track reduces pitching and roll movements to a minimum. This allows the driver to actually focus on driving fast and hard instead of worrying about trying to control the extra body movements. The news on this special collaboration Fiat 500 Abarth was released in line with its official preview at the Essen Motor Show in Germany which started on the 27th of November. No information on pricing has been announced as yet. Not a bad looking little monster. I'd keep the power mods, alloys and suspension but I would lose the slightly over the top body kit and I'd keep the car painted in the original Abarth colors as this car looks like it has been painted by someone who works at the Puma shoe factory. It seems to have a cat leaping from one side of the bonnet to the other, much like the Puma Speedcat shoe. -
Honda CRZ is the Japanese Car of they Year...and look what Bisimotor has done to it
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] -Mugen Honda CRZ- The Honda CRZ Hybrid sports car has been voted Japan -
[extract] Project Kahn is a relatively new tuner that has burst into the scene with their tuned versions of the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and the Bentley Continental GT. They somehow bring a sense of looming danger and mystery all because of their name. A Project Kahn Range Rover Sport RS600. It sounds dangerous and mysterious doesn
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[extract] How do you tell an Audi R8 V10 from the normal
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Stoffler is a German tuning house that likes doing up fast Fords. It recently came up with a performance package for the Ford Focus RS. If you readers out there aren't too sure what the current generation of Focus RS is, it is basically a Focus with a 2.5liter 5 cylinder turbocharged engine that makes 300bhp. The intriguing thing about the RS is that Ford did not consider making the car all-wheel drive. Instead it is front wheel driven and through some wizard-like chassis tuning, it does not torque steer and wheelspin its way off the road like most front wheel drives over 200bhp. It does suffer from it slightly, but nothing so irritating until the car becomes hard to drive it. This is because suspension technology has moved on and now, Ford has made a 345bhp version called the RS500 but if this isn't enough, Stofler's RS makes 356bhp, up 10bhp from the Ford factory special. Torque is up from 440Nm to a rocking 525Nm. All through the front wheels. Aside from the power, the Stoffler RS may see the return of massive torque steer. But tuners being tuners, petty things like this does not stop them from adding more power. And the power is achieved from ECU tuning, a different intercooler, high flow fuel pump, a custom downpipe and air intake. It comes at a price of 2900Euros and if you're in Germany the upgrade comes with a German MOT certificate for the tuned parts. There are also three different exhaust systems. One comes with a bypass valve so that the driver can control the loudness when passing through built up areas and come as noisy as a boy racer wants his Ford Focus to be. The one with the bypass valve costs 2300Euro, a CSC branded system for 1280Euro and a Miltek version for 990Euro. There is also a sports catalytic converter to release some more horses and some GGR (Graham Goode Racing) sports air filter or a carbon air filter box too. What can be added here is that Stoffler is still using the same turbo but a modified intercooler. According to road tests, the standard Focus RS has one of those new generation turbocharged engines that is basically lag free, coupled with a balanced (for a front wheel drive) chassis and a very tactile interior so that driver interaction is an experience to remember. Would the larger intercooler and higher boost add some lag? Would the immense torque rip to shreds the tires and cause lots of torque steer and spoil the driving experience? We have to wait and see as sometimes, especially in front wheel drives, less is more. Maybe for a long while as Ford RS models aren't that common in this region.
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[extract] Ever heard of Misha Designs? Well I sure haven
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After a Rolls Royce Ghost, Fenice Milano 'Blings' a tiny Fiat
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] Hot on the heels of its Rolls Royce Ghost Diva edition, Italian custom car -
Fenice Milano blings the Rolls Royce Ghost with gold, gold and more gold
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] So you -
Bentley Continental GT Supersports by Anderson: A hit and a miss
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] 685bhp and a front end that is suited to a locomotive is Anderson -
Red, Italian and NOT a Ferrari or an Alfa Romeo: NOVITEC Fiat Punto Evo
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] It isn