PhantASMA CL 65 AMG: tuning gone wrong

We've said it many times before, but sometimes tuners just don't know when to leave well enough alone. The Mercedes Benz CL 65 AMG is a well-turned-out and highly massaged car in its factory-tuned form. Dressing it up with pseudo DTM garb and odd bits from discarded industrial window treatments isn't going to be an improvement. But ASMA didn't listen.

The result: the PhantASMA65. From the inexplicably tall and broad central grille to the headlight-duplicating intakes on either side, the too-busy side strakes, widebody conversion, vents and runners and the massive rear diffuser, the PhantASMA is just too much.

But that's not as bad a thing when it comes to power. The crew at ASMA cranked up the V12 twin-turbo to a heady 725hp (533kW) and 870lb-ft (1,180Nm) of torque - almost enough function to make you not care about the car's grotesque form. Almost. Despite all that power, top speed is still limited to 155mph (250km/h).
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The 22in alloys at each corner are attractive enough with the car's 35mm drop that we'd like to see them on a stock CL 65 AMG. Wrapped in 255/30 (front) and 295/25 (rear) rubber, they're likely still outmatched by all that twisting force, however.