Tuner
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Love it or hate it, the BMW 3-series Coupe has a lot going for it - price, performance and features are all at a sweet spot for the market. That makes it a prime candidate for aftermarket add-ons, as owners of the popular car seek to differentiate their particular example. Enter Lumma Design with a tasteful set of upgrades that won't set off the 'spaetzel' detectors of most critics. Homing in on what makes most 3-series Coupe owners tick, Lumma offers only appearance upgrades for the car so far, including chrome exhaust pipes, a front, rear and side skirt kit, plus a trunk-lid spoiler, roof...
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Gemballa takes wraps off Porsche Cayenne Turbo-based Tornado 750 GTS
The high-performance SUV is something of an oxymoron at first blush, but anyone that's taken the wheel of a Porsche Cayenne Turbo or Mercedes Benz ML-Class AMG knows it's possible. Gemballa takes the concept to the next level, dropping over 550lb (250kg) from the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and boosting...
Nelson Ireson -
Hartge takes the diesel X6 to new highs - and lows
Style is undoubtedly a subjective thing, but sometimes agreement is nearly universal. The Mona Lisa has been revered through the ages, while the bowl-cut hair style is a perpetual laughing stock. Somewhere toward the latter end of the spectrum lie creations like Hartge's latest X6 variant, sporting...
Alex Kaufmann -
mcchip Audi TTS bumps power to 315hp
No matter how far the carmakers take the horsepower wars - or how much they back down from them - the aftermarket is always prepared to go farther. Too much is never enough for a determined tuner, and the latest example is mcchip's Audi TTS. Rolling off the factory floor with 272hp (203kW) from its...
Alex Kaufmann -
First photos of Lorinser's take on the new E-Class break cover
Noted for its sleek, stylish and almost stealthy modifications of Mercedes Benz vehicles, Lorinser occupies a special place in the German tuner scene. Apparently that place is very special because Lorinser has developed a tuning program for the 2010 E-Class before the car has even been delivered to...
Alex Kaufmann -
Steve Saleen to honor warranties voided by Saleen, Inc
After Steve Saleen resigned from Saleen, Inc. in 2007, the company, under its new leadership, sold the majority of its aftermarket business to MJ Acquisitions on February 2, 2009. About a month later, the new ownership decided to shut down Saleen, Inc. after selling off the supercharger...
Nelson Ireson -
KTM's X-Bow doesn't really need any help to be extreme. It is born that way. But MTM wasn't satisfied, so they took their tuning ways to the car's engine and brakes to make it even more of a trackday star. The standard X-Bow only sports a 240hp (179kW) four-banger but it's strapped to a lightweight chassis that lets it spint to 60mph in under 4 seconds. The MTM X-Bow ought to knock even more time off that figure with its 318hp (237kW) and 310lb-ft of torque. The extra power comes by way of a special conversion kit the details of which MTM hasn't yet released. Adding to the MTM X-Bow's...
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MTM builds Audi TTS to 380hp
Audi's TT platform has shown some seriously long legs, running in updated but still very familiar form from its debut in 1999 to the present. Now it's showing even more potential remains with the upgraded TTS and TT-RS models. But even that's not enough for the aftermarket, and MTM has answered the...
Alex Kaufmann -
B&B takes the lid off 500hp Volkwagen Eos
Volkswagen's Eos is something of a misfit - more luxurious than most of VW's lineup, but not as nice as the A5 Cabrio, and not quite powerful enough from the factory to run with the likes of the Mercedes and BMW competition. But it's definitely a step ahead of most of the American and Japanese...
Alex Kaufmann -
Tiret New York and LSE Design team up for Range Rover based Tiret Coupe
Land Rover's Range Rover Sport has long been a popular choice with celebrity and pop-culture icons, but with the modifications that Tiret New York and LSE Design have managed, the Tiret Coupe takes the vehicle to another level. Wider flared arches, LED lighting, 22in LSE alloy wheels and a full...
Kenneth Hall -
Brabus first off the block with complete upgrade for new Mercedes Benz E-Class
Noted for its sleek, stylish and almost stealthy modifications of Mercedes Benz vehicles, Brabus occupies a special place in the German tuner scene. Apparently that place is very special because the performance workshops is one of the first tuning firms to develop a complete upgrade package for the...
Kenneth Hall -
JE Design takes the wraps off Progressor Cayenne
Porsche itself has recently gotten into the game of modifying its Cayenne SUV, so it's no wonder the vehicle has been a favorite of the tuner crowd for years. Though JE Design's latest creation may not have the exclusivity of the GTS Design Edition 3 revealed today, it does have a flavor all its...
Alex Kaufmann -
One of the highlights of last year’s SEMA Auto Show was the seriously upgraded Super Challenger modified by legendary Dodge dealer and tuner Mr. Norm. The outfit’s latest addition to its long-running ‘Super’ line of cars is based around the new Dodge Challenger, more specifically the high-performance SRT8 model, and now it and its sibling the Super Cuda have entered production at Mr. Norm's facilities in Hudson, Florida. The Super Challenger takes its inspiration from the original 1971 Mr. Norm’s Super Challenger Super Fuel Funny Car. The show car featured a...
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Lexmaul pumps up the Vectra, adds flex-fuel capability
Ethanol is a hot topic among biofuels advocates - and opponents - and green-car fiends alike, but it has a long tradition as a performance fuel as well. Lexmaul taps into that tradition with their latest Vectra, converting the car to E85 flex-fuel capability for extra performance. The CO2 savings...
Alex Kaufmann -
Genesis Coupe 2.0T dyno test hints at 225hp+ true output
Hyundai's new turbocharged 2.0L Genesis Coupe has had import tuner fanboys foaming at mouth, and their more resevered cohorts awaiting with interest, for months now. As the car begins to make the press rounds, it's starting to look like it may have more under the hood than the 210hp promised by...
Nelson Ireson -
Hyundai Genesis Coupe sales off to a good start, already outpacing Sedan
Traditionally, coupe variants of mainstream sedans sell in much lower numbers than the four-doors on which are they based, but in the case of the new 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe the opposite is true. Sales of the Coupe have been extremely strong, even outpacing that of its sedan sibling despite...
Ralph Hanson -
JMS offers unique look for new VW Scirocco
Love them or hate them, tuners are here to stay, and sometimes they even manage to improve the cars they tackle. Take the new JMS VW Scirocco for example. Though they recognize the difficulty in improving on a dramatically styled new car like the Scirocco, they've managed to make some basic changes...
Alex Kaufmann -
Kicherer mods the E-Class before it even hits the streets
Noted for its sleek, stylish and almost stealthy modifications of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, Kicherer occupies a special place in the German tuner scene. Apparently that place is very special, because it has released a new E-Class tuning program before the car has even been delivered to dealerships...
Alex Kaufmann -
Common adjectives applied to tuner-modified Bentleys include: gaudy, excessive, and hideous. The Premier4509 won't be falling victim to such criticism, however, as its sleek lines and highly aerodynamic profile actually fit with the overall theme of the car. Rather than going the route of its last wide-bodied aero kit for the Bentley Continental GT, Premire4509 has taken a more tasteful tack for the 2009 update. This version will only be available to 300 customers, however, with the company limiting output to keep the look exclusive. “The response to the wide body package has been over...
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Saleen, Inc. voids all warranties on cars and parts sold before February 2, 2009
Saleen Automotive announced last November that it was seeking a potential buyer, with management acknowledging the firm has suffered financially from the economic downturn and rising fuel prices. In February Saleen announced the sale of its supercharger, aftermarket and high-performance street...
James Martinez -
Caractere joins growing list of Scirocco tuners
The Volkswagen Scirocco is proving to be popular with tuners, with German performance shop Caractere also releasing its own hotted-up version of the svelte sports coupe. Caractere’s work on German cars has been well documented, especially some of its creations based on much more expensive...
Alex Kaufmann -
Video: Switzer Performance P700 GT-R hits 626AWHP on the dyno
We've all seen, and mocked, tuner cars that think adding 100lb of fiberglass body kit will add 50hp at the crank, but Switzer Performance is known for a different kind of tuning: the kind that makes serious power. Confining most of their work to Porsche's fine machinery, their latest example steps...
Nelson Ireson -
Mansory goes retro futuristic with Porsche Chopster
In the world of high-end car modification, there's extreme, there's insane, and then there's Mansory. But anyone that's actually been inside a Mansory vehicle knows the attention to detail and craftsmanship that goes into their over-the-top designs - they reek of quality. So the chopped, dropped...
Alex Kaufmann -
Techart bringing pair of tuned Cayennes to Geneva including 680hp Magnum
Renowned tuner TECHART, known for adding insane power to everything with the Porsche badge, will be bringing a pair of modified Porsche Cayennes to the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, one a diesel, and the other a super-potent Magnum version of the Cayenne Turbo S. The Magnum (dark grey) gets a power bump...
Alex Kaufmann