Archive for the ‘car tuning’ Category
September 3rd, 2010 | 
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The Paris Motor Show isn’t even in the books yet and already car enthusiasts everywhere are preparing their ventures for future shows. Wraptivo is currently working on a design package that will feature a matte black and carbon black film that will wrap around the Honda CR-Z Type-F Concept getting prepared for the SEMA show in November.
In addition to the design package provided by Wraptivo, the concept will get a full aero kit consisting of Honda accessories aero pieces along with other aero components from Japan. The vehicle will also be receiving wheels, race seats, big brakes, and other additions. Going a step further on the tuning front, the Type-F concept will be getting a power increase thanks to a supercharger system, suspension package, an ECU Tune, exhaust system, and other speedy components. The interior will get Recaro seats, a sport shift knob, and alcantara panels.
Of course, one of the main reasons behind this concept is allowing the CR-Z to showcase the effectiveness of the Wraptivo product. The Honda CR-Z Type-F Concept will allow customers to see how this new technology could serve as protection for their factory paint, as well as change the appearance of their car. The particular wrap that will be used on the Type-F will provide customers with a good idea of the durability of the wrap as it will hit the track a week after the SEMA show during the Source Interlink “Super Lap Battle”. We’ll hold our opinions on the matter until after we see it in action!
Press release after the jump.
Wraptivo Honda CR-Z "Type-F" concept to debut at SEMA originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 3 September 2010 10:00 EST.
Two of the coolest sports models on the market, the Maserati Gran Turismo and the Mercedes SLS AMG are about to get even cooler. Mansory has announced plans to unveil two new tuning kits for the models with an official debut at the Paris Auto Show. And if you remember the Bugatti Veyron Vincero, you can understand why we expect to see the best tuning kit ever for the SLS AMG.
While the only information Mansory is giving is that the two models “will come soon,” we expect to see a lot of carbon fiber, new spoilers, and larger wheels. We can also only imagine that there will be an upgraded interior, but that’s the least important upgrade given to these two models. We are anxiously awaiting the two kits because we want to see what upgrades will be given to the engines.
So, stay tuned, we’ll get back with more details as soon as we have them.
Mansory prepares two new models for Paris Show originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 2 September 2010 06:00 EST.
We’ve all been there; riding along in your lowered ride, enjoying the day, when all of a sudden – Thump, Scraaaaaape. Another victim of that darn speed bump. It’s moments like these that make the driver wish he had a higher car. And it’s situations like these that have made TechArt got to the trouble of preparing a new noselift system that can offer 60 mm of additional height at the front spoiler. This system can be applied to models like the Porsche Boxster, the Cayman, and the 911.
The TechArt Noselift System is activated by a convenient little button located in the roof console of the Boxster and in the center console of the Cayman. The noselift system, including that convenient little button, is installed with EMC-safe electronic control units and vehicle-specific wiring harnesses. High performance test procedures are followed to ensure that, when that button is pressed, the car smoothly and silently adjusts its height to a safer level for those nasty little speed bumps and ramps.
Press release after the jump.
TechArt offers new Noselift System for Porsche Boxster and Cayman originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 09:00 EST.
Posted in Accessories, Porsche, Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster, TechArt, car tuning, porsche Cayman | 
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British tuner, Superchips, has decided that diesel engines can be just as much fun as their petrol counterparts, so they decided to do a little reconfiguring for BMW’s 3.0-liter, six-cylinder engine that powers models like the BMW 3-Series, 5-Series, 7-Series, X5, and X6.
Superchips was able to increase the power of the diesel engine by 44hp at 4183 rpm and 90 Nm of torque at just 2222 rpm. This brings the total output to 313hp and 627Nm of torque. In order to accomplish this task, Superchips had to perform a remap of the engine while taking into consideration the “careful optimization of fueling and turbo boost settings”. According to Superchips, this reconfiguration allows for a sharper throttle response, a keener, more urgent engine, a harder pull throughout the rev range.
The BMW 3.0 D ECU remap is priced at £445.00 and comes with a 12 month/30,000 mile supplementary vehicle warranty.
Press release after the jump.
Superchips upgrades BMW’s 3.0D engine for various models originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 31 August 2010 23:00 EST.
Posted in Accessories, BMW, BMW 3-Series, BMW 5-Series, BMW 7-Series, BMW X6, bmw X5, car tuning |
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Being somebody that earns millions and millions of dollars to play basketball certainly has its perks, one of which is that the person can afford just about any car that catches his wandering eye.
Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum is no exception to that. With a salary of $13.8 million for the 2010-2011 season, Bynum can practically open the doors to any dealership in the world and drive off with that dealership’s most expensive ride. Yes, it’s unfair, but we’re not 7 feet tall and we certainly don’t play professional basketball for a living. Tough luck, eh?
In any case, of all the cars that he can choose from, Bynum decided to opt for a pretty nice ride, a modified-to-the-brim BMW M6. Apparently, there are other endeavors pro ballers enjoy as much as putting the ball to the hoop; tuning up their already expensive sports cars.
Read the rest of the story after the jump.
Video: Andrew Bynum introduces us to his pimped-out BMW M6 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:00 EST.
Roush Performance and the Ford Mustang go hand in hand, so the more editions Ford decides to crank out for the Mustang, the harder at work Roush will be to make it that much better. Of course, following the release of the 2011 Mustang GT 5.0, Roush has reacted with a new supercharger kit that blasts the horsepower from the standard 412hp to a monstrous 550hp with more than 470 lb.-ft. of torque. The new kit is priced at $5999 and includes a TVS2300 supercharger, an intercooler, higher-flow fuel rail and injectors, a larger throttle body, and a Roush airbox. The new kit will be available in September or October. However, don’t plan on ordering the kit and installing it yourself. It does come with a 90-day parts warranty, but does not come with a calibration or maintain the Ford factory engine warranty. Because of that, Roush recommends professional tuning and/or installation.
There will also be a certified model featuring the new supercharger coming out in 2011 as a 2012 model.
Roush introduces new supercharger kit for 2011 Mustang GT 5.0 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 30 August 2010 21:00 EST.
Most of us would be thrilled if our work benefits included insurance, free gas money, and weekly food allowances. Being given a special edition Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG DR 520 Estate? Yeah, we can only wish.
Things, of course, are different if you’re a Formula One driver, especially if you’re the reigning World Champion. That’s what Jenson Button is, and because he’s the defending champ – and he drives for McLaren Mercedes – he was given a perk most of us can only dream of: his very own C63 AMG DR 520.
Limited to only 20 models, the special edition car is powered by a 6.3 liter V8 engine that has been tuned to produce 520 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque, numbers that translate to a 60 horsepower and 50 Nm spike over than the standard C63 AMG. The estate version of this special edition model can run a 0-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds wit an electronically limited top speed of 187 mph. Oh, and the car is only available through the company’s Specialists Product Division, so that pretty much says everything about it’s exclusivity.
And just to rub it in to all of us here Stateside, the car is only available in the UK at a stout price tag of £63,680 or about $100,000. Not that it matters anyway because we won’t be getting our hands on this car anytime soon. Like we said, it’s only available in the UK and we’re not the defending Formula One World Champion.
Mercedes gives Jenson Button a Mercedes C63 AMG DR 520 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 27 August 2010 09:00 EST.
Posted in AMG, Mercedes, Mercedes C-Class, car tuning, special editions, sports cars |
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At the end of July, Heico Sportiv announced plans to create a tuning kit for the new Volvo S60. Those plans have come to fruition as the tuner has revealed the official details on this package. The tuner has updated both the car’s aerodynamics and output with the package becoming available September 5, 2010.
The exterior package includes a new front spoiler mounted on the original bumper, a PUR-R-RIM rear skirt in diffuser, and left and right oval end-pipes of the quad outlet exhaust system. The package is finished with 18-20″ sport wheels.
In order to upgrade the engine’s output, the tuner is offering ECU upgrades for both D3/D5 diesel engines. For the 2.0 T engine, the tuner managed to squeeze an extra 47 HP, while the T6 has been upgraded to an impressive 330 HP. The result is a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph.
Press release after the jump.
Volvo S60 by Heico Sportiv – official details revealed originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 26 August 2010 08:00 EST.
A man who held a ticket for a chance to win a 2011 Shelby GT500 sold it for $200 to another dude who ended up winning the car. Ridiculous? Yeah.
Unbelievably enough, it’s also true.
In a scene straight out of a Hollywood script, an attendee at this year’s QuakeCon Gaming Festival that was held in Dallas sold a raffle ticket – it was just one of 100, actually – for just $200. Turns out, it didn’t take long for this sale to backfire on the poor attendant.
Moments after thinking that he just swindled $200 from the supposed “schmuck” who purchased it, the latter’s newly-bought raffle ticket was chosen among the 100 tickets, winning him a $50,000 Shelby GT500.
One of the hosts summed up the whole situation perfectly by saying, “He’s (the seller) gonna have some drinks tonight. He’s (the buyer) going home with a Shelby GT500!”
Talk about a broad spectrum of emotions at play. The seller’s probably kicking himself right now and the buyer, well, to say he’s ecstatic is a gross understatement.
Video: Man sells $200 raffle ticket only to see the buyer win a 2011 Shelby GT500 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 August 2010 22:00 EST.
German tuning house, Gemballa, is officially back and we should all thank two people for its comeback: CEO Andreas Schwarz and Investor Steffen Korbach.
Gemballa caught international headlines a few months ago after its founder, Uwe Gemballa, unceremoniously went missing with a number of rumors suggesting he went M.I.A because of an impending case involving his tuning firm. With Gemballa falling out of the grid, the company that was named after him eventually closed up shop.
Now, the tuning firm that made its name as one of the best Porsche tuners in the world is set to make a comeback and will be now led by both Schwarz and Korbach. According to the two, the company is now fully secured and would return to its world-class tuning ways. To add to the good news, the company is now in the middle of developing new packages for a slew of current Porsche models, including the Panamera and the second-generation Cayenne, and is expected to release its first model sometime in the next few months.
In addition to developing new kits for the aforementioned Porsche models, Gemballa will also continue some of the trademark packages that made it a household name in the tuning world. Some of these models include: the Gemballa MIG-U1 based on the Ferrari Enzo, the Gemballa Tornado based on the Porsche Cayenne, the Gemballa Avalanche Roadster based on the Porsche 911, the Gemballa GT Aero 3 based on the Porsche Cayenne, and the Gemballa Mirage GT based on the Porsche Carrera GT.
Gemballa is back! originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 August 2010 17:00 EST.
Tuning house Switzer Performance has a reputation in the auto circle for building some of the most powerful performance packages for a number of vehicles, most notably the Nissan GT-R, as well as Porsche sports cars. When it comes to modified sports vehicles, there aren’t a lot of tuning firms that can hold a candle to what Switzer is capable of.
Knowing what we know, we’ve always wondered how a Switzer-tuned Porsche stacks up against a Switzer-tuned Nissan GT-R. Who doesn’t want to see two in-house beasts modded by the same tuning house duking it out for Switzer supremacy? We certainly do. After all, it’s not often to see a high-powered R911 997 GT2 and an equally high-powered E900 R35 GTR – tuned by the same company no less – enjoying a nice little throwdown of sorts.
So who takes the cake in this race? It was a pretty simple race yet the result was something none of us quite expected. Check it out to see how the race went down.
Video: Switzer R911 99 GT2 dukes it out with Switzer E900 R35 GTR originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 23 August 2010 12:00 EST.
Every once in awhile, a random Facebook message or Twitter allows us to see a new tuning package before the tuning firm officially releases details on it. This time, a “tweet” from the tuning firm itself has announced a couple of new packages for Audi. SR Auto Group of British Columbia has announced the debut of the “Military” themed Audi R8 and Q7. Both models are painted in a “Militar Grey” exterior paint derived from the camouflage element used by war units. Also, both models feature PPI products throughout as well as some notable performance upgrades.
The R8 model gets the usual front bumper, front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser, and front grill, all in carbon fiber. The tuner has also added carbon front intake grill inserts and a carbon side blade overlay. The Q7 gets a carbon fiber wide body aero package and an HID xenon dual fog lamp system. No major modifications have been made to the interior.
The R8 sits on 20″ wheels painted in Satin Black Finish and the Q7 sits on 22″ wheels painted in matte black. Both models come with a new exhaust system and the R8 also receives a ECM Upgrade. There are no details yet of how the performances have been changed.
Specifications after the jump.
Military themed Audi R8 and Q7 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 17 August 2010 10:00 EST.
Every once in awhile, a random Facebook message or Twitter allows us to see a new tuning package before the tuning firm officially releases details on it. This time, a “tweet” from the tuning firm itself has announced a couple of new packages for Audi. SR Auto Group of British Columbia has announced the debut of the “Military” themed Audi R8 and Q7. Both models are painted in a “Militar Grey” exterior paint derived from the camouflage element used by war units. Also, both models feature PPI products throughout as well as some notable performance upgrades.
The R8 model gets the usual front bumper, front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser, and front grill, all in carbon fiber. The tuner has also added carbon front intake grill inserts and a carbon side blade overlay. The Q7 gets a carbon fiber wide body aero package and an HID xenon dual fog lamp system. No major modifications have been made to the interior.
The R8 sits on 20″ wheels painted in Satin Black Finish and the Q7 sits on 22″ wheels painted in matte black. Both models come with a new exhaust system and the R8 also receives a ECM Upgrade. There are no details yet of how the performances have been changed.
Specifications after the jump.
Military themed Audi R8 and Q7 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 17 August 2010 10:00 EST.
Back in 2008, the G-Power M5 Hurricane RS received the title of “world’s fastest sedan.” Back then, the car reached a top speed of 228.4 mph. Two years later, the tuner has broken its own record. During some recent testings the Hurricane RS was capable of a top speed of 231.2 mph.
Piston Heads, however, reports they are “not sure if the new feat was independently witnessed, and it was a peak maximum on an oval test track rather than a speed reached over the flying mile in both directions,” so we should expect an official press release fairly soon on this record breaking feat, if it indeed is comparable to the previous record setting environment.
The Hurrican RS is powered by a V10 engine with a BI-Kompressor system that helps the engine develop an impressive 750 hp (250 hp more than a stock M5). The extra power of the G-POWER M5 HURRICANE RS is the result of two modified superchargers with enlarged capacity from G-POWER’s technology partner ASA. The standard air box is replaced by an aluminum casting that allows for an “incomparable response and also much more torque”.
Talk about a fast, sweet ride; the only problem is that the G-Power M5 Hurricane RS will set you back €251,100. Ouch. We can think of a few other cars we would like to have for that amount of money.
G-Power M5 Hurricane RS becomes world’s fastest sedan, again originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 13 August 2010 13:00 EST.
We are beginning to see a trend in the teasers shown ahead of the SEMA Auto Show. Last week, we received a teaser image of the Honda CR-Z Hybrid by Fortune Motorsports that showed a vehicle covered in a tarp with just a smidgen of the car shown as the tarp was pulled back just a bit. This week we received another teaser image of a vehicle set to take the SEMA stage in a few months’ time with the same setup. This time, it’s the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS by aLL STaR Performance that is being teased ahead of this year’s SEMA (November 2nd-5th).
This unique tuning project has been led by Gene Marcel and includes a set of 22×11” Forgestar wheels, a custom set of Baer brakes, Air Lift digital suspension, Lysholm supercharger, and a custom paint mix thanks to Dupont. We wish we could tell you a little more about the kit, but that’s all we know as of right now.
The tuner has yet to announce the engine’s new performances, so you can only imagine what we’ll get! In its standard version the 6.2 liter V-8 engine delivers a total of 426 HP and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. We are hoping we’ll get a substantial power boost from the boys over at aLL STaR Performance considering they are a manufacturer and distributor of racing and high performance parts.
This unique Camaro has been developed in cooperation with Extreme Dimensions, American Status Racing, STACK, Autometer, MagnaFlow Exhaust Products, Webasto, StreetGlow, Image Dynamics, TechAFS, Royal Purple, Real Autoworks and others. This seems like an intense list of collaborators so we’ll be on the edge of our seats until aLL STaR announces further details on this tuning project. They say they will provide more details in the next few weeks, so stay close!
aLL STaR Performance Camaro SS teased before SEMA originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 9 August 2010 10:00 EST.
Posted in Chevrolet, SEMA Auto Show, car tuning, chevrolet Camaro, coupe, muscle cars |
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We all know what the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible looks like and what it’s capable of so we won’t bother with introductions anymore because it certainly doesn’t need one.
On the other hand, the ‘Firebreather’, as the car is most commonly referred to, may not be familiar to a lot of us today, but come next year – or whenever the new movie, ‘Jinn’, will be shown – this piece of machine will be synonymous to one of the most iconic movie cars in history.
That being said, the Firebreather may look like a Pontiac Firebird on the outside, but it’s actually a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro under that entire guise. Created by Classic Design Concepts in collaboration with Exxodus Pictures, the car comes with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 monster that produces a fire-breathing output of over 600 horsepower. Quick tangent: Exxodus Pictures and Classic Design Concepts even made 50 production cars to be sold to the public so you can expect these babies to sell like pancakes when the movie comes out.
That being said, with the Firebreather and the 2011 Shelby GT500 in close vicinity to each other, the folks over at The Smoking Tire couldn’t resist the temptation of pitting one against the other. So how does the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible stack up against the Firebreather? The Smoking Tire host Matt Farah has the answer.
Video: Pontiac Firebreather tussles with the Shelby GT500 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 4 August 2010 20:00 EST.
Posted in Ford Mustang Shelby, car tuning, chevrolet Camaro, muscle cars, special editions, video |
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Check out the sexy lady lifting up her skirt to show some leg! The 2011 SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas isn’t until November, but we’re already getting news on what cars are expected to make an appearance.
One of the first to book its ticket at the annual tuning show will be Fortune Motorsports who will bring a tuned-up Honda CR-Z Hybrid that they produced in collaboration with the people from the Tjin Edition Roadshow. In addition to that, Fortune Motorsports will also team up with a number of esteemed auto companies to work on the CR-Z Hybrid in time for its showing at SEMA in November. Among the brands that will take part in the building of the tuned-up hybrid hatchback include ADV.1 Wheels, Falken Tires, Air Lift, Status Racing, JD Motorsports, STACK, Trent’s Trick Upholstery, MagnaFlow, Webasto, Ignited HID’s, Shinzo Media, Light WurkZ, StreetGlow, Wraptivo, and Royal Purple.
What’s more, we’re even going to receive full documentation of the entire proceedings, which will be documented by Fortune Motorsports. So keep tuning in – no pun intended – on any further updates on this SEMA-bound Honda CR-Z Hybrid. If for nothing else, it should be interesting to see how Fortune Motorsports and all its partners will re-build the car from the ground up.
Fortune Motorsports releases teaser of SEMA-bound 2011 Honda CR-Z originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 4 August 2010 19:00 EST.
Pagani has been making the headlines recently and for all good reasons. After setting the fastest lap at the Nurburgring race track with the Pagani Zonda R– okay, it’s not a road legal vehicle, but fast is fast, right? – Pagani just might have another one-off supercar in the works.
These teaser photos, which come courtesy of the folks from Teamspeed, look to be a special edition Zonda called the ‘HH’ and will, apparently, be owned by an American who is currently collaborating with Pagani to build his own personal dream car. Wow.
The supposed owner also gives a few details about the supercar, including the custom paint job that will come with it. From what we heard, the custom supercar will come in a Monterey Blue paint finish or something resembling it.
The Zonda HH will be powered by a Mercedes-Benz AMG V12 engine that produces over 680 horsepower that’s similar to the output of Pagani’s other super machine, the Zonda Cinque.
As for the materials found on this one-off machine, they include a carbon titanium tub, a ceramic-titanium exhaust, and a carbon-ceramic braking that will make the Zonda HH even lighter – somewhere in the neighborhood of 30% – than the standard Zonda.
We didn’t know that someone could design his own supercar with the help of Pagani. But hey, that’s what having tons of money will do for you…
US-based customer to get special one-off Pagani Zonda HH originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 29 July 2010 21:00 EST.
Posted in Pagani, Pagani Zonda, Supercars / Exotic cars, car tuning, cool fast cars, coupe, future cars |
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Does your need for speed leave you wishing there were more options to boost power and create that exhilarating feeling you get when you are whipping past everything leaving behind blurred images of what once was? Yeah, we think Techart feels the same way. Apparently the Porsche Panamera Turbo left something to be desired in terms of horsepower so Techart took it upon themselves to create a fun little button in the center console.
What does this button do? Well, once pressed by the driver, the button allows the Panamera Turbo to get a jump of 80 horsepower. Yeah, just with the touch of a button. Pretty cool, huh? The package is called the Techtronic, or TA 070/T1, and allows the Panamera’s 4.8L V8 engine to jump from 500hp to 580hp. It also increases the torque to the top range of 830Nm at somewhere between 3200rpm and 3600rpm. This little button brings down the Turbo’s 0-60mph time to 3.8secs from 4.0 and increases its top speed from 188mph to 195mph. The 0-124mph sprint is made in 12.5seconds.
So, do you have a Porsche Panamera Turbo that you feel needs a little jumpstart? If you do then you should definitely give Techart a call. This package is available starting in August.
Porsche Panamera Turbo gets boost courtesy of Techart originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 26 July 2010 11:00 EST.
A few months ago, tuning house Lingenfelter ran their LS9-powered 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS to a quarter-mile run of 10.46 seconds at speeds of 139.95 mph. Pretty impressive, right?
Apparently, it wasn’t impressive enough for the boys at Lingenfelter.
The tuning house brought their beast of a machine out once again at the Muncie Dragway over the weekend and proceeded to set three staggering 9-second quarter mile runs with a top time of 9.974 seconds at a speed of 141.64 mph. The other two recorded times were 9.993 seconds at 140.38 mph and 9.979 seconds at 142.04 mph.
To make things even more impressive, the entire run was done on a race strip with an altitude of 3,600 feet and a temperature of 88 degrees with 75 percent humidity.
Talk about stomping your old record and kicking it on the curb, which is exactly what the boys from Lingenfelter did and did so convincingly.
Lingenfelter LS9 Camaro SS breaks 10-second quarter mile time – three times! originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 21 July 2010 10:00 EST.
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