ˆ Mercedes Math: S550 + CL550 = CS500?

tags : cl550 , cs500 , mercedes benz , mercedesbenz , mycar , s550 , tuners

Saudi tuner shops get different requests than the mod-masters in the US. While we may ask for bodyside moldings and a little something under the hood, the Saudis are just as likely to electroplate a precious metal onto their luxury rides. Since luxury vehicles seem to grow on trees in the world's oil capitol, tuner MyCar is challenged with differentiating these high-end vehicles to make them stand out in a crowd.
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posted : 4/25/2009 @12:41:41 PM

ˆ Alpina teases with sketch of next B7 sedan

tags : 650i , alpina , alpina b7 , alpinab7 , b7 , bmw , bmw 750i , bmw750i , sedans , sports sedan , sportssedan , tuners

This is a sketch of the coming Alpina B7, to be based on the new BMW 750i. Outside, there won't be much happening -- nor necessary -- beyond Alpina's new front lip, rear wing and trademark wheels. Inside, Alpina might have some minor cluster mods in store, but we wouldn't expect too much change there, either. As with the 2007 B7 and its 500 hp and 4.8-second 0-60 time, we figure the engine and suspension will be heavily redressed on this next version. Alpina could opt for the centrifugal supercharger routine again, but whatever they do will surely put healthy distance between the B7 and the 400 hp of the donor car's 4.4-liter V8. The B7 might also get BMW's rumored 8-speed transmission. It will definitely get a stratospheric price tag.

posted : 12/23/2008 @9:04:02 PM

ˆ Hurst Performance announces 50th Anniversary Viper

tags : aftermarket , barrett-jackson , dodge viper , dodgeviper , hurst , hurst performance vehicles , hurst viper , hurstperformancevehicles , hurstviper , limited edition , limitededition , special edition , specialedition , sports car , sportscar , tuners , viper

Hurst is at it again, breathing their 50th anniversary magic on a Dodge Viper. Fifty cars will be made, each featuring a number of details already seen on the Hurst Hemi Challenger, including the Hurst pistol-grip shifter and Hurst wheels. The interior will be stitched up by Katzkin leather, and sound effects will come via a Corsa exhaust. As for colors, you will be offered the usual two: black with gold stripes, and white with gold stripes. The car you see peeking through in the picture above is a 1-of-a-kind that will go under the gavel at next month's Barret-Jackson auction. That one is matte gold with matte black racing stripe and black chrome wheels. But we have a feeling that if you don't get the car at Barrett and you really want one just like it, Hurst will be happy to exchange some of your green for some of their gold.

posted : 12/22/2008 @9:08:34 PM

ˆ M-B CL600 + Kicherer = Monumentally Badass CL60

tags : aftermarket , cl60 , cl600 , kicherer , kicherer cl60 , kicherercl60 , mercedes-benz , tuners

If Drake, the ur-vampire from Blade Trinity, were a car, this is the car he would be. Starting with a CL600, tuning firm Kicherer didn't waste time throwing pieces at the car's already aggressive styling. Instead, Kicherer attacked the CL's jugular: sloppy performance due to the car's portliness. The biturbo V12 gets 53 extra horses to corral 570 in total, torque gets smacked up to 664 lb-ft., the engine gets a new transmission control module to better deal with the extra juice, and out back, the rear axle gets a locking rear differential. The car is lowered an inch, and firmer springs help keep things settled when it's go time. Will all this turn the car into a cheetah? Probably not, but with the carbon goodies added throughout and the 20-inch Kircherer RS-1 wheels, it will look mighty good doing whatever it does.

posted : 10/15/2008 @9:19:37 PM

ˆ SEMA Preview: CGS ReFlex

tags : aftermarket , cgs , cgs motorsports , cgsmotorsports , flex , ford , ford flex , fordflex , reflex , sean smith , seansmith , sema , sema 2008 , sema2008 , ss designs , ssdesigns , tuners

Every time we see a Flex on the road, it looks cartoonish to us – those two massive rectangles sitting on cute little wheels. We wouldn't be surprised if, a la CARS, a Flex started talking to us. The "ReFlex" above, designed by Sean Smith of SS Designs and being prepared by CGS Motorsports for this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, looks like it could have something interesting to say. Who knew that a minimal body kit, a drop, and a set of 22s could give the Flex that personality it's been missing. The custom DuPont-painted CUV is also getting a suede interior, a Kicker sound system, and even new door solenoids from SPAL. We'll take it, or at least a ride in it.

posted : 10/15/2008 @7:36:03 PM

ˆ SEMA Preview: RKSport doing up Genesis sedan

tags : aftermarket , hyundai , hyundai genesis , hyundai genesis sedan , hyundaigenesis , hyundaigenesissedan , rks , rksport , rksport genesis , rksportgenesis , sema , sema 2008 , sema2008 , tuners

There are six modded Genesis' planned for SEMA: three coupes, three sedans. The coupes have been worked over by Street Concepts, HKS, and Rhys Millen. A rendering of the first tricked-out Genesis sedan from RKSport has rumbled onto the page, and it looks less like competition for the 5 Series than it does a challenger to the Death Star. The Platinum Silver sedan will wear carbon fiber accessories and a couple of spoilers as it hunkers on its oversized TSW wheels. RKSport's take on this car is to raise the performance stakes, and it's going to have Hyundai's help doing it. The whipped cream on the sunday will be a K&N air intake, Magnaflow exhaust, Eibach springs, Baer brakes, and a body kit. The sunday itself consists of performance upgrades that Hyundai is giving to the car's Tau V8 engine. The Korean automaker is hush-hush on those changes, but they're probably good for a bump in the numbers in all the right places. And since you can't drive the cars at SEMA, they'll probably look and sound pretty good, too.

posted : 10/15/2008 @6:56:21 PM

ˆ SEMA Preview: Street Scene Equipment F-150

tags : aftermarket , f-150 , ford , ford f-150 , ford f-150 lariat , fordf-150 , fordf-150lariat , pickup , pickup trucks , pickuptrucks , sema , street scene , street scene equipment , streetscene , streetsceneequipment , tuners

Custom truck lovers, it doesn't matter that the whole world might seem to be against you, you will not be forgotten at this year's SEMA. Performance West will be bringing a hotted up F-150 and F-350, and now Street Scene Equipment rumbles onto the stage with it's own entrant, a juiced up 2009 F-150 Lariat. The SSE job appears to be a little more subdued than the Performance West numbers, but that might just be down to the lack of racing stripes. The Lariat will of course be dropped, because you can't even call it a tuning job if the truck is more than an inch above the ground. After that, the exterior gets new front and rear bumpers and skirts, new mirrors, a bed cap, a tailgate wing, and some of DuPont 's Hot Hues to make it all shiny, among other things. Inside will be the standard rolling theater treatment: headrest video monitors and a "high-end infotainment system" from Audio Innovations. In keeping with the restrained theme, engine mods looks to be limited to an Air Raid intake and a new exhaust. Subtle ain't such a bad thing, though -- we gotta admit we're digging that grille.

posted : 10/13/2008 @10:46:14 PM

ˆ OETTINGER tuned Scirocco one mean hot hatch

tags : oettinger scirocco , oettinger volkswagen , oettinger vw , oettingerscirocco , oettingervolkswagen , oettingervw , tuner scirocco , tunerscirocco , volkswagen scirocco , volkswagenscirocco , vw scirocco , vwscirocco

Today on Cars We Can't Have, Oettinger turns its eye toward Volkswagen's C30 Scirocco. There's history between the tuning firm and VW's windy coupe, so this could be viewed as an addendum to past work. What does a tuner do, if not enhance performance? Indeed, Oettinger has fiddled about underhood to wring 240PS from the 2.0-liter engine, and the smaller 1.4-liter TSI mill is good for an even 200PS at the hands of the tuner. Anticipating that more is always better, the future holds a further enhanced 2.0 liter TSI engine frothing out 350PS. It's not just engine tweaks. The hotted-up Scirocco is low enough to scrape roadkill from the tarmac, thanks to an adjustable suspension. Holding the increased go power from the engine room in check are larger brakes, and it wouldn't be a tuner car without a body kit. Oettinger's bodywork changes are more classy than garish, and overall the look is successful at ratcheting our desire for the Scirocco up another notch.

posted : 10/13/2008 @10:25:44 PM

ˆ SEMA Preview: Performance West Group Ford F-350 Striker

tags : aftermarket , aftermarket tuner , aftermarket tuning , aftermarkettuner , aftermarkettuning , f-350 , f350 , ford , ford f-350 , ford f-350 striker , fordf-350 , fordf-350striker , performance west , performance west group , performancewest , performancewestgroup , pwg , sema , tuner , tuners

Athletic governing bodies are coming down hard on steroids and HGH, which has probably led to a glut on the market. Performance West Group appears to have bought up the entire surplus and injected it into a Ford F-350 dually in order to create the Striker. Part pickup and part Ford Mustang GT500KR, the Striker will be intimidating other vehicles at this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas. The greatest tuning minds of our generation are assisting PWG with the project. Gale Banks is tuning the PowerStroke V8 engine above its 350 hp and 650 lb-ft. Hulst Customs is fabricating the bodywork. American Lightweight will be providing the aluminum 24" wheels. Katzkin Leather and Sony are doing duty inside to make sure you enjoy what will surely be a monster system in beauteous comfort. PWG will then drape the entire thing in Striker Silver and Badass Blue and then probably let it loose to kill things. The rationalist in us wants to ask "What the...?" The auto junkie in us wants to stick it in the driveway and let it reek of testosterone. And then transform into a Decepticon. Which means we can't wait for SEMA.

posted : 10/2/2008 @3:15:17 PM

ˆ Cobb Tuning gives the GT-R a serious bump in power

tags : accessport , cobb , cobb accessport , cobb motorsport , cobb tuning , cobbaccessport , cobbmotorsport , cobbtuning , gt-r , nissan , nissan gt-r , nissangt-r , tuner , tuners , tuning

Cobb Tuning has re-engineered its AccessPort control unit for the new R35 Nissan GT-R. For those of you lucky enough to own a GT-R and not content with its performance out of the box, the $995 AccessPort will reflash the ECU to any one of six different tuning levels. There are three levels each for Stage 1 and Stage 2. Stage 1 can get you up to 63 additional ponies and 70 lb.-ft. of additional twist, while Stage 2 can boost the numbers by 70 and 90 respectively. The AccessPort can also save your stock ECU data and reflash it when you decide you're finished with all that extra gumption. According to a GT-R owner who tried it out, you can be blowing past all those regular GT-Rs in less than an hour. And that's not all: you can store multiple engine mapping programs, remove trouble codes, install reduced-power valet and economy modes, and update maps over the Internet. It seems like a ridiculously easy proposition for making your supercar that much more super. So if you got one of those GT-Rs that are a little low on horses, this could be just the ticket.

posted : 9/2/2008 @5:36:04 PM