Tuning company Brabus never ceases to amaze us. This time they have released a brand new package for the Mercedes E-Class called the 800 E V12 Cabriolet. Completely redesigning the exterior, the Mercedes received a new carbon fiber body kit, fresh alloy wheels, and a sport suspension kit to tie it all together. The black 19-inch alloys wrapped in high performance tires gives it a murdered out feel, while the performance numbers are even more stunning. We’re going to hold out on the performance specs for right now, and move to the interior where you will find carbon fiber trim, a new sport steering wheel, and speedometer capable of reaching 400 km/h! You’ll find out why in just a second.
Greg Windler
Edo Competition BMW M5 Touring
German car tuning company Edo Competition is well known for exotic car projects, however this time they stuck with a more practical budget customizing the BMW M5 Touring model. Calling it the BMW M5 Dark Edition, performance tuning for the 5.0-liter V10 engine consists of a reprogrammed ECU, new air filters, catalytic converters, and a high performance sport exhaust system. This results in a power increase from the factory 500 HP and 521 Nm of torque to 555 horsepower and 560 Nm of torque. On the race track it is capable of a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in just 4.2 seconds while reaching a top speed of 305 km/h.
ABT VW Beetle
It is now time to prepare for the VW Beetle tuning wars as ABT Sportsline has just released some images of their initial renderings. Last month we saw some styling improvements from the Volkswagen enthusiast website VWVortex, and now we have the “Speedle” version from ABT. They will have several performance kits available for the VW Beetle, produing 140 HP for the 1.2 TSI engine, 210 HP for the 1.4 TSI, and 240 horsepower for the flagship 2.0 TSI powerplant. Diesel models will range from 125-170 HP, however the VW tuners are still manufacturing the parts and won’t be in customer hands until September.
SR Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Project Berzerk
With the dog days of summer approaching, SR Auto Group has released a new styling kit for the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 called Project Berzerk. The tuners at SR Auto Group have previously worked on several Lambos with great success, so this project was nothing out of the ordinary. The Lamborghini Gallardo is already a beautiful car to begin with, and the addition of a new front bumper, carbon side skirts, and carbon rear spoiler keep the smooth lines in tact. A stunning ocean blue paint job brings the whole piece together along with a new set of Monotec T04 rims measuring 20-inches in a gloss black finish.
Carlsson Mercedes SLK Tuning
The German tuning company Carlsson has released a new package for the Mercedes-Benz SLK. Performance mods start off with a new C-Tronic kit to deliver more boost to the new CGI engines found in the SLK. The 200 CGI Mercedes SLK power was increased to 224 PS, while the SLK 250 CGI received 239 PS. A suspension kit was installed to lower the Benz up to 30 mm along with the new 18 to 20-inch wheels. Exterior styling improvements to the Mercedes include a new front lip spoiler, grille inserts, spoiler, and a diffuser at the rear.
Switzer Porsche Panamera P680
The tuning company from Ohio called Switzer Performance has created a perfect performance kit for the Porsche Panamera. They didn’t add a whole bunch of body modifications, and instead decided to tune the Porsche where it would have the greatest effect. Under the hood you will find a direct-injected V8 with twin turbos and the Switzer P680 hardware. Two new turbos give the Porsche Panamera a better boost response with their billet compressor wheels, while the cooling system have been improved with a new intercooler.
DMC Ferrari FF Maximus
The German car tuning firm DMC has released a new kit for the Ferrari FF called the Maximus. This new Ferrari design looks awfully similar to the Porsche Panamera with the rear end, however is only a two door model. The package from DMC consists of new bumpers, side skirts, rear diffuser, trunk spoiler, and a rear wing. Up front it has been extended and lightened by 70 kg with the carbon fiber they used to construct the bumper. However, the real Ferrari FF performance lies under the hood with a twin supercharged 6.0-liter V12 engine.
Magnat Porsche 911 GT3 Snowmobile
A new package for the Porsche 911 GT3 has been released by the tuning company Magnat for owners looking to trick out their sports car. This styling and performance kit is called the Snowmobile from the colors featured on the exterior and interior. Magnat is typically a German audio specialist, however they have modified this Porsche 911 GT3 with several goodies. The exterior paint consists of a matte black trim with stripes running down the sides and center. A new set of Ultraleggera HLT CT by OZ Racing wheels measuring 19-inches give it an extra aggressive look, while wrapped in Yokohama Advan Sport tires sized 235/35/19 up front and 305/30/19 at the rear.
Hofele Design Volkswagen Touareg
Fresh off the dyno, Hofele Design released a fancy tuning package for the new Volkswagen Touareg II called the Royal GT 470. It features a few styling parts including the modified fascias, revised grille, and wheel arch extensions. A stainless steel exhaust system was installed, as well as an electronic lowering module to lower the light SUV up to 40 mm. We’re not too sure about the chrome alloy wheel choice that the tuners went with on this Volkswagen Touareg, however they are available from 20-22 inches and wrapped in high performance tires.
Wetterauer MINI Countryman Cooper S
One of Germany’s lesser known tuning companies, Wetterauer Engineering GmbH has created a new package for the MINI Countryman Cooper S. An interesting foil wrap in this matte brown color was chosen to cover the car, while a new set of 18-inch ATS rims wrapped in 225/45R18 high performance tires complete the exterior look. Inside the MINI Cooper you will find four new lightweight racing bucket seats made of carbon fiber and wrapped in black leather for extra comfort. Pull back the sun visors and you will find blue LED lights for a customized feature, and a oddly placed iPad that looks like you’d smash it with your hand while shifting into fifth gear.
TechTec BMW 1-Series
The German tuning firm TechTec has released several upgrades for the BMW 1-Series M coupe. At the highest stage, the car can produce up to 450 PS, however the tuners started off with the intial package boosting it 40 horsepower for €1,500. This results in 380 PS and 580 Nm of torque. If you want to hand over some more money, then for €2,500 the BMW 1-Series will produce 400 PS, but if your going that far you should just have the car maxed out. With an additional €800, TechTec adds a new air cooler and fine tunes the ECU to produce 450 PS and 630 Nm of torque.
New Volkswagen Beetle RS Tuning
The new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is sure to be on many tuning companies list when it debuts on the showroom floors in September. It sort of reminds me of the Porsche Panamera when looking from the side, but it is said this design came inspired from the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which was performed by VWvortex. Either way it is definitely a better look for the Beetle RS, since most of the owners of the previous model were female. It now carries that long lost swagger to attract the male tuning crowd and all the dedicated Volkswagen enthusiasts.