The car manufacturers from Chevrolet have brought a trio of test cars for their new Z-Spec line of aftermarket accessories for the Chevy Volt, Cruze, and Spark models. The first teaser is with the concept version of the all-new Volt electric car. Sure, an electric vehicle is not a typical tuning project, however that doesn’t mean it can’t look good with a body kit, blacked-out trim, and a new wheel package. The Chevy Volt also received a new sports steering wheel, leather wrapped Recaro seats, and racing foot pedals. This new Z-Spec lineup is being showcased on the three small cars; the Volt, Cruze, and Spark right now, but in the future Chevrolet plans to offer the whole line to all models. Chris Perry, the vice president of Chevrolet marketing said, “Chevrolets have always been vehicles customers love to personalize and Z-Spec could give them more choices than ever.” Hit the jump to view the full press release and see all the pictures.
Greg Windler
DUB Edition Hyundai Equus
There have been several releases so far for the SEMA Show starting this week, but this particular tuning project caught my eye and is based on the Hyundai Equus. This DUB Edition Hyundai looks like a luxury car that could be worth hundreds of thousands, however under all the customizations it is still an affordable Hyundai Equus. It sports a stunning exterior, interior, and even audio modifications from the well-known and exclusive DUB Magazine. The president and co-founder, Myles Kovacs said, “We know that SEMA show-goers look forward to seeing the cool new cars like Equus and the unique ways we customize them. With this car we tried to give tuners an idea of what modifications can be done within the luxury segment.”
Lamborghini Crashes and Flips At Texas Mile
Back in October 2003 the Texas Mile held its inaugural event with a mile and a half long track allowing drivers to go as fast as possible. It has become very popular for tuning enthusiasts over the years because you can top out your car without getting in trouble with the law. It’s the perfect place to set new records, however you wouldn’t want to be the owner of this twin-turbo Lamborghini Gallardo. Things went horribly wrong right after he hit the 1 mile marker, immediately deploying the parachute, and sending him off the right side of the track into a furry of flips. No doubt it was the parachute that caused this crash, and the sad part is that the car didn’t even need a parachute. Lamborghini factory brakes would have been plenty to stop the car before the end of the track.
Michael Jordans McLaren SLR
The Mercedes McLaren SLR is a stunning car, and running across one of the special 722 Editions these days is like finding a needle in a hay stack. However, it gets better because this unique McLaren has been celebrity owned by the one and only basketball legend Michael Jordan. It is now being auctioned on eBay for a hefty price, but the car still has less than 1,000 miles! It received several modifications including 19-inch lightweight alloy wheels, modified suspension, stiffer damper setup, and 10 mm lower ride height.
Eisenmann Audi R8 Spark Eight
The German tuning company Eisenmann have released this styling kit for the Audi R8 called the Spark Eight. Made from carbon fiber and Kevlar materials, this design has been under construction the past year, but is now available after successful testing. Included in the Spark 8 aero kit is a new spoiler grille with fins, brake cooling chambers, new front splitter, redesigned rear spoiler grille, and rear diffuser. However, Eisenmann has long been a superior performance exhaust specialist, so you know this R8 received only the best. Under the diffuser is a new flap controlled, stainless steel exhaust system with a centrally positioned tailpipe similar to the Lamborghini.
ZR Auto Lamborghini Gallardo Twin Turbo
The tuning company ZR Auto has released a new project using the Lamborghini Gallardo with a nasty green paint job. Personally, I would never buy a car this color, but the mods are impressive to say the least. The exotic sports car received a brand new IMSA body kit to drastically change the appearance, while a Heffner Twin Turbo performance package was installed under the engine cover. Completing the look is the IMSA wide body conversion kit, along with IMSA custom painted lightweight wheels, IMSA eight-piston big brake kit, Moton fully adjustable coilover suspension kit, IMSA clear glass engine decklid, and a custom color interior to match the puke green exterior.
Mansory Range Rover Sport
After the launch of the impressive BMW X5 M, the tuners from Mansory have done it again with the Range Rover Sport. As you can tell from the pictures, the tuning kit features a new front bumper with integrated LED daytime running lights, carbon fiber front grille, and new hood with a large center air inlet. Additionally, the package includes new side skirts, larger front and rear fenders, rear roof carbon fiber spoiler, D-pillars with carbon fiber, and a new rear bumper with integrated carbon diffuser holding the exhaust system.
aLL STaR Performance Chevy Camaro SS
The tuners from aLL STaR Performance have revealed this image of the custom Chevy Camaro SS set to debut at the 2010 SEMA Show in a few weeks. They’ve been teasing the tuning enthusiasts with the Camaro under wraps, but we now have the clear picture of the project. From what we can see, Gene Marcel will take a more conservative route with this car, keeping the natural lines of the Chevy Camaro in tack. The paint job comes courtesy of Dupont, while a set of Forgestar wheels wrapped in Falken high performance tires complete the exterior.
Fast and Furious Movie Car For Sale
Up for sale at the Volo Auto Museum in Illinois is this matte gray 1970 Dodge Charger RT movie car, which claims to have been driven by Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto in the 2009 Fast and Furious movie. Not only being a movie car, the custom Charger features a stripped and modified interior with a new sport steering wheel, plenty of gauges, and an automatic V8 with a large supercharger and intake coming out the hood. They say the appraised value is $200,000, however I have a hard time believing that due to the fact that Hemmings values a 1970 Dodge Charger RT around $28,995 to $74,900. But I guess spending the extra 100k for an all time classic movie car could be worth it. Fortunately they have “marked” the price down to $129,998 for anyone interested. Click here to check out the official listing.
RENNtech Mercedes C63 AMG Kit
The tuners at RENNtech definitely know how to work on Mercedes, this time releasing a C63 AMG wide body kit with the works. It is said to improve the aerodynamics of the car, however most customers will probably purchase it for the looks alone. Their calling it the C74 kit for the Mercedes, and comes to us right after the RENNtech tuning team launched the world’s fastest Mercedes C63, which accomplished a 11.6 second quarter mile time. Focusing on the exterior styling this time around, the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG received looks inspired by Stuttgart’s DTM racing cars.
FAB Design Mercedes SLS AMG
The Swiss tuners at FAB Design have pulled back the sheets to reveal the modified Mercedes SLS AMG. Although the tuning company was scarce on the details, we do know that they were able to gain an extra 40 horsepower from the Gullwing door supercar. This comes from the Mercedes V8 engine producing a total of 611 hp after the tuning. At the track it improved the sprint time from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds, a .1 difference from the factory car time. FAB Design also designed a new body kit for the SLS AMG, consisting of a re-styled front bumper with new vents and a lip spoiler, side skirts, roof scoop, and a new rear bumper that accompanies the four exhaust tips.
Prestige BMW X600 Styling Kit
Here is the latest work released by the British tuners at Prestige Styling, a modified BMW X6 called the X600. This comes to us after Prestige recently launched their original BMW X6 tuning kit in the spring. It features a new front and rear bumper, vented bonnet, side vents, redesigned front spoiler, and additional air intakes. These deliver a more aggressive appearance, while LED daytime running lights were added, along with the original fog lights and PDCs. The BMW X600 keeps the factory upper body lines, however the lower sections have been custom designed to strengthen the look. Remodeled front wheel archers give the SUV additional width, and side skirts extend lower with a stainless steel step plate, while the rear door panel and wheel arches continue to emphasize a wider BMW X6.