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• Piecha Design Mercedes-Benz CLA250 GT-R Emboldens Stuttgart’s New Starter Sedan

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 14 May 2013

  

  The all-new CLA-Class represents a sizable philosophical shift for Mercedes-Benz. It’s an extension of the company’s “four-door coupe” portfolio, and it’s the first front-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz offered in the United States. But it also represents an open and concerted effort by the world’s oldest car company to court the highly-desirable youth market.

  And if there’s one thing younger car buyers like to do, it’s modify their rides to make them look different from everyone else’s. But because the CLA is so new, there aren’t very many options for making one’s baby Benz stand out from the crowd just yet. Thankfully, one of those options – from the German firm Piecha Design – looks damn good.

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• Revozport Gives the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Some Carbon Fiber Jewelry

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 8 May 2013

  

  The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is just the latest in a long, proud line of front-engine, two-seat V12 grand tourers. It belongs to the same bloodline that such classics as the 275 GTB/4 and 365 GTB/4 Daytona and late-model masterworks like the 550 Maranello and 599 GTB Fiorano do. Of course, none of those can deliver the kind of eye-popping performance that the F12 can; a 730hp 6.3L V12 and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission will do that, you know…

  So Ferrari’s latest autostrada eater is quite desirable. But is it possible to make it even more desirable? Some tuners have certainly tried, but what if all you want is a set of subtle upgrades that only the most perky-peepered Prancing Horse pedants will perceive? Well Revozport offers a possible solution.

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• Kahn Design Jeep Wrangler CJ300 Summer Collection is Beachy Keen

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 6 May 2013

  

  The Jeep Wrangler is one of the last rough-and-tumble old school SUVs in production. It’s not based on a family sedan chassis fitted with taller springs. It’s offered with a variety of four-wheel-drive systems with low-range transfer cases. And you can fold down the windshield, fold the fabric top (or remove the available hardtop), and even remove the doors for maximum visibility when crawling your way over tricky terrain.

  But what if you love the current JK-series Wrangler – particularly its open-air convertibility – but you want more posh interior and exterior trimmings? Then you get on the horn with the folks at Kahn Design. That crafty band of sport utility vehicle specialists has just the components to get your archetypal Jeep ready for warm weather cruising.

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• KTW Tuning and Brabus Build a Wicked Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 2 May 2013

  

  When Mercedes-Benz released its first factory-built station wagon (the W123-based “T-Modell,” the “T” standing for touring and transport) in 1978, it probably didn’t know just how big a hit it would be. But as the last 35 years and untold thousands of sales of various compact and mid-size station wagons have proven, many people around the world – our grandmother among them – are quite comfortable with the idea of an estate car wearing the Mercedes-Benz star.

  The current-generation E-Class Wagon (codenamed W212) is the archetypal example of the brand’s wagon lineage. But for all its design and practicality virtues, it’s not much of a performance car (at least in non-AMG form). However, KTW Tuning (with quite a bit of help from Brabus) have managed to change that.

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• Wald International Mercedes-Benz Viano Black Bison is Soccermom Chic

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 1 May 2013

  

  While most Americans know Mercedes-Benz as a maker of premium automobiles, in global terms, it’s a truly full-line automaker. Yes, we get a taste of the company’s non-luxury car and SUV side in the form of the Sprinter van range, but the Sprinter is just a tiny slice of the pie. Mercedes-Benz also builds medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, smaller vans and of course the mighty Unimog. You can also get most of the company’s passenger cars with smaller gas and diesel engines than the ones offered here, as well as features like cloth upholstery and steel wheels with hubcaps.

  But back to those vans not named Sprinter. The Sprinter’s smaller, more car-like brother is the Vito, a rear- or all-wheel-drive cargo van which forms the basis for a passenger van aimed at non-commercial customers (read: families) called the Viano. And it is for the Viano that Japanese tuning house Wald International has developed one of its snazzy Black Bison body kits.

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• Inside Performance BMW X6M Stealth is One Crazy Camo Crossover

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 30 April 2013

  

  While we still don’t get the logic behind it (Perhaps there…isn’t…any?), we cannot deny that the BMW X6M is one mean…vehicle. The jacked-up four-door fastback body conceals a brawny twin-turbo V8 and all-wheel-drive. It’s not practical, or very pretty, but good golly is it a hot piece of steel.

  Of course, it can always be made hotter. And German tuning shop Inside Performance has made one of these controversial Bimmers considerably hotter. However, the changes it has made to the exterior are ice cold.

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• TechArt Dresses the New Porsche Cayman to Thrill

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 29 April 2013

  

  In our occasionally-humble opinion, the new Porsche Cayman (chassis code 981) is one of the best looking new cars on the market. Whereas the first-gen Cayman (both pre- and post-facelift versions) were stubby looking Boxsters-with-lids, the new car cuts a much more balanced profile, and features details that help make it look much more sophisticated, like sculpted side scoops and a rear spoiler that flows into the taillights. Bottom line: Porsche has made the Cayman as wonderful to gaze upon as it is to drive.

  However, we can’t be alone in feeling this way. This means there’s a pretty good chance Caymans will soon be fairly common in well-heeled neighborhoods. How will you make sure yours doesn’t blend in with the herd? Well, you might want to start by getting in touch with TechArt.

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• Manhart Racing MH6 S Biturbo is an Industrial Strength BMW M6

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 25 April 2013

  

  Few new cars are better at wolfing down the miles than the new BMW M6. With two-doors, two turbos, eight cylinders, 560 horsepower and a choice of a fixed roof or a folding one, the hottest F12 (coupe) and F13 (convertible) you can buy at a BMW dealer are the state of the art for four-seat grand tourers. Who could possibly ask for anything more?

  Well, it would appear that quite a few people are asking for something more. Why else would the fine folks at Manhart Racing have developed a tuning kit for the newest Bavarian continent-swallower? Certainly not because they were bored; there are cheaper cures for that, after all.

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• MS Design Readies Audi S4 ‘A46′ for Top Marques Monaco 2013

  In Tuning / By Ari Cox / 19 April 2013

  

  The B8 Audi RS4 is only offered in Avant flavor, or in more plain speak, wagon body style. So, what’s a saloon (sedan) aficionado to do? Austrian tuner MS Design thinks they have the answer. Their Audi S4, dubbed the A46, serves up 450 horsepower and can sprint from 0 to 62mph in just 4.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 178 mph. The engine tuning kit from MS adds a whopping 117 horsepower to the all aluminium-alloy 3.0L TFSI supercharged V6 engine.

  But the fun doesn’t stop there… A stylish body kit adds a new front and rear fascia with red accents, more pronounced fender flares, side skirts with black accents and a rear deck lid. A height adjustable sport suspensions drops the car down on the 20 x 8.5-inch lightweight alloy wheels.

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• Leib Engineering BMW M3 GT 500 Hits All the Right Notes

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 17 April 2013

  

  As one of the undisputed darlings of the tuning world, the outgoing BMW M3 E92 has certainly been modified a thousand ways from Sunday. And in order to help their renditions stand out from the competition, many shops tend to go overboard with the cosmetic and mechanical alterations. Some people like this, but we think such extreme measures tend to ruin the bodacious Bimmer’s restrained styling and terrific balance of speed and agility.

  Thankfully, Leib Engineering, a company based in the central German town of Giessen, decided to keep it simple when it decided to rework the E92 M3 into a car it calls the GT 500. But just because Leib doesn’t bolt on a supercharger to add umpteen pounds of boost or stick a wing that’s as tall as the roof on the trunk doesn’t mean corners have been cut. In fact, the opposite is true.

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