Home / Posts tagged 'SUV'

• 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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• Hamann Spyridon Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG is Decadence Defined

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 3 April 2013

  

  The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is, without question, one of the baddest new vehicles you can buy. And the outrageous V12-powered G65 AMG (which isn’t available in the U.S.) is the high school super senior of the SUV kingdom. You know, the guy always puts his feet on the furniture, sneaks in smoke breaks in the bathroom, addresses each faculty member with “Yo, Teach!,” does just enough to maintain a D- average, and has fathered at least one child. Yeah, that guy. Like the G65, he won’t go very far in life (or on a tank of gas, as the case may be), but man, does he know how to have a good time.

  But what if you want a big, blocky big block Benz that is even more of a party animal? Well, Hamann has created a tuning package for the ultimate G-Wagen called Spyridon. And if you like ostentatious, boy, have you come to the right place.

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• Misha Designs Widebody Kit Gives the First-Gen Porsche Cayenne a Plump New Physique

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 7 March 2013

  

  We’ve seen a lot of different tuners’ takes on the current generation Porsche Cayenne, ranging from mild (basically new bumpers and wheels) to wild (a full-blown, factory-looking two-door conversion). Those are all very nice, but what if you have a first generation example of Porsche’s SUV? Are you stuck with stock bodywork?

  Of course you aren’t, silly goose. There’s a whole host of options for making a first-gen Cayenne (whether it’s the original Type 955 or the facelifted 2007-10 Type 957) stand out from the crowd. And Misha Designs is adding to that list with one honey of a body kit.

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• A.R.T. G Streetline 65 is a Blinding Display of Tuning

  In Tuning / By Freddy Chen / 1 March 2013

  

  In case it’s not on your radar, the Geneva Motor Show is opening March 7th and will feature premieres from nearly every manufacturer and tuner across the globe. McLaren will be revealing their P1 hypercar in the flesh, Ferrari will be showcasing their Enzo successor, TECHART will enlighten its customers with further details about their new 991 customization program, and the list goes on and on.

  Nürnberg-based A.R.T. Tuning is joining is the fray with their new widebody kit for the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. A.R.T. says their new G Streetline 65 kit “makes the legend an icon”. We’ll chalk that up to a translation error because what the kit really looks like it means is “makes a blindingly large SUV a road-monstering behemoth”.

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• VIDEO: Guerlain Chicherit Backflips a Mini Countryman, because Why Not?

  In Car Videos / By Tom Anderson / 18 February 2013

  

  Despite standing under the same corporate umbrella as straight-laced BMW and Rolls-Royce, Mini has managed to remain cheeky, irreverent, and largely unaffected by the trappings success. Can you think of any other automaker that would have responded to accidentally flooding a fan’s email inbox by mailing said fan a sincere mea culpa and an actual can of Spam? We certainly can’t.

  We also can’t think of a carmaker other than Mini that would put its marketing might behind an attempt to backflip a car and (hopefully) land on all fours on a ramp made of snow. Yet that’s exactly what the pint-size car pusher has done, teaming up with French stunt driver Guerlain Chicherit. So did Chicherit and his Mini Countryman X-raid (the same type of vehicle Stephane Peterhansel used to win last month’s Dakar Rally) stick the landing? Click through and find out!

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• Jeep Wrangler CJ300 Matte Pearl Platinum Editions by Kahn Design

  In Tuning / By Ari Cox / 8 January 2013

  

  A Kahn Design recently created a special expedition vehicles umbrella, known as the ‘Chelsea truck company’, to focus on creating stunning SUV designs. Fresh on the heels of their solid Land Rover Defender Concept 17 Wide Body, Kahn has now trained their sights on the new Jeep Wranger CJ300 model. Dubbed the Matte Pearl Platinum editions, these models feature a host of various upgrades both inside and out.

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• LUMMA Design Range Rover CLR R is Bloody Brilliant

  In Tuning / By Ari Cox / 27 November 2012

  

  We are used to seeing German tuner Lumma Design serve up all kinds of flavors of BMW, Mercedes & Porsche models. Now, they have decided to sip a little English tea and tackle the new Range Rover. The CLR R body kit offers a significant transformation by way of a front spoiler with integrated center vent and cup spoiler, a revised hood with air vents, a reworked front grill, widened wheel arches and extended side skirt panels. In the rear, the kit provides an aggressive bumper and diffuser, carbon tailpipe deflectors and a roof spoiler with integrated brake lights.

  Overall, the Lumma Design CLR R is about 50 millimeters wider on each side and squats down low via a sport suspension module which drops the SUV by 40 millimeters. Lumma supplies their 22 x 12 CLR 22 Mono wheels shod in 315/30-22 rubber. A new stainless steel exhaust offers a throatier sound by way of a throttle response system.

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• Kahn Design Defender Concept 17 Wide Body – Harris Tweed Prototype

  In Tuning / By Ari Cox / 19 November 2012

  

  The Land Rover Defender has rugged good looks, a storied legacy and tons of street cred. So, it’s no surprise that English tuner Kahn Design has turned its attention towards this iconic truck. Starting with the 1983 model, designer Afzal Kahn has gone with a wide-body kit with extended wheel arches and introduced mesh covered side and hood vents along with his prototype wing blades and oval tailgate badges.

  Illumination gets updated with clear front and rear light lenses, clear side blinkers and LED B6 headlights. The original 18″ wheels are finished here in black, but can be had in a choice of colors. The overall look is menacing and aggressive, with enough chutzpah to show up just about anywhere.

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• Merdad Collection Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe Loses Doors and Adds Attitude

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 20 September 2012

  

  Back in the day, two-door SUVs were the rule rather than the exception. Vehicles like the Ford Bronco, Chevrolet Blazer, Dodge Ramcharger and International Scout served up sporty styling and impressive agility thanks to their slender wheelbases. Alas, as more and more four-door sport-utes were introduced, fewer and fewer buyers (at least in this country) were willing to make the space and ingress/egress compromises demanded by two-door SUVs. One by one, their numbers dwindled to the point that now the only one-portal-per-side SUVs offered new in the United States are the Jeep Wrangler and Range Rover Evoque (We’re ignoring the Mini Paceman as it isn’t on sale yet.). And considering both of those are also available as four-doors, who knows how much longer they’ll be available.

  Clearly, Merdad Collection isn’t happy with this trend. Why else would the British tuner go to all the trouble of converting the Porsche Cayenne Turbo into a two door? But there’s much more to this all-terrain grand tourer than some coachwork on the midsection.

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• Overfinch GTS-X is an Extra Sporty Range Rover Sport [w/ Video]

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 8 August 2012

  

  The Range Rover Sport, even in top drawer supercharged form, isn’t as muscular as the BMW X5M, Porsche Cayenne Turbo or Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG. However, it is chock full of English charm. And its blocky (though certainly less so than the regular Range Rover) styling won’t be mistaken for anything else in the premium SUV segment.

  But if you do want to be able to keep up with the aforementioned German super utes – and not look like just another Range Rover Sport that rolled off the dealer lot – you do have options. And one of the newest options comes from a British company that has been modifying Range Rovers since 1975: Overfinch. And it’s an option that looks set to send the first generation Range Rover Sport into retirement with a bang.

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