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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Euro , Tech var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/design/When_you_re_bored_with_one_color_car_use_tape'; When a BMW 335i owner in Munich became bored with his black coupe, he hired a team to wrap it in white tape. Two days later, he drove home in his refreshed "Alpine White" coupe (with an M3-appearing black roof). No, it's not normal tape. It's a special 3M wrap, and the process is known as "foiling." Apparently, the German military has been using the process (with an olive drab tape) for some time now. Likewise, the process is popular with race teams and taxi companies. Available in countless colors, the tape itself is thick enough to protect the paint from minor chips and nicks, and it can be left adhered to the surface for 3-4 years without damage (!). Adhesion isn't a problem either, as the tape can even withstand an automatic car wash without peeling off. Thanks for the tip Frank. Gallery: Foil Tape Paint Job ...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Euro , Videos , Supercars , Lamborghini , Ferrari Click above to view the video. We've said it before, but it warrants repeating: it takes a special kind of crazy to take an epic supercar like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini and tune it like you would a Mustang or even a Porsche. Fortunately, Novitec and EDO are just such a breed of crazy. We've brought you news of the former's modified Ferrari 430 Scuderias and 599 GTBs and the latter's Lamborghini Superleggera , Maserati MC12 and Audi R8 (to name just a few), but never side by side. For that, you may follow the jump and thank those zany Germans for pitting a Novitec Rosso-modified Ferrari 575M Maranello against an EDO Competition-tuned Lamborghini Gallardo. You'll need four and a half minutes to spare, but not fluency in German... "vroom" is international. [Source: YouTube via Autoblog.nl ] Continue reading Autoblog Night Watch: Novitec Ferrari 575 vs. EDO Lambo Gallardo Read...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Sedans/Saloons , Euro , Alfa Romeo , UK Click above to view the Autodelta 159 J4 2.2 C in high res European reviews of Alfa Romeo's mid-range line-up invariably yield the same conclusion: the Brera, Spider and 159 are impossibly beautiful (take our word for it if you haven't seen one in the flesh), but the performance just isn't there. That's where Autodelta comes in. The British tuning house specializes in dialing up the performance quotient on Alfas, and after pumping up the Brera and Spider with its top-of-the-line J-series packages, Autodelta has turned its attention to the 159 sedan. The result of a year and a half of development, the 159 J4 2.2 C promises to fill the dynamic void of the standard saloon. Rather than starting with the heavier 3.2-liter V6 (which is coupled to Alfa's Q4 all-wheel-drive system), Autodelta takes the 185hp 2.2-liter JTS direct-injection inline-four and bolts on a Rotrex C30-74 supercharger to boost...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Euro , Hatchbacks , FIAT Click to view the Grande Punto Abarth SS at Frankfurt '07 Fiat's tuning workshop Abarth has released details for two new performance kits for the Grande Punto Abarth: the Assetto and esseesse (read: SS, for Super Sport) kits. Starting with the standard 155-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged Grande Punto Abarth, both kits can be ordered after the fact and installed by specialized Abarth centers being established in markets around the world. The Assetto package includes an upgraded brake kit with cross-drilled discs front and rear and beefier brake pads, plus high-performance coil springs that drop the suspension an additional 15+ mm and special 18" white alloys with 215/40-ZR18 Pirelli PZero rubber. Customers who opt for the esseesse kit also get a bigger Garrett turbocharger, a BMC Carbon Dynamic induction kit, twin exhaust with chrome-tipped tail pipes, and a remapped ECU, boosting power up to 180 hp. The kits are...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Coupes , Euro , Audi Growing up in Canada, my mother had a Dodge Caravan with fake wood siding. Then she replaced it with... another Dodge Caravan with fake wood siding. The wisdom of plastic made to look like wood notwithstanding, the van hardly felt rock-solid. Meanwhile, someone in Russia - that bastion of good taste that brought us, among other abominations, that hideous Cayenne/Touareg monstrosity - thought it would be a good idea to cover his brand new Audi S5 with a film that makes it look made of marble. Our first reaction: he was probably stoned when he decided this was a good idea. [Source: German Car Zone via CarScoop ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Euro , Hatchbacks , FIAT Click above image for a gallery of the Novitec Fiat 500 Fiat's retrolicious 500 is designed to transport people with panache, if not punch. Novitec's specialty is both bringing the punchbowl to the party and then spiking it. Sure, the tuner tweaks the likes of Alfa and Ferrari , but the everyman isn't left out either, as evidenced by the new collection of mods it's now made available for the Fiat 500. 500 drivers can add a subtle front chin spoiler, new wheels and tires, and suspension updates to improve the car's already appealing looks. On the performance side, Novitec has come up with an exhaust upgrade and a pair of power packages. The 1.3L Multijet turbodiesel gets bumped from the stock 70 horses to a stouter 83, and the 1.4L gasoline engine gets an even more substantial boost. In standard form, it makes 100 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. With Novitec's supercharger, it jumps to 131 horses at 5...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Convertibles , Euro , Mercedes Benz , Brabus Click above for a high-res gallery of the BRABUS SL "BRABUS" might as well be German for, "Hey, why not?" This would seem to be the question its engineers ask themselves before they stuff ludicrous amounts of power under the hoods of Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks. This behavior is well - documented , and it continues unabated with the arrival of MB's new SL . Full wheel/tire, interior, and styling packages are a given. Backing up those enhanced looks is an assortment of tuning packages capable of providing more power than even Montgomery Scott could ever plead for. The SV12 S Biturbo engine swap appears to have been created by someone with a severe, pathological hatred for tires. This is the same engine used in the Brabus Bullit , and it dishes out a predictably ridiculous 720 horsepower and 973 lb-ft of torque. The latter number is electronically restrained to a mere 811 lb-ft., and...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Euro , Hatchbacks , Alfa Romeo Click above for a high-res gallery of the Alfa Romeo Brera. Prodrive is in the process of developing a performance package for the Alfa Romeo Brera S, the first collaboration between the two since Prodrive campaigned a pair of factory-built Alfa 155s in the British Touring Car Championship in 1995. Based off the 2.2 JTS and 3.2 V6 models, between 250 and 300 special edition models will be released. The majority of the focus will be spent on the suspension, aero enhancements and (thankfully) some weight savings. 19-inch rollers are expected to fill the wheel wells, while a handful of driver-oriented improvements, along with some S-badging, will find its way inside. Beyond that, details are scarce, but anytime you mix one-part unobtainable Italian with another part British racing legends, good things are on the way. Gallery: Geneva 2008: Alfa Romeo Brera [Source: Italiaspeed ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Euro , SMART , Lifestyle Take a smart fortwo , cut it in half just behind the doors, and spend 300 man-hours over the next month adding nearly nine more feet to the vehicle's length. The result is the world's first smart fortwo "limo" that is about as long as a Mercedes-Benz S-Class! The images show a prototype model from Carbonyte, a UK limo specialty company, that was designed as a promotional vehicle ( we see more than just a little resemblance to a popular energy-drink company ). As expected with a custom fabrication, the customer can choose his or her own design, seating capacity, and intended use (if you have the need, Carbonyte is looking into creating a electric fortwo hearse). We know what you are thinking. Adding all this mass to a smart must slow the fortwo to a crawl. Right? Well, Carbonyte claims the original 600cc engine can still propel the contraption to a blistering 80 mph. Maybe so, but not with us in it. Carbonyte's press...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Geneva Motor Show , Euro , Supercars , Mercedes Benz , Brabus Click above for high-res gallery of the BRABUS Bullit Black Arrow At its Frankfurt introduction last year, the BRABUS Bullit was positioned as the tuner's ultimate "sleeper." Painted a fairly standard-looking gray with subdued black wheels and carbon-fiber accents, the Bullit did differ from some of BRABUS' more wildly extroverted vehicles, which scream "SUPER TUNER! LOOK AT ME!" That's not to say that the Bullit doesn't have the creds, though -- a 720-horsepower twin-turbo V12 with torque electronically limited to 811 lb-ft will certainly get the job done. (Sans the electronic safety net, it produces 974 lb-ft, in case you were wondering. Tires become one with the ozone layer at the mere thought of this.) For Geneva this year, BRABUS is bringing the Bullitt Black Arrow . What's different about it? Not much, except that its...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Convertibles , Economy , Sports/GTs , Geneva Motor Show , Euro , Supercars , Mercedes Benz , SMART , Brabus Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Brabus SLR and its tender Megayachts usually come with fancy tenders , so why not supercars, too? BRABUS has taken the idea and run with it, pairing one of its tuned McLaren SLR Roadsters with a matching runabout in the form of a smart fortwo-based ULTIMATE 112. The SLR is the beneficiary of the usual complement of upgrades, including a full body and trim kit (dig those carbon fiber replacement "gills"), a custom interior, and the requisite underhood tweaking, which bestows the roadster with 650 horsepower -- enough to make the Kessel run to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds, with a top end of 211 mph. When its time to park the super-Merc and head into more constrained areas of the city, it's occupants can switch over to the car's ULTIMATE 112 "tender" which is finished and appointed to perfectly...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Concept Cars , Wagons/Estates , Geneva Motor Show , Euro , Hatchbacks , MINI , FIAT Click on the images to view in high resolution Carrozzeria Castagna loves tinkering with little retro hatches. The Milanese design house has brought us wave after wave of unique creations - including MINI pickups and custom 500s - and is looking to continue its grand tradition of peculiarity at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The MINI Woody Passion Kit (try saying that three times fast) is fairly straightforward because MINI already makes a wagon, so Castagna has put together a package of trim pieces for the Clubman in contrasting dark and light woodgrain effects. For the 500 WoodyWagon, however, Castagna had to take things a step further. About 50-60mm further, actually, as the coachbuilder has stretched the Cinquecento - only the rear overhang, it seems, with the wheelbase left intact) to create its interpretation of how a 500 wagon would look. The reports suggest that the 500...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Euro , Hatchbacks , FIAT Click either image to view in high-res gallery You have to admire Fiat's spunky rejuvenated Abarth division. Its first model is barely on the market yet, its second model is about to be unveiled, and it's already taking on challengers and shouting " What's next? " At a media preview for the new 500 Abarth in Turin, Italy, Fiat confirmed speculation that an even more powerful version would be offered as soon as November of this year. The 500 Abarth being shown in Geneva is equipped with a 135-hp turbo four, while the "esse-esse" (read: SS) kit will offer a host of performance and visual upgrades to bring the sprightly retromobile up to 160 hp. The availability of the optional equipment makes sense, since a similar package was revealed for the Grande Punto Abarth , and the 500's kit is likewise expected to be available direct from the showroom, or retrofitted to an existing 500 Abarth up to one year or...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Euro Click photo for a gallery of the Dacia Dracula Logan Who knew the Prince of Darkness was into Eastern European econocars? After all, he is immortal, so you'd think he'd want something that'd probably last him a little longer than a Dacia Logan. Then again, Transylvania was part of Dacia in ancient times, so maybe this is how he cheekily shows his sense of nostalgia. In any case, there's no accounting for personal taste, and from the looks of things, Dracula's is pretty bad. Look at those airbrushed scenes on the bodywork; the wall-to-wall Alcantara interior; the red LED "starlight" headliner ; the custom "Dracula" badging ; the coffin-shaped amp housings; the 8-million-speaker audio system -- clearly, this was a project he eagerly sunk his teeth into. From the looks of things, chicks dig it, too. At least until he sinks his teeth into them . Still, the thought of eternal life with a Dacia Logan...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Tuners , Trucks/Pickups , Euro , MINI , Misc. Auto Shows You'll find Pioneer sound systems in vehicles of all shapes and sizes, but this is something entirely different. To garner some attention and demonstrate its latest multimedia equipment, Pioneer has created a one-of-a-kind MINI pick-up in pure Cooper-mino style. The vehicle, as you can see, is all decked out in chocolate brown and white. Pioneer started with a MINI Cabrio and fitted a unique, miniscule, covered cargo bed to house all the electronics and blend in with the custom white roof - because what would a custom MINI be without a white roof - with a surfboard mounted atop. 18" powder-coated white wheels complement the accents, held on with a Spax sport suspension that drops the ride height by 60mm. MS Design helped round out the look with an aero kit, and there's a Remus center-exit exhaust out back. Inside, Pioneer has fitted all its latest equipment, including two optical drives, 3 subwoofers...
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