Elia Preparing Tuning Program for New Renault Twizy EV

Even in factory trim, the new Twizy is by far the quirkiest production model in Renault's range - and how could it not be with its electric powertrain, diminutive dimensions, a tandem seat layout and Lamborghini-style scissor doors. Read more »

Crazy MINI with a 170HP Yamaha R1 Engine Swap Taunts a Lamborghini Gallardo

If you are looking for a truly unique Mini model to knock you off your socks, forget about the official John Cooper Works variants and the numerous projects presented over the years by the mainstream tuning industry, and check out this 1970's Austin Mini by Pro-Motive.

What makes this car fascinating is not the fact that it has a different engine, but the type of engine as it is fitted with a rev-crazy, 170HP 1.0-liter inline-four sourced from a 2003 Yamaha YZF-R1 sports bike!

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Kahn Design's New Wrangler Jeep Military Edition Won't be Going to War Anytime Soon

Either Afzal Kahn has run out of names or someone at the British tuner's marketing team has some misconceptions about the term 'military'…

The admittedly hard to miss copper paintwork of Kahn Design's "Wrangler Jeep Military Edition" is complemented by 20-inch smoked black alloy wheels, brake calipers finished in copper, xenon crosshair headlamps, a black fuel filler cap and rear wheel cover, tinted windows and mud flaps.

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New Photos of Heico Sportiv's Volvo V40 Hatchback

As it gears up for the launch of its new product line for the Volvo V40 premium hatchback in late summer - early fall, Heico Sportiv has dropped some fresh photos of the Swedish compact model dressed in its aero suite and one of the many alloy wheels it plans to offer. Read more »

Listen to This Ford Festiva Running a 1,340cc V-Twin Harley Davidson Engine!

As one of the lower points in Ford Motor Corp.'s history, the first generation of the Mazda-designed Festiva hatchback built from 1986 to 1993 (also sold as the Mazda 121 and Kia Pride) is not the kind of car that you would expect to excite a petrol head at a car meet.

Unless, of course, there's something odd lurking behind its plain Jane-looking snout, as was the case of this modified Festiva that was filmed by Carscoop reader Martin B. a few years back.

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Wald International Turns Toyota's JDM Vellfire Minivan Into a Lexus of Sorts

Among the many models Toyota keeps for select markets in Asia is the Alphard luxury people carrier and its slightly sportier-looking twin, the Vellfire.

These two models are the latest vehicles to fall in the hands of Japanese tuning firm Wald International.

Perhaps the more interesting of the two styling tunes is the one Wald prepared for the Vellfire, which in factory trim, features a different fascia than the Alphard along with an aero kit.

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Switzer's New "Everyday" 1,000HP Nissan GT-R Ultimate Street Edition

One thousand horsepower is an attainable number by tuners these days, but understandably, when you push a car to its limits, it becomes very difficult to deal with under normal driving conditions.

Switzer Performance has been offering a 1,000 wheel-horsepower R1KX package for the Nissan GT-R since 2010, but it’s a hardcore tune that needs careful maintenance and is more suitable for the track than on the road.

Now, the Oberlin, Ohio-based company has come with a new performance tune for the GT-R named the Ultimate Street Edition or USE, which it promises to offer 1,000-horses that you can use on a daily basis.

"Far too often, I talk to people who think that what they want is that last thousandth of a second, regardless of the cost," says Tym Switzer, owner and founder of the company that bears his name.

"For the few that can really wrap their heads around what that means – that the car will shift abruptly, that it'll run hot in traffic, and that they'll have to run specialized racing fuels in order to get the most out of the car and keep it happy. For them, our R1KX or XXX GTRs will give them what they want: the baddest, fastest GTR that money can buy," explains Switzer.

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Fun Times: 1970s Lada 2101 Drag Races a Porsche 911 Carrera RS and a Nissan GT-R with 1,000HP

Who said that only exotic supercars and muscular pony cars are allowed to steal the limelight at the drag strip?

If anything else, an unpretentious VAZ 2101 from the 1970s (better known with the Lada brand name outside the former Soviet Union), is bound to draw attention simply for being what it is…

But you should know by now that looks can be very deceiving sometimes and this cherry-red Lada created by the Vintic & Spuntic Workshop has 240 ponies neatly packed under its rickety hood.

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DMC Remembers the Lamborghini Murcielago with New M-GT Package

You can't get a new Lamborghini Murcielago –at least not from the factory- but for those that already own the Aventador's predecessor, German tuner DMC has readied a new performance and styling program.

DMC says it starts by removing the V12 engine from the Italian supercar and performing a series of modifications that include among other things, the addition of 12 unique single intake throttle plates instead of 6, new gasoline pumps and lines, an ECU optimization and a custom exhaust system.

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Cam Shaft Does its Styling Thing on the BMW M3 Coupe

German styling house Cam Shaft has wrapped up (literally) work on its latest project car based on the current generation of the BMW M3 Coupe.

Being a company that specializes on car wraps, the highlight of Cam Shaft's M3 tune is the mat space-gray metallic foiling that costs €1,785 (US$2,230, including 19 percent VAT/Tax) for the body and an extra €715 (US$890) to cover other visible areas of the coupe such as the door and cabin surrounds.

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Nissan Leaf EV Spun into a Luxurious Stretch Limousine

When even Ferraris and Maseratis have fallen victims to the limousine industry, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Nissan Leaf has also undergone the intrusive procedure of stretching its body to an extreme length.

The stretched version of Nissan's pure-electric model was manufactured by Imperial Coach Builders of Springfield, Missouri. The custom shop added an extra seat bench at the rear end of the car and re-trimmed the interior with leather upholstery and wooden décor.

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ABT Sportsline Boosts Audi S4 to 429-Horses

German tuning firm ABT Sportsline believes the facelifted Audi S4 needs a little bit of help in the performance and to a lesser extent, the styling departments and so it has come up with a new tuning package for the sports sedan, which it calls the AS4. Read more »

Custom Built E30 BMW M3 Touring with E36 M3's Straight-Six

Earlier today, we told you about a 1970s BMW 1602 Coupe turned into a pickup truck with an inline-six from the E30 325i that we discovered on eBay, but that wasn't the only custom Bimmer we found on the online auction shop.

Case in point this 1990 (1991MY) BMW 318i Touring that was transformed into an M3 Touring. Those of you familiar with the E30's history will know that BMW never built a station wagon version of the E30 M3, which was exclusively available in coupe and convertible body styles.

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BMW 1602 Converted Into a Six-Cylinder Sports Truck

The BMW "New Class" is a landmark vehicle line in the Bavarian carmaker's history that spawned a series of models including 1500 and 1800 sedans, the 2002 Touring hatchback and of course, the famed 2002tii and 2002 Turbo coupes, all of which paved the way for the birth of the 3-Series.

What BMW did not create was a pickup-truck version of the Neue Klasse in the style of the Chevrolet El Camino or the Australian Ford and Holden Utes.

So how did this 1971 model pictured here come to be? This car is the brainchild of San Francisco, California-based tuning and service company Ottowerks and it has been listed for sale on eBay.

Ottowerks says it begun with a 1971 BMW "1600", which we assume from the body, is the 1602 coupe model. After cutting the roof from the driver's seat and back and removing the rear seat bench, Ottowerks crafted a truck bed.

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Lumma Design Previews New Styling Package for BMW M6 Coupe

Leave it to Lumma Design to take a rather understated sports coupe like the BMW M6 F12 and transform it into something that looks like it would feel right at home racing at the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters or German Touring Car Masters in English).

Then again, looks can be deceiving as Lumma Design's tuning program for the M6 Coupe is strictly cosmetic, at least for the time being.

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This Rolls-Royced Nissan Patrol is So Wrong in So Many Levels…

When you think about Dubai and cars, you probably imagine exotic Italian coupes and über-luxurious limousines and crossovers, some of which possibly draped in shiny chrome foil wraps and tuned by some of Europe's most unapologetic tuning brands.

But there's also another side to Dubai's automotive scene, one less ritzy but equally gaudy at times.

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Racing One Builds a Weekend Track Racer Out of the Audi R8 V10

Not all tuning programs are aimed to make cars better on public roads. German tuning firm Racing One, for example, has prepared a host of upgrades for the Audi R8 V10 Coupe targeting those who want to use the mid-engined sports car mainly on the track.

Using its experience as a motorsports service provider and event organizer, Racing One made select tweaks to the R8's 5.2 liter V10 engine lifting output from 518hp (525PS) to 602hp (610PS).

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Vorsteiner GTRS5 Program Gives the BMW M3 Coupe the Wide Body Treatment

Despite the fact that BMW hasn't said anything about ending production of the E92 M3, Vorsteiner says it's "commemorating the retiring" of the coupe model with a next generation of GTRS series widebody conversions.

The over-the-top GTRS5 styling package is quite comprehensive and revolves around the very wide front and rear wheel arch extensions.

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Kelleners Sport Turns the Wick on the BMW M5 F10 with 651HP KS5-5

The most powerful production version of the BMW M5 series ever, the new M5 F10, has formed the base for the creation of the fastest Kelleners Sport-tuned model ever.

Named the KS5-5, the BMW M5 converted by Kelleners Sport gains a power kit with unspecified mods for the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that lift output from 553hp (560PS) to 651hp (660PS) and peak torque from 680Nm (501 lb-ft) to 790Nm (583 lb-ft).

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Posing with a Star: Inden Design's Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is, in itself, a star, and a flagship one at that, but it never hurts to place another star at the side of it if you want to promote your work.

Case in point, German tuning firm Inden Design and its latest take on the SLS AMG that was photographed with German model and reality show star Katja Runiello.

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