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Friday, February 6, 2009
Afzal Kahn is a busy guy. He's CEO of Kahn Design and head of Project Kahn, which brings us this Audi R8. He's also working on Kahn Pizza delivery, which promises to deliver your pizza in a supercar over 200,000 dollars in value or your money back.
Anyway, Project Kahn does the Audi R8. Kahn lowers the suspension and slaps on 20" F1-X rims made of lightweight carbon fiber. There are no more details than that, just the pic.
Project Kahn says on its website that, "You do not need to worry about the engine," referring to Audi's 4.2 liter FSI, 414 hp (309 kW) V8. Which we can interpret to mean that there won't be any engine tuning to this Kahn creation.
But maybe Kahn has a point. Sometimes tuning squeezes too much out of an engine and takes away its suppleness and character. A 3.77kg/hp ratio is very respectable territory for a supercar and, to paraphrase the late Paul Newman, avid race driver, its the driver that makes the car.
Let's face it; Porsche's Cayenne is not a middle-of-the-road vehicle. You either love it for its distinct looks and physics-defying performance and versatility, or you hate it for polluting Porsche's sports-car heritage and being ugly to boot. The just-introduced edo Competition Cayenne GTS will only serve to deepen the polarity of Cayenne reactions. This performance and aerodynamics package makes everything about the Cayenne bolder.
The modifications start under the hood, where edo has upgraded the Cayenne GTS' exhaust and intake and remapped the ECU to produce 450 horsepower (331 kW) and 391 ft-lb (530 Nm) torque. This two-ton vehicle races from zero to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds and tops out at 270 km/h (168mph). To help keep the Cayenne GTS controllable, an adjustable-height suspension and larger six-piston monoblock brake calipers. 22-inch forged wheels with stainless steel outer rims are staggered for width (10 inches up front and 11 in the rear), and edo will paint the rim centers if you'd like.
The edo Cayenne GTS' exterior is enhanced by a domed hood and new front spoiler with quad foglights and mesh inserts.
Looking for a new look for your CL-Class? Japanese tuners VITT Performance have unveiled a new widebody kit for the Mercedes CL-Class coupes. In VITT CL-Class Super Wide Edition form, the curvy but conservative CL gets the supercar treatment, with dramatic reworkings of the front and rear fenders and side sills. The bulging fenders are complemented by a choice of new front and rear aprons and a spoiler package. The new front bumper includes quad foglights. VITT also adds a roof spoiler and a vented hood.
20-inch wheels and a stainless exhaust comprise the bulk of the mechanical upgrades in this appearance package.
Pricing for the full VITT CL-Class Super Wide conversion is set at about $20,000.
If you're going to have a desirable performance car, you're going to have customized and personalized versions of it. That's the way of the industry. Even the electric Tesla sports roadster is no exception. The first modified Tesla (and, arguably, the first "official" modified electric car) has just been released by BRABUS and will debut at the Essen Motor Show.
The first vehicle in what BRABUS says will be an ongoing cooperation with the company, the BRABUS Tesla features a variety of appearance upgrades and personalization features. Tire and wheel options are naturally first on the list, with offset 18- and 19-inch BRABUS Monoblock S light-alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Nero rubber. The BRABUS show car also features a carbon-fiber front lip, rear diffuser and rear spoiler, as well as a striking matte white paint job.
Not so common is what BRABUS calls the "space sound generator." Taking advantage of the Tesla's near-silent electric operation, BRABUS offers a variety of on-board sound generators that can make the roadster emit V8 engine or race engine sounds, as well as "futuristic soundscapes" dubbed "Beam" and "Warp." The sound generators vary in volume based on the electric motor's output.
A leather and Alcantara interior with other BRABUS customization touches completes the show car. BRABUS is showing the modified Tesla to highlight the introduction of its Zero Emission division, which will offer upgrades and possibly limited-edition Tesla models in the future.
Carlsson is exhibiting the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS "Eau Rouge" Dark Edition at the 2008 Zürich Auto Show in what is billed as a World Premier for the famous tuner. The limited edition, highly exclusive CK65 RS will only be offered to 10 lucky customers. Two versions, a 705hp/ 526kW and a 756hp/564kW can be had. Both utilise the V12 Biturbo engine, with the latter going up to 1,150Nm, prompting a 0 - 100 time of 3.8 seconds and top speed of 335km/h.
Partnering with apparel house Etienne Aigner for the project, Carlsson chose the double-coloured combination obsidian black metallic with Himalaya-gray as exclusive paint. Interior is redesigned and fitted with Aigner-branded kit such as the alcantara, leather, headrest embossment, sun shields and rear screen frame. A Carlsson sports steering wheel in a leather/ alcantara combo works well with the sports aluminium pedal pads and illuminated doors.
Other bits that justify its €319,000 base price (€374,000 for the second power stage) are Carlsson sport running gears, brake systems, an LSD, 21-inch forged rims with a varied choice of wheel/ tyre combinations and C-Tronic SUSPENSION which adjusts to reflect appropriate road surface conditions.
Turning firm Heico Sportive has decided to take on the new Volvo XC60 in order to give it a more sporting appearance and an increase in power.
The big news is under the hood as both the 163 hp 2.4D and the 185 hp D5 engines are retuned to produce 210 hp. Higher spec models with the turbocharged T6 engine will now crank out 315 hp instead of 285 hp.
The traditional black plastic body-cladding disappears as it is now painted in the same color as the exterior. Customers can select from either 19" or 20" alloy wheels while other changes include a new dual exhaust system and a 30mm reduction in the vehicle's ride height.
US bodykit-maker Elite Carbon has unveiled a new kit for the Lamborghini Gallardo inspired by the LP560-4 and the Superleggera which the folks over at MotorAuthority.com say gives this Lambo a "more aggressive" looking visual style.
The kit features side skirts and scoop from the Superleggera (which means super-light in Italian), a diffuser on the back bumper, a rear wing, and a whole new front bumper. All parts are made of lightweight carbon fiber with the black color coming from a clear coating of the composite materials.
Elite Carbon also offers a separate rear diffuser and custom door mirrors out of the material.
No pricing details have yet been released. But a pair of carbon side mirrors by Elite Carbon carry a price tag of 3,000 US dollars and the previous rear diffuser is listed at 4.499.00 US.
In this economy, prices like that can seriously undermine your family's budget. Maybe you should think about delaying your next Lambo bodykits until next Christmas.
