BMW 5-Series Gains New 2.0-Liter Four-Cylinder Turbo Engines, 5-Series GT gets the M Sport Treatment

There’s a lot going on in Munich today as BMW has unleashed details on its new model year portfolio. Following the news on the 6-Series, more of which you can read in our previous post here, we bring you the updates to the 5-Series range that includes the four-door sedan, the Touring (station wagon) and the Gran Turismo liftback.

We’ll begin with the changes to the engine lineup of the 5-Series saloon and Touring models. Starting from this fall, European buyers will be able to order the 5-Series with BMW’s brand-new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine, which is offered in two forms producing 184HP and 270Nm (199 lb-ft) in the 520i and 245HP and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) in the 528i.

Read more »

2011 AIMS: New HSV Black Edition Versions of Commodore Based Sedan, Station and Ute Models

General Motor’s Holden Special Vehicles unit in Australia is following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division as well as more recently, Porsche, with the presentation of a black-themed and named special edition series based on the E Series 3 range launched last September.

Making its world debut at the 2011 Australian motorshow in Melbourne, the SV Black Edition package is offered in the ClubSport R8, Maloo R8 and ClubSport R8 Tourer, which are the sports versions of the Commodore sedan, ute, and station wagon models respectively.

Read more »

Hamann Details Tuning Program for New BMW 6-Series Convertible, More to Come in Frankfurt

Earlier this year, BMW tuning specialist Hamann Motorsport teased its tuning program for the freshly launched 6-Series Convertible with the release of the first photos of the car.

Today, the German company gave out information on its initial offerings for the soft-top 6-Series and announced that it will unveil a more aggressive tune at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Read more »

Toyota Sports Up Prius with new PLUS Package from TRD

At last year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Toyota displayed a lightly modified version of the Prius Hybrid to inaugurate its new line of accessories under the PLUS moniker.

Now it’s time for the Japanese automaker to release the production version of its modestly sported up Prius with the commercial launch of the PLUS Performance Package that will be available for order in July in limited numbers.

The package features styling and performance upgrades, and is optionally available on all Prius models with pricing set at $3,699 for the Prius Two, Three, and Four trim levels and $2,999 for the Prius Five.

Read more »

AC Schnitzer Unwraps New BMW X3 Tuning Package

Available since autumn 2010, the second iteration of the BMW X3 continues to draw the attention of European tuners. Seen here in AC Schnitzer guise, the F25 X3 has been upgraded with a styling package and go-fast modifications.

For starters, AC Schnitzer has upped the performance on the 2.0-liter diesel-powered xDrive20d from 184-horses to 218HP, while the company is also working on a kit for the xDrive30d as well as the 6-cylinder 2.8i and 3.5i petrol models, which will be released later this year.

Read more »

1994 Ferrari 348 Spyder with just 2,300 Miles and a…$100,000 Paint Job

An imaginary pod of dolphins pictured swimming in a sky of stars may look cool on a pinball machine but on an Italian exotic like the 1994 Ferrari 348 Spyder it’s more like decorating a classical sculpture with graffiti…

And if that ain’t enough to make you flip your lid, learn that the Austin, Texas dealer selling this cars claims that the paintjob, which is the work of the “world famous Hawaiian artist Christian Lassen” cost –get ready for this- $100,000!

Read more »

2012 Renault Koleos Facelift Inspires Gordini Rendering

Even though Renault’s revival of the Gordini badge has left a bitter taste to fans of the famous nameplate, the French carmaker’s decision to use the brand for upscale versions of its vehicles has proved to be successful with almost two-thirds of Twingo Renaultsport models sold in Europe and one third, in the case of Clio Renaultsport being Gordinis.

Recently, Renault also applied the Gordini treatment, which consists of bespoke styling cues and equipment upgrades, to a non-RenaultSport model, the Wind Roadster. This move inspired Carscoop reader reader L il-k Amaru to render a Gordini version of Renault’s most recent new model, the redesigned Koleos SUV.

Read more »

A Mazda MX-5 On Steroids: Australia’s V8 Engined Bullet Roadster

In the late ‘90s, Australian John Bettini unleashed onto the word the Bullet Roadster. What begin life as a heavily modified Mazda MX-5 with an RX-7 13B powerplant gradually evolved into a V8-engined monster like the one you see here that we found for sale in Queensland, Australia.

According to the seller, this was the fifth Bullet Roadster built and the first V8-engined one to roll out of the company’s then new Chinderah, NSW factory. It’s all hearsay, of course, but I’m willing to believe the words of a 62yo motoring enthusiast with arthritic knees. So here goes...

Bullet No. 5 was a special order from a man named George Covacic who supplied a 4.6-liter all-alloy, fuel injected V8 crate motor along with a Tremac 5-speed manual transmission and the differential from a Holden Commodore SS. Like all Bullet supercars, the brakes and suspension came from the Mazda RX-7.

Read more »

Camal’s Retro Sexy Fiat 500 Marcia Corta

What happens when two people who share their passion for sports cars and motorbikes meet under the right circumstances? It depends, but if we ‘re talking about two Italians, Alessio Minchella (designer) and Alessandro Camorali (surface and product development) who met in 2010 while working at Pininfarina, the result is a new company, Camal, and a new product. Read more »

Anderson Germany Turns Ferrari F430 Spider into Scuderia Spider 16M

A new alternative tuning proposal for owners of the Ferrari F430 Spyder has been released by Anderson Germany. The design house has created a package that brings the brings the regular version closer to the flagship edition of the series, the F430 Spider Scuderia 16M.

The transformation begins on the outside with a new aero kit comprising of a front air dam, side skirts and a rear apron. Anderson Germany then finishes the car in a new color called Hyper Black and adds pin stripes in the form of carbon fiber accents with a yellow border.

Read more »

Yes Please: Porsche 911 with GM LS1 V8 Power [Videos]

By taking a kitbashed GM-sourced LS1 V8 engine and slotting it into an AWD Porsche 996, LS1tech forum member “1dirtyZ” has set out to create something truly unique. Sure, it’s unconventional and perhaps a little sacrilegious...but just look at the Porsche donor car.

It’s a wreck, the victim of a catastrophic engine fire. It has a ruined interior and a body that’s been damaged both by fire and rust. It would have spent the rest its days rotting away in a car wreckers yard if 1dirtyZ had not rescued it.

And even though this confabulation of All-American grunt and German precision engineering is not yet finished (it doesn’t have a rear bumper, for one), it certainly runs and can even be driven around a dirt race track. You can check out our gallery of in-progress images below and a handful of videos showing the V8-powered Porsche 911 running.

Read more »

Lexus Builds one-off Landaulet LS 600h for Monaco Royal Wedding [with Video]

Whatever your opinion of royal families, you can’t deny that they know a thing or two about spectacular weddings, as evidenced recently by the huge viewership of the Prince William-Kate Middleton tie-up.

Now, another European royal is about to tie the knot: on July 2, Prince Albert of Monaco will stand on the altar besides Carlene Wittstock and exchange vows for richer or poorer (just saying...), better or worse etc.

And Lexus is the one providing the newlyweds’ transportation by building a one-off version of its top of the range LS 600h limo. This version, which has been engineered by Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet and took over 2,000 hours to complete, is a Landaulet.

Read more »

Porsche 911 GT3 ‘Snowmobile’ Dressed up by Magnat

Tuners are leaving no stones unturned to impress buyers willing to dig deep into their pockets. Even the almighty Porsche 911 GT3 can’t escape from their meddling hands. This here creation is named ‘Snowmobile’ for the choice of colors for the exterior and interior, and is the creative work of German audio-specialist Magnat. Read more »

New Ferrari FF gets Ready for its First Tuning Job

Not even Ferrari’s most recent models are exempt from the manic hands of tuners. What we have here are preliminary renderings of what could be the very first tuning job on the freshly revealed, all-wheel drive Ferrari FF supercar. Read more »

Kahn’s New…Project Car: The Porsche Panamera Sports Saloon

Say what you want about the Panamera, but fact is the sports saloon model has proved to be a hit for Porsche with the company having delivered close to 10,000 units in the first five months of the year alone.

The Panamera’s success has of course caught the attention of the aftermarket industry with more and more companies jumping on the tuning bandwagon. This here proposal comes courtesy of Afzal Kahn and his crew.

Read more »

Was ist Das? Russians Create the Weirdest Audi Coupe You’ll Ever See

Sure, the new MINI Coupe is all the talk now and everyone is buzzing in his or her opinion on the two-seater model. However, if you really want a sporty coupe model that stands out from the crowd look no further than this creation from mother Russia.

Meet the ultimate Audi Coupe that blends an alarmingly shortened chassis and body from an Audi 80 with the front end of an A4 and the wider buttocks of a previous generation A6 sedan.

Read more »

BMW 5-Series F10 gets the Black Bison Makeover from Wald International

We knew it wouldn’t be long before Wald International, one of Japan’s most well-known styling houses, released its program for the latest BMW 5-Series sedan, codenamed F10.

The Japanese tuner’s Black Edition Sports Line BMW 5-Series comes with an assortment of aero body pieces made from fiberglass-reinforced plastic.

Read more »

Wetterauer Reinterprets MINI Countryman Cooper S

From the depths of Germany’s tuning industry comes our next custom build, based on the MINI Countryman Cooper S. Wetterauer Engineering GmbH, one of the lesser-known design shops, has come up with a new package for MINI’s first all-wheel drove model.

The aesthetic treatment starts with a new foil wrap in a matte brown color for the body and in carbon fiber for the roof, side skirts, front and rear aprons, exterior mirrors, spoilers and air vents. The package also gives the Countryman a matching set of 18-inch wheels from ATS shod in 225/45 R18 rubber and matte exhaust tips.

Read more »

The King of Overkill has Found his Queen in Toronto

And by “King of Overkill” we mean, of course, the….how should we put this delicately… excessively ornamented Porsche Cayenne SUV photographed outside a dollar store in Ontario, Canada, last week by Carscoop reader Jonathan Fernando.

This blonde Swedish diva [aka a previous generation Volvo S40 finished in a yellow hue] was spotted all dressed up and ready to meet the king of her dreams at a parking lot in Toronto, Canada, by another one of our readers, James Dong.

Read more »

Pontiac Solstice gets an Engine Transplant from a Toyota Supra

In the world of engine swaps, anything goes but it’s always nice to see people experimenting with different kind of builds. For Car Lounge forum member ‘Phlow’, the patient was a Pontiac Solstice roadster with a weak heart - or so to say.

While most physicians would prescribe a local LS V8 transplant, this doctor went for something more exotic, to be precise a 2JZ, which is a code name for the Toyota Supra’s twin-turbocharged inline-six.

Read more »