Aftermarket


LA 2009: Toyota and Billabong craft one funky Venza

No, this isn't a leftover post from SEMA, although to be perfectly fair, it is a leftover vehicle from SEMA. While reporting on the Hot Rod Toyota Tundra and Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer, we somehow missed this tricked-out Venza. Kitted out by the Australian surfwear mavens at Billabong, it's called the Ultimate Venza Concept. Umm, yeah. While the vast majority of Venza crossovers are probably never going to be used off-road, this Ultimate Venza apparently wants us to know that any extreme sports fan will be happy in one. Toyota had Street ... Read more →

LA 2009: Luna and Toby model the 2010 Honda Element Dog Friendly package Frank Filipponio

Honda certainly can't be accused of running a dog and pony show here at the LA Auto Show, because there were no ponies. They did, however, have the adorable Luna and Toby on hand to demonstrate ...

Flight of the Alcador: Franco Sbarro unveils Ferrari Testarossa-based Lista Office in Essen Noah Joseph

If you thought that last remaining piece of lasagna at the food court looked iffy, remember that's not even the most suspicious concoction to bear the Sbarro banner. Franco Sbarro rivals even his ...

It Begins: First tuned Tata Nano spotted Dan Roth

It was bound to happen. Think back to when Volkswagen Beetles infested the roads of the globe; there was no shortage of customized Bugs. Tata aims to put the world on wheels with its low-priced ...

Gah!x2: Kicherer Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG rendered Jonathon Ramsey

To put it kindly, we'll call the attempts to tune the appearance of the Mercedes SLS AMG gilding the lily. Although the folks at Kircherer were obviously not doing the same amount or potency of ...

Essen 2009: AC Schnitzer gives BMW 123d the police package treatment [w/VIDEO] 7 days ago on Autoblog

High performance vehicles like Porsche 911s being used for pursuit duty on Germany's autobahn is nothing new. As such, in order order to grab the attention of Essen Motor Show attendees, the Tune It Safe! program's annual police-liveried show car needs to go a step further. Past efforts have ...

Essen 2009: Brabus tweaks the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 8 days ago on Autoblog

Don't have enough money for Brabus to swap out the V8 in your E63 AMG for a V12? Not to worry. Today at the Essen Motor Show, the German tuner officially launched its B63 S performance package for 6.2-liter V8 in the four-door Benz. The upgrade consists of dual "sport" air filters, high-flow ...

Geiger continues excessive use of bright paint, boost with 790-horsepower Ford GT 8 days ago on Autoblog

Geiger, the German tuner with a fascination with American performance cars, generally produces modified vehicles in not-so-subtle and "look at me!" variations. This Ford GT encompasses both varietys, with plenty of performance upgrades to boot. Geiger has previously modified the Blue Oval's ...

Essen Preview: speedArt to debut PS9-650 Panamera 9 days ago on Autoblog

The Essen Motor Show is just days away, and all of Europe's tuners are set to unveil their latest and greatest aftermarket parts at Germany's version of SEMA. One of those companies will be speedArt, which will be introducing its new performance and appearance packages for the 2010 Porsche ...

Pics Aplenty: 9ff Speed9 takes Porsche 911 Turbo Cabrio to the next level 9 days ago on Autoblog

As we discovered earlier this month, the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo is one heck of a fast car. The quickest Porsche has ever produced, in fact. So it would take considerable moxie to try and improve on it. Fortunately, 9ff has such moxie, as demonstrated with the company's new Speed9. We brought ...

Gah! MEC Design fantasizes over tuned Mercedes SLS AMG 10 days ago on Autoblog

Say what you will about the retro design of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Some call it a contemporary take on a classic shape, others may deride the lack of originality. But at least it's consistent. Which is a heck of a lot more than we can say for what MEC Design has done to it. The ...

Loma Performance unveils Corvette C6.BlackforceOne 11 days ago on Autoblog

Loma Performance seems to think that its new BlackforceOne Corvette is somehow evocative of POTUS' personal airplane. "Clearly reminiscent," they go so far as to say in their press release. (We think the moniker sounds as if could have been the title of a 1970s action film starring Fred ...

XTR Carchip Porsche Cayman X-Wide is the RS we've always wanted 11 days ago on Autoblog

We're not overly familiar with XTR Carchip, but the Berlin-based tuning company caught our eye with its "X-Wide" Porsche Cayman project. Designed as a daily-driver-turned-track-tool, the 987 S underwent a major exterior overhaul, with a detachable CFRP front splitter, fenders, side skirts, ...

Fesler-Moss shows off new line of tuned 2010 Camaros 12 days ago on Autoblog

Back in April, we told you about the new partnership between Chris Fesler's custom car shop and Jon Moss, the former director of General Motors' specialty vehicles division. At that time, we only had renderings of the proposed Fesler-Moss Camaro, but these fresh photos of a pair of completed ...

9ff speeds into Essen with Speedster-inspired Speed9 14 days ago on Autoblog

If you love the spirit of SEMA but tend to lean towards more European tastes, Essen is the show for you. The annual aftermarket show in Germany always brings out an enticing crop of European tuner cars, and 9ff isn't about to let it go by without making its mark. The Porsche tuner is hitting ...

FerrariChat: P4/5 Competizione still aiming for Nürburgring 24 15 days ago on Autoblog

A few months ago, the internet started to rumble with rumors of a race car being built out of the incredible Pininfarina Ferrari 612 P4/5 that James Glickenhaus had commissioned at a staggering (but understandable) $4 million. A thread on Ferrari superforum FerrariChat.com put those rumors to ...

Range-topping Lamborghini Urus rumored anew 16 days ago on Autoblog

So you like the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV, but you're struggling to justify the price. After all, it may be just as fast as the Reventón, but it only costs a third of that range-topping bull. You like that it's the latest limited-edition hypercar from Sant'Agata Bolognese, but ...

MTM Audi TT RS packs up to 424 horsepower, 185 mph top speed 16 days ago on Autoblog

German tuner MTM has a long history with Audi's inline-five. In fact, company founder Roland Mayer helped develop the turbocharged five-banger for the Sport Quattro back in the mid-80s, and MTM produced a 400 horsepower version of the motor as one of their earliest performance packages. Nearly ...

The backstory behind HPP's showstopping Daytona conversion... is a Chevy Camaro next? 18 days ago on Autoblog

When we saw the HPP Daytona at this year's SEMA show, two things became very apparent. One, we'd really like to drive it. Two, we need better pictures of it. See, the poor thing got itself shoved into a tight booth at SEMA and we just couldn't get too many decent shots. So, being the ...

Five Axis offers up Aerius body kit for 2010 Toyota Prius 18 days ago on Autoblog

If you don't win the charity auction for the Aemulus-modified Prius, but want something flashy for your 2010 model, take a look at the Aerius Prius that made its debut at SEMA this year (they're practically the same vehicle). The kit designed by Five Axis will, according to Gas 2.0, be available ...

ATT Autotechnik drops BMW 335i Doppelturbo-Cabriolet 19 days ago on Autoblog

This is the problem: According to ATT Autotechnik -- the M3 Convertible is so good, why bother with any other 3 Series convertibles? And they have a point... until now! Meet ATT's new Doppleturbo-Cabriolet. What they've done is to take a regular BMW 335i convertible and make it quicker. How ...

eBay Find of the Day: George Barris Olds Toronado 70-X is wraparound luxury 19 days ago on Autoblog

If you've never seen Vincent Gallo's Buffalo 66, stop reading and watch it. Why? Because otherwise the next part of this post isn't going to make any sense to you. Anyhow, remember the scene when his Billy Brown character kidnaps/carjacks Christina Ricci's Layla and forces her to drive because ...

New reality series Family Armor combines vehicle bulletproofing and Mormons 22 days ago on Autoblog

We're not precisely sure how to treat this one, so we're going to go ahead and use the "jump in with both feet" method. TLC is launching a new reality show called Family Armor that follows the exploits of two Mormon brothers-in-law that build bulletproof cars for a living. That doesn't sounds so ...

VIDEO: Heffner Performance teases Twin Turbo Audi R8 23 days ago on Autoblog

We're starting to see this type of thing more and more. And by "type of thing" we mean dyno teasers, not twin-turbo Audis. Nonetheless, you are staring at the unclothed rump of an Audi R8 with two massive turbochargers sitting on a four-wheel dynometer. And the results are, well, calling them ...

First Drive: SMS 570X makes 700 hp, gobs more joy 24 days ago on Autoblog

During the course of a wide-ranging, more than two-hour long conversation, we asked racing legend, aftermarket impresario and SMS namesake Steve Saleen what's the single most important thing he wants Autoblog readers to know about not only his new 700-horsepower 570X, but about SMS as a whole. ...

First Petty's Garage Challenger heading to Barrett-Jackson 24 days ago on Autoblog

And with this official decree, let it be known that one custom 2009 Dodge Challenger, painted in a very familiar and regal blue shall be offered for sale to the highest bidder in Arizona in the year of our lord, 2010. The vehicle in question shall serve as a rolling tribute to Richard the 43rd. ...

TechArt squeezes more power out of Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 25 days ago on Autoblog

In certain circles, the 911 4S is considered the Porsche to get. You got your high-output S motor, the security of all the wheels being driven, a curvaceous (if not swollen) rear end, all the luxuries of home (especially if you tick off "leather air vents" on the options list) but without the ...

Lumma Design shows bizarre black-and-white BMW M5 with 730 HP 25 days ago on Autoblog

With its latest creation, the CLR 730 RS, it seems that Lumma Design is making a play for the title of Europe's most garish tuner. However, this two-tone widebody BMW M5 is actually subtle compared to previous Lumma Design models, and we think the title still firmly remains with Mansory. So ...

Besting Prodrive: Autodelta unveils tuned Alfa Brera S and 159 J4 3.2 Compressore at MPH09 26 days ago on Autoblog

Alfa Romeo has proven itself capable of crafting some of the most achingly beautiful automotive works of art on the road today. Unfortunately, their driving dynamics and performance numbers rarely seem to cash the checks written by their sumptuous bodywork. Nowhere is that schism more evident ...

Très Exclusif: French Abarth importer creates special edition Cinquecento 27 days ago on Autoblog

The Fiat 500 Abarth is a pretty sweet little retro rocket all on its own, but the Italian automaker's performance division hasn't stopped churning out a seemingly endless stream of special editions, from the Opening Edition to the 695 Tributo Ferrari. We can now add to that list the 500 Abarth ...

SEMA 2009 Worst of Show: This car stinks... 27 days ago on Autoblog

Stinks. You might think that we're talking about the overall design of this shockingly orange scissor-door/scissor-trunk Dodge Charger R/T. Or the build quality, what with panel gaps that you can insert your index finger into, wheels so large the tie-rods can't hold them and the world's saddest ...

SEMA 2009: Gran Turismo Best in Show is the Trans-Cammer Mustang 29 days ago on Autoblog

Phillip Koenen brought a really gorgeous, miles-deep-black, 1970 Mustang to SEMA and came away with another fine piece of hardware:The Gran Turismo Best in Show award. For the past several years, Sony Computer Entertainment America has hosted these awards, which honor some of the coolest cars at ...

Laptop steering wheel desk is real. And real funny. 29 days ago on Autoblog

You know, when we're driving along, eating buffalo wings and trying to manage a Super Slurpee while playing Cooking Dash on the iPhone, it sure would be helpful to have a place to keep all that stuff organized. Thankfully, there's the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk, which accomplishes all of the above ...

SEMA 2009: Galpin builds custom '69 Mustang right on the show floor 1 month ago on Autoblog

While those of us in the media walked around the show floor at SEMA looking for the cool, the crazy, and the just plain awesome, there were people doing actual work. Real work. No, we're not talking about the security people that wouldn't let us in the show before 9:00am no matter how we tried to ...

SEMA 2009: Knee-high tri-axle pickup by Air-Zenith is down and (not so) dirty 1 month ago on Autoblog

We're not exactly sure what this used to be in its former life, but it all kinds of cool in its current iteration. Just knee-high to a Hobbit, this six-wheel convertible was parked in the shadow of Bigfoot and we almost tripped over it. We were able to locate an Air-Zenith banner on the ...

SEMA 2009: 1951 Henry J gasser is a 7-second blast from the past 1 month ago on Autoblog

Here's another black beauty that caught our attention in the halls of SEMA 2009. It's a 1951 Kaiser Henry J owned and raced by Chris Beanes of California. Running in A/Gas, this gloss-free gasser can storm the quarter in the mid-7s at better than 174 MPH. We read somewhere that it's powered ...

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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...

Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.

 
 

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