Trans Sport Show 2010

The Devil in White

Two doors. Two turbos. One awesome ride. This could very well be the devil in white.

Straight out of the box, the BMW 335i is a pretty capable vehicle sporting the German automaker’s newly designed powerplant. For those wondering, it’s really not a 3.5 liter as the model designation might suggest, but rather a 3.0 liter in-line six fitted with a pair of slugs. An all-new aluminum construction allowed for a higher compression ratio, which when coupled with the benefits of twin-turbocharging, yields easily accessible power throughout the rev range.

But stock can get boring at some point…so let the modifications begin!

With the car’s inherent crisp lines, the best way to further accentuate the coupe’s sexiness is to swap the original rollers for bigger shoes. Enter the impressive 20-inch DPE rims. Proving to be a popular choice for European-car owners, this brand exudes class and sportiness perfect for discerning enthusiasts. Measuring 20×8.5 up front and 20×10 in the back, the 5 spoke wheels are constructed out of forged aluminum ensuring lightness and strength. The eye-catching rims are wrapped in Falken 452 tires sized 245/30/20 (F) and 285/25/20 [R].

Going with a racy yet understated look, the car’s new appearance is miles apart from stock. Quickly noticeable is the use of carbon fiber, starting with the Vorsteiner Power Dome hood and lip spoiler. The kidney grille has also been blacked out to get that sporty touch. Over at the other side, the entire rear bumper was swapped with a new M-tech piece, while the rear diffuser was replaced with one made of carbon fiber. Completing the aesthetic make-over are little bits taken from its M3 brother, namely the side-mirrors and the ducktail lip spoiler in the back.

A car that’s all show without go? No sir. Unlike the slew of Bimmers with impressive looks but with anemic stock 1.8 liters, this one is quite different.

With a manufacturer rating of 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, this car gains more muscle with an aftermarket intake kit from Gruppe M. Beneath the bonnet, the new intake looks pretty impressive with its carbon fiber housing. Helping expel spent gases better are the Supersprint downpipe and center pipe, which are truly effective mods since turbocharged mills react positively to less restrictive exhausts. Rounding out the exhaust upgrade is the Eisenmann muffler, with four pipes no less! A PROcede V2 piggyback unit alters the factory ECU settings for enhanced output. As a pre-cautionary tool, an HKS blow-off valve was thrown in to help prevent compressor surge.

This Bimmer can carve corners too. It’s kitted with KW variant 2 coilovers, designed to allow not only ride height adjustment but rebound damping as well. This makes it perfect for the occasional track sessions where the owner can simply dial a bit more firmness for sharper handling, then revert back to a softer ride for everyday use. To help handle the stress of white knuckle motoring, Hawk performance brake pads were employed to resist fade.

The fun doesn’t stop there though, as this 335i is also a drop-top. It’s got a three piece fixed roof that tucks in neatly in just 22 seconds. First to be done by BMW in this application, the fixed roof provides a stiffer chassis all together, not to mention a more silent cabin at speed. With the roof down, one can get a nice look at the red upholstery that’s a welcome change from the sea of black found in most BeeEms. Hamann bits have also been fitted inside such as in the handbrake and foot pedals.

Over-all, this tuning effort takes an already impressive vehicle and bumps up the testosterone level way up. It looks fast. It can go even faster. The only thing left is a wide open road to let this thing loose and hear that wonderful exhaust note gnarl!

Project Eleanor

The 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback is an improvement from the standard version featuring a jazzy new body, a wider track for better road holding, a more diverse engine range and more options

Mini-R

A classic Mini gets a large dose of VTEC Power

The Classic Mini originally came with a 34 bhp, 848 cc engine which was increased to 997, 998, 1071 and 1275 cc that boosted its power output up to 55 bhp in stock form.

Porsche Carrera Gembella Mirage GT

The Porsche Carrera Gembella Mirage GT is one cool car!


For some collectors, supercars like the Porsche Carrera GT just are not exclusive enough; after all there are 1269 other examples to steal their thunder. To cater for these enthusiasts' needs Porsche tuner Gemballa developed the Mirage GT. The German company already announced their intent to take a stab at the Carrera GT shortly after the first examples were delivered, but apparently nobody wanted to be the first to hand over their car. So for many, many months the Gemballa Mirage GT existed as an artist impression only, but more recently the much anticipated customized Carrera GTs finally appeared.


Compared to most other Gemballa modified Porsches, the Mirage GT remains remarkably close to the original Porsche mechanics, which were obviously hard to improve. The biggest change to the drivetrain is the addition of two turbochargers together with a custom stainless steel exhaust system to the V10 engine. These offer only a modest performance increase of 60 bhp and 20 Nm. Customers can no doubt increase the boost to get even more power out of the engine, but who really needs more than 700 bhp in a car as light as the Carrera GT. The modifications have cut the 0 - 60 time by a whopping 0.1 seconds to 3.8 seconds.


A quick glance is sufficient to distinguish the Mirage GT from the understated Carrera GT. The bumper and the nose of the Mirage GT feature a plethora of new air scoops, which can impossibly be beneficial to the car's performance. At the rear the second exhaust pipe on each side is the biggest departure from the original design. A massive rear wing is fitted complete with an integrated air brake that pops up under heavy braking. The body kit is literally topped off by a large air-scoop on the roof, which feeds air directly to the engine. As the large ducts block the view through the rear window, a small camera is fitted behind the cockpit.

Retailing for € 229,800 (not including the donor Porsche), the Mirage GT package is certainly not for the financially impaired. Then again they would be in the market for a Carrera GT either. Of course each of the 25 Mirage GTs expected to be built can be tailored to the customers needs to ensure absolute exclusivity. We have already spotted an example with very tasteful gold trim. The featured example is number 012 with a matte grey finish and yellow accents looked surprisingly well.

Edo Competition Ferrari California: Quality Execution

Turning an already beautiful car into a spectacular showpiece is a challenge well handled by German tuners Edo Competition. They’ve let their creative juices flowing when they set out to re-invent Ferrari’s first hard-top convertible, the California. First, the tuners gave it new shoes that’s wider and lower. This gives the car a much sportier stance. The suspension is refitted with an adjustable system to suit the driver’s preference; a sporty and spirited ride or a more comfortable one. But the best bit of revamp for the car is the recalibration of the engine’s ECU wherein a total of 500hp and 369 ft-lb of torque has been squeezed out of the V8. The result is a faster and sleeker car with good looks that should turn heads more often than with a stock California. Edo says that you can basically add anything to your specs for the car and they’d be more than happy to fulfill your wishes.

Mansory Linea Vincero Veyron: Extra Extreme

Just when you thought that the peak of performance has been reached by the hypercar known as the Bugatti Veyron, out comes this new breed of animal. British luxury tuners Mansory decided that the stock Veyron isn’t extreme enough so they wanted something more out of it. The Linea Vincero Veyron powers out of the block with 1109 crazy horses of power and 1310 Nm of torque. That’s much, much more than the unmodified 16.4 engine. The carbon fiber hood has been shortened and the front fascia redesigned with the striking “V” clearly showing. Daytime running lights notify everyone around the car that it isn’t to be messed with. Price is definitely in the stratosphere but we can still appreciate the car even if we’ll own it only in our dreams.

Nissan Skyline GT-R

If we spend perhaps a bit too much time lamenting the soul-sapping impact computers have had on the motoring experience at large, the Nissan Skyline GT-R is what happens when all those zeros and ones are harnessed for a goal we approve of: the singular pursuit of speed.


The GT-R isn't world-beating because it's quick enough to reshuffle your internal organs, which it is. It whomps on various Ferraris, Lamborghinis and most other vehicles you can slap a plate on because it employs an army of processors to translate your accelerative, lateral and decelerative desires, however well or poorly informed, into improbable performance. It works well enough that a GT-R just won the One Lap of America, having beaten various Corvette Z06s and Porsche GT2s.