Style for The Average Joe, Personal Luxury Cars

The Personal Luxury Car, Part I - The Ford Thunderbird

For the average Joe, the Monte Carlo, the Cordoba, or Thunderbird was an attainable and affordable prize for his hard earned money. Unlike more expensive and exclusive luxury cars, they were cheap to operate, and since they were built using tried and true parts, simple to repair. The auto industry couldn’t have wished for a more lucrative market. A car built with off the shelf parts, on the chassis of the average sedan, all for a hungry market wanting something “special”. The personal luxury car was a profit goldmine. Ford usually gets the credit for creating the niche with the introduction of the Thunderbird in 1955.

Origins
The origins of the Thunderbird are not as clear as some would have you believe. There are stories of Ford executives wanting a sports car after a trip to Europe.

Many assume that Ford was responding to Chevrolet’s Corvette.

It’s known that stylist Frank Hershey was already studying possibilities for a special car on a shortened Ford chassis, with heavy input from Joe Oros and Bill Boyer contributing. Each one a noted Ford designer under chief Ford stylist George Walker at the time. Each one claims to have penned the car entirely on their own. It’s difficult to say, as even Fords archives are not clear. Even the origins of the name of the car are in question, supposedly Thunderbird was chosen from a contest with over 5000 suggestions, the winning name chosen by a Ford employee whose prize was a pair of pants (?). Native American folklore, in contrast, does note a mythical bird, the Thunderbird, born of thunder from the dark night sky that rescued a native tribe from doom.

Concept drawings of the Thunderbird '52-'54, side view proposals

Early conception sketches and drawings show an egg crate grille influenced by Ferrari, identical headlights/tail lights from the ‘55 Ford sedan and twin exhausts inset at the bumper. It was low and sleek, without the usual gaudy chrome that adorned many cars of the time. The car was never planned as a direct rival to the Corvette, it had modern conveniences like roll up windows, A/C, a hardtop and other options the ‘Vette couldn’t offer.

1955 Thunderbirds

It was presented as a sporty personal car, a cruiser, not a sports car. And at under $3000 it beat the fiberglass Corvette soundly in sales. Not to mention the 292 cu in V8 with 198 hp on tap certainly had the power edge over the standard wimpy stove bolt six of the Chevy.

2nd Generation Thunderbird sketch, a two seat concept, not four as the actual model

1958 introduced a bolder restyle and the inclusion of two more seats. Ford market studies revealed an appeal for a four seat T-Bird, as the current configuration couldn’t be considered as a single family car, i.e., Average Joe wanted a sporty ride, but needed a back seat to carry the kids. So the ‘58 T-Bird grew longer and very low, incorporated dual headlights, a larger, lower placed grille surrounded by a massive chrome bumper, (un)inspired body side moldings and larger more pronounced tail fins.

“If you really analyze the 1958 Thunderbird, it had enough design on its side, back and front, for five automobiles.”

The overall look was definitely in step with 1958 styling cues, but the added bits of 50’s styling excess is not as easy on the eye as the ‘55-‘57. Designer Gene Bordinat noted, "If you really analyze the '58 Thunderbird, it had enough design on its side, back and front for five automobiles."

In ‘59 Ford offered a bigger 430 cid V8 borrowed from upscale Lincoln to help motivate the larger car, but even with the jump in power, now nearly 350hp, a 1000 lbs increase in weight and size over the two seater made it no sprinter. Nonetheless, Fords market study was dead on, the sales of the fourseat “Squarebirds” at nearly 38,000 units, was more than double the previous model.

Third Generation, "bullet birds"

'61 T-Bird concept (not a Lincoln). Ford Quicksilver concept.

The ‘61 model had some hurdles to clear before it came to be, as surprisingly, the ‘61 Lincoln Continental was originally supposed to be the ‘61 Thunderbird. In 1958, the development for the next generation T-Bird was not going smoothly and two competing proposals were commissioned. One by Elwood Engel, based on the recent Continental MkII. And the other by Joe Oros, Ford studio head, proposed a sportier car based on the directive of new Ford division chief, Jim Wright, and the Ford Quicksilver concept. Behind the scenes the two opposing concepts were really a result of a power struggle between the design studio and the Ford chief. To save face, the decision was left to Ford's Product Planning Committee. Engle’s proposal was deemed “too pretty to be a T-Bird” and became the ‘61 Continental. Oro’s car (ironically, with heavy development from Engle and his staffs input), became the 1961 T-Bird.

The bullet nosed birds, were much cleaner in the design than the previous model. Body moldings and fenders with a high bright bladed “beltline” were incorporated as a theme for the entire car, starting at the front cowl, and flowed down the body, ending in slightly canted fins at the rear over two pod-like, turbine-shaped taillights. The ‘61 introduced many innovations like a swing away steering wheel and the ’62 Sports Roadster version (credited to designer Bud Kaufman ) incorporating a racing style tonneau top covering the rear two seats to create, in effect, a “two-seater” again. Of the early 1960’s the bullet birds are probably the most attractive and most representative of car design of the era.

For 1964 the T-Bird was redesigned again, this time the theme retreated to a more purposeful design. Now the T-Bird had a longer rear with much larger taillights (sequential ones in ’65) the body tapering off to a flat tail and a more formal hood and body side styling. The look was not as flowing, but had a stronger looking front “face”.
Obviously Ford had the right idea as this model sold nearly 93,000 units, a record and up nearly half over the 1963 ‘bird. ’65 offered the famed sequential taillights and a 429 V8 w/345 hp. Finally after years of changing engines to keep up with the weight gain of the car, the new T-Bird was capable of some quick motivation and speeds over 120mph. But even with these welcome additions, sales dropped off to just over 70,000 units for ’65.

Why? Mustang.
Ford’s own, much cheaper, and in many ways, more attractively styled new four seat youthmobile was taking a big bite out of the T-Birds signature market. A moderately optioned Thunderbird cost nearly twice as much as a fully optioned Mustang. The market savvy decision to make the T-Bird a four seater back in ’58 was coming back to haunt Ford with the introduction of the pony car. The T-Bird was at a cross roads, Ford debated relinquishing the car completely to the luxury market as a 4 door sedan. By 1965 with the Mustang assuming the young sporty image the T-Bird once had, Ford believed the T-Bird no longer needed to portray a sporting image and could be focused directly at the personal luxury market.

1967 Ford Thunderbird Landau 4-door sedan.

Following that marketing concept, in 1967 Ford introduced a completely redesigned Thunderbird, as a large luxury coupe, and an equally large four door luxury sedan incorporating suicide type doors, a large open mouth grill and heavily styled fenders. As the 3rd & 4th generation convertible had fallen to less than 10% of T-Bird sales, for the first time in its history, no convertible model was offered. The ‘67 T-Bird was a major change in focus for the model, abandoning the Thunderbirds original concept completely. Sadly for the next ten years the Thunderbird grew into an overweight, gas guzzling (8 mpg!), bland, ugly joke...

The Big and even Bigger 'birds.
In 1970 the T-Bird changed into a huge luxury barge (albeit with a large, almost humorous “beak” front end grille treatment) and the four door sedan was dropped. In 1972 the ‘bird expanded again to the largest size of its history gaining nearly 1500 lbs over the already huge ‘71. The Thunderbird was now, basically a re-skinned, lower cost Lincoln Continental, riding on the Continentals chassis and mechanicals. The gargantuan bird went on for 4 years with minor trim changes. The only major changes were the constant increase in engine size (up to 460 ci, 7.5 liters!) to help motivate the behemoth. Even with one of the largest engines on the market, EPA standards strangled the output to just over 200hp, not enough to get out of its own way.
Ironically Ford had hit on something, or the public just didn’t care as the sales for the supersized bird was up to almost 87,000 units in ‘73. A very neat feat considering Ford was asking almost $8,000 for a 5,000 lb, gas guzzling, mediocre looking, underpowered clone of a Lincoln Mark IV.

Still the writing was on the wall, the Arab Oil embargo, inflation and rising gas prices ate away at sales and demanded the T-Bird go on a diet and refocus its market identity. Luckily for Ford, the Elite, which had taken over the T-Birds former market, was selling nearly three times as much as the current bird. It was an easy plan to have the next Elite redesigned as the new, downsized Thunderbird.

1977 Thunderbird

So in 1977, like both GM and Chrysler were implementing, a new downsized version of the car was planned, and a smaller, redesigned Thunderbird was released. The new ‘bird had a sharper, more defined look with razor edged fender tops, split opera/landau windows and hidden headlights. Many of the T-Bird cues from the late 60’s returned including a egg crate grille and full length wall to wall tail lights, a basket handle split top was also featured. Realistically, the new ‘bird was not much more than a re-skinned Elite, which was built on a Torino/LTD II chassis, under the skin there wasn’t any innovation mechanically. Its laughable to call the ’77 T-Bird a mid sized car today, its huge by today’s standards, but with almost a half ton reduction in weight and 11 inches in length over the previous ‘bird and a $3000 price cut, the new T-Bird was taking a step (down-market) in the right direction. Sales surged to over 300,000 units, the highest figure in the history of the Thunderbird, and triple its previous sales record. The public snapped them up in large numbers, with little styling changes for the next three years.

1980 Ford Thunderbird

Under veteran stylist Gene Bordinat 1980 brought the emergence of the “Box” ‘birds. The car was based on the Fox chassis (shared with the plain-Jane Ford Fairmont and new Mustang). Transferring the bigger T-Bird styling cues to this smaller platform proved unsuccessful if not outright boring. It’s obvious the design was a cost cutting measure, to eliminate size, weight and production costs, as their seems to be have been no design inspiration at all. Ford did reduce weight by 900 lbs, but the combination of uninspired styling, a weak standard V6, and a brief recession kept the buying public away in droves, and sales tanked. At the end of the box bird model run in ’82, sales had fallen to just 47,000 units, less than 16% of the previous model run.

Ford Probe Concepts I & II

The Thunderbird was in trouble, but even before the disastrous box-‘bird was released Ford had considered new directions for their prestige car to follow. Jack Telnack, Fords new VP of Design and his studio team, had the answer. Fords designers for years prior had championed more aerodynamic shapes in the form of their series of concept “Probe” cars of the ‘70’s. And now was the time to put their design ideas into practice.

1983 Thunderbird

1983 and the new, aero-Thunderbird was as smooth and slick as the previous ‘bird was boxy and boring. The new design was a complete departure from all Thunderbirds and for modern cars as well. European in looks, it was aerodynamically smooth and clean, a confident design without a right angle or straight line to be found. The car featured limousine type doors and flush drip wells. In the rear a small notchback with a slight lipped trunk and full with tail lights. It’s difficult to state the impact of this car in the mid 80’s, and fully take into effect it had on changing the look of both the Thunderbird and the car industry as a whole. The success of this new Thunderbird paved the way for more aerodynamic cars, like the Taurus that would revolutionize car appearance and styling forever. In addition to the Aero-birds new slick lines, a new model, the TuboCoupe with a turbocharged 2.3 L 4 cyl engine w/5sp manual was introduced. For the first time in many years a sporting image and style was brought back to the nameplate. Sales were strong and the car added a V8 and trim options, a slight tweaking of the shape was updated in ’87, but few other changes.

1989 (MN12) Thunderbird

The 10th generation, code named MN12 (Mid-Size North American Project 12), Thunderbird was redesigned in 1989 on a longer wheelbase (but shorter overall length). It was lower, shorter and distinctively more European in its flavor. It’s easy to see reflections of BMW in its shape. The new design and look was a result of new program to reduce weight and focus the car towards a younger performance oriented buyer. In that respect the Turbo Coupe was dropped in favor of the Super Coupe with a supercharged, 210hp V6 engine. Unfortunately the car, while a confident looking design and much more efficient in fuel usage wasn’t exactly what Ford had hoped for, and the car missed specific design targets in its development. Most prominent was the cars heavy 3500 lb weight and cost overruns which greatly exceeded program and budget forecasts. To add insult to injury the public’s interest in rear drive personal coupes was waning in the atmosphere of minivans, luxury sedans and SUV’s, sales for the car started a steep decline. The MN12 cars continued on with minor changes, mostly cost cutting measures eliminating options and removing features to help keep costs down on the expensive to produce car. Finally in 1997, with sales in the basement, and costs in the sky, Ford pulled the plug and after 42 years of production, the Thunderbird was over.

2000 & The Retro-'bird
But not so fast, no sooner than the last MN12 T-Bird rolled off the plant floor was Jay Mays, Fords new VP of design, speculating and putting together a studio team for a new Thunderbird. The next T-Bird would be a low sleek two seat personal luxury car, a “retro” design. Bringing back the Thunderbird to its origins. J Mays and his design staff made sure the new retro T-Bird was true to the cars legacy. The new car would have all the classic cues of a Thunderbird, including the egg crate grille, porthole windows and a V8, all built on the Lincoln LS chassis. The car was introduced in 2002 to strong interest and 1000 pre-orders. Styling wise, Ford had hit the mark, the car had all the goods the original had plus a bit more. Initial sales were strong, but leveled off after the first year. Quickly though it came to be seen that a $40,000 two seater with only a 280hp V8, and sloppy handling had a limited appeal, and was not hugely popular with the 21st century buyer, despite its good looks. It had been suggested, jokingly that a second row of seats added to the car would help make it more attractive, much like the ’58 did. But Ford wasn’t laughing. So, one again, in 2005 with marginal sales, and only three years of production, sadly, the retro-‘bird too was discontinued. So far, there has been no word or future plans to raise the mark again.

1955 & 2002 Thunderbirds

In all, over a 50 year span, some 4.5 million Thunderbirds were produced.

Next time, part II, and GM and Chrysler’s personal luxury cars.
-gumbypiz

550hp Chevrolet Matiz

General Motors has no idea that their baby Chevrolet Matiz is now capable of slaying their greatest giant the Corvette. It's not an officially-manufactured car but it will take care of some serious supercars in any straight-line battle. Created by Fourdin Auto Sport founder, Yves Fourdin, and a few friends, this Matiz was the result of 1,500 hours of hard work by people who are not even engineers but motorsport enthusiasts. Best of all they used no computers for their achievement.

Using the Matiz as a base, Fourdin and his team installed a 7.0-litre V8 straight out of a Corvette Z06. It makes 550hp (404kW) to blast the Matiz from 0 - 100km/h in a swift 3.7 seconds. The 0 - 200km/h time is 10.94 seconds while terminal velocity is 260km/h (162mph).

No details on its track performance were released so there's no telling how it takes to corners, bar a glimpse of it taking that long curve on the video. The car was finished in August 2008 and is currently being shown at the International Racing Show Liège in Belgium.

Hartge Reveals BMW M3 Aerodynamic kit

Previously tuning house HARTGE had released a full range of accessories for the BMW M3 that include aluminium pedals, an aluminium handbrake handle and HARTGE gear knob. A new range of exterior accessories is now available from HARTGE.

Listed are a front spoiler lip, carbon add-ons for the front spoiler lip, and side sills for both right and left rear. This applies to both the coupe (codename E92) and convertible (E93). A rear diffuser and a lip for the boot lid are also offered but only for the M3 sedan and coupe, not for the convertible. The exterior side mirrors get a set of carbon casings. Side profile pictures are not available at this point.

The current BMW M3 comes only in three body types; a coupe, a convertible and a sedan. There's no word on a Touring wagon version. It uses a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V8 engine to produce 420hp (309kW) and 400Nm of torque.

Mazda RE-Amemiya Genki 7

Isami Amemiya founded RE Amemiya Car Company in Chiba, Japan way back in 1974. The tuning company has been specialising in the modification of cars fitted with the rotary engine. For a long time these have been exclusively Mazda RX-7s. At this year's Tokyo Auto Salon RE Amemiya presents the Genki7.

The Genki7 is built from an RX-7 and it apparently features an engine tuned by long-time RE Amemiya collaborator GReddy. No numbers were tossed alongside the pictures apart from the claim that the engine will help the Genki7 "leave everyone behind".

UK Garage Presents Lotus Extrema

Italian tuner UK Garage is presenting its latest project, the Lotus Exige-based Extrema. UK Garage works on such names as TVR, Noble and Radical. Plenty of work has gone into the Extrema from when it was an Exige up until its current format.

Beginning with engine, buyers are spoiled for choice as they wade through a list that comprises exclusively of GM powerplants. At the entry point is a 2.6-litre with 360hp (265kW) followed by a 2.8-litre making 450hp (331kW) or a 560hp (412kW) 3.4-litre version. All three use a PowerTech V8 engine weighing 95kg. With this engine total vehicle mass does not exceed 750kg.

Moving to the next menu is GM's 2.8-litre V6 turbo that either produces 300hp (221kW) or 350hp (257kW). With this mill fitted the car goes up to 850kg in weight which is still very light. Up the performance ladder is where things get more interesting. UK Garage offers potential customers a register comprised of Chevrolet and Corvette powerplants that will be fitted into their Extremas. Again starting from the bottom there are two Chevrolet LS3s making either 420hp (309kW) or 500hp (368kW) each. At this level weight goes up a notch to about 970kg.

Those who long for absolute Extrema grunt, the 513hp (377kW) LS7 or the LS9 found in a Corvette ZR1 with 647hp (476kW) can be selected. This time vehicle mass reaches 1,000kg. This particular combination allows the Extrema to reach 100km/h from standstill in 2.8 seconds, 0 - 200km/h in 7 seconds and top off at 320km/h. Gearshifts are taken care of courtesy of either a manual or a sequential transmission system.

The Extrema has an aluminium chassis, and buyers can have either fiberglass or a kevlar-carbon composite body fitted. The body has been lengthened by some 20cm to accommodate these big engines. It has also been widened for the bigger tyres and equipped with an adjustable suspension system.

All this comes at a price of €66,000 including taxes for the baseline model while road-legal conversions can be made at extra cost.

Carlsson SL CK63 RS

Carlsson has finally released details regarding the amazing SL CK63 RS which first debuted at the Essen Motor Show.

Based on the Mercedes SL 63 AMG, Carlsson reworked the standard car's V8 engine with 525 hp (386 kW) and 465 ft-lbs (630 Nm) of torque to produce 600 hp (411 kW) and 705 Nm (520 ft-lbs) of torque. This pays modest dividends in terms of performance as Carlsson estimates the SL CK63 RS will rocket to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds while the fore mentioned SL 63 AMG is a few ticks slower at 4.5 seconds. The vehicle's top speed has also been increased to 325 km/h (202 mph).

Carlsson engineers also threw in several other performance minded changes including an electronic lowering C-Tronic suspension, a high-performance carbon composite braking system, and ultra light 20-inch wheels outfitted with high-performance Dunlop SP SportMaxx tires.

The exterior features a new aerodynamic kit which includes a reworked bumper with mesh inserts for the air intakes and a new front spoiler and rear diffuser which are both constructed of lightweight polyurethane. A unique stealth titan graphite paint scheme with a matte finish is available but if that doesn't suit your tastes there are five other exterior colors to choose from. Inside, the car gets a luxurious treatment of leather and alcantara applied to the seats and door trim.

German pricing starts at a rather pricey €272,500 but cars as exclusive as this never come cheap.

Wald Tuned Nissan GT-R

Wald International has officially introduced their new body package for the Nissan GT-R. The Japanese tuner has not released any engine modifications, citing the "difficulty in tuning the GT-R's engine."

The company has created several carbon-fibre body parts to lighten the vehicle's weight and make the car more aerodynamic. They custom built a front-lip spoiler and nose cover, and rear wing. Low-drag duct covers from another lightweight composite material are in place, while under the hood the cutomer will find a carbon-fibre engine cover.

Wald's aero-kit comes in the glossy finish typically used for street cars, called wet carbon fibre, or a dull matte grey color, called dry carbon fibre. The second choice is usually used on racers. A wet carbon kit starts at 1,039,500 yen ($11,620), with the dry carbon kit going for about 2,362,500 ($26,410). Prices include taxes.

All Carbon-Fiber Lotus Elise

Carbon fiber saves a lot of weight and is increasingly used in performance cars. But making a whole car out of carbon fiber may just end up being a tad too expensive. But someone has given it a go anyway.

Pictured here is a 2002 Type 72 JPS Lotus Elise built (or re-built?) to order for a Chinese customer by TW Auto Limited.

The Hong Kong based TW Auto has completely replaced both the interior and exterior with customized raw carbon fiber panels. The weight saved on the already feather-ous Lotus Elise? 66 to 88 pounds (or about 40 kg).

Additionally, the diet also included a lighter KW suspension, Lotus Racing exhaust, JP Racing wheels, as well as bigger air intake and air filter.

The re-working of the Elise took a whole 6 months for TW to complete for customer Jimmy Wong.

Hamann BMW X6 TYCOON Widebody

German tuners Hamann Motorsport has just released their BMW X6 Tycoon to the public. Featuring a new body, restyling, and serious performance upgrades shows the full potential of BMW's crossover SUV.

Currently, customers get a choice between the BMW X6 xDrive35i, which comes with a 306 horsepower 3.0-liter inline-six, the BMW xDrive30d and its 235 hp 3.0-liter straight-six diesel, or the xDrive35d, which has a 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder getting 286 hp. Horsepower for the three is bumped up significantly, reaching 360 hp on the petrol. The two diesels see increases to 261hp and 316hp respectively.

Torque output sees substantial gains, rising by 140 Nm to 540 Nm on the 35i model, by 80 Nm to 600 Nm on the xDrive30d, and from 580 Nm to 660 Nm on the 35d.

Hamann is also working on a performance kit for the top-of-the-line BMW X6 xDrive50i. Currently, that car is rated at an impressive 407 hp and 600 Nm of torque, generated by its 4.4-liter V8 twin-turbo.

Hamann's design team put together a body kit for the car meant to give the car a more muscular stance. The package is highlighted by new front wings, and a rear wing extension, all made out of a lightweight composite material. A new apron with large air intakes, and LED daytime running lights round out the front. Wrapping up the back is a three-part diffuser, a rear spoiler, and a roof spoiler.

Hamann uses their Design edition Race Anodized 23-inch rims on the car, wrapped in 315/25 r23 tyres. An ultralight wheel, it is paired with "special chassis springs" and "progressively coiled springs" to lower the crossover by 40 mm.

The tuner firm added their own touches to the interior as well. Customers will find a sizeable amount of aluminum and carbon fibre throughout the inside. New instrument dials and a 3-spoke steering wheel are also included.

The Hamann BMW X6 Tycoon editions are available now from the German company. A BMW X6 Tycoon based on the xDrive50i should arrive soon.

Mercedes SL Evo II by KICHERER

This Mercedes by Kicherer is not the new SL. It is not the SL 63 AMG. It's all Kicherer. At least, that's what the German tuner claims. And we make no arguments against that.

The Kicherer Mercedes SL Evo II is based on the old Mercedes SL R230. But Kicherer has made it its own, with a carbon fiber rear wing and front skirt, hand-made, lightweight cast wheels and a few other in-house goodies.

The whole package also includes new side air intakes to make the SL Evo II breath a little easier and carbon fiber aerodynamic paneling all around, including a rear diffuser, lessen air resistance. The lightweight rear wing makes up the patented KICHERER Downforce-System, an electronically controlled flap that optimizes down force on the rear axle for maximum performance and stability.

For even stickier handling, a suspension lowering by an additional 25 mm is made possible through a re-programming of the electronic suspension system.

SPI 997 SLEDGEHAMMER 1000 hp Porsche Conversion Package

Switzer Performance Innovations (SPI) of Ohio, USA, is a renowned tuner of Porsche products, specifically for the Porsche 996 and 997 models. At some point SPI, through owner Tym Switzer wondered what the limits of a tuned 997 would be, how much horsepower a stock engine could take.

Soon SPI was working on this ‘experiment' and the results are here for all to see. The car aptly named the SLEDGEHAMMER makes over 850 all-wheel horsepower running on racing fuel. That translates to over 1000hp at the crank. The figures were produced from a 997 twin turbo engine through extensive ECU tuning, the use of SPI-developed headers, a sports exhaust system, an intercooler package and SPI-tuned GT30R turbos. Every part of the system was constantly metered and tested by SPI during development.

On tar the SLEDGEHAMMER creates something close to what would be considered magical numbers. The 0 - 60mph time is consistently in the mid-2 seconds, and its massive tractability is shown by a 60 - 130mph time of less than 5 seconds. The quarter mile is trashed in 9.796 seconds and 195mph was almost achieved at the Texas mile, an abandoned air strip in Texas.

Project Kahn Drophead Coupe

The folks over at Project Kahn have just sent out some photos of their Project Kahn Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe. Shown in Black Diamond, this version of the two-door was originally introduced back in July.

These new photos show the elegance of the DHC. The model already sold by Rolls Royce is meant to completely encompass the passenger in luxury, privacy, and quiet, while the driver is able to focus on the road with no distraction.

Project Kahn puts a highlight on the car with their Silver Mist wheel. The large, custom alloy measures 9.5" by 22" making it wider than the stock wheels. This is meant to give "a more sporty and aggressive feel." They also have another, darker grey tone wheel available in the same size. The original Rolls Royce center cap fits in the new wheels.

If you buy the car through the tuner company, it will come new with Elm Cluster Veneer Wood paneling and dash, Rolls Royce embossed front headrests, Piano Black steering wheel spokes, iPod connector, and a polished front radiator grille. Lambs wool rugs are also included, but only the lord almighty knows how to get them clean. Make sure you wipe off your patent leather loafers before stepping in.

You can buy the Project Kahn Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe for £316.000, including taxes.

Supercharged Hummer H3 V8 by Geiger

Someone should tell the good folks over at Geiger that gluttonous, V8 powered SUVs are no longer cool. You know, given the worldwide economic crisis and global warming, excess is out and restraint is in.

But why not fly in the face of all that and have some fun with a Hummer? It's only a baby Hummer, after all.

So let's have a look-see at what German tuner Geiger has cooking for the Hummer H3.

Well, they've taken the stock 5.3 liter V8 and slapped a supercharger on it to squeeze some more life out of the thing - a lot more. What you get is the H3 V8 Kompressor, with Geiger taking the 5.3 liter V8's standard 300 hp and 320 lb-ft (434 Nm) of torque and cranking it up to a galloping 423 hp and 502 lb-ft (680 Nm) of pure power.

What that does is make this high center of gravity vehicle take a scary 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) run in 7 seconds with a top speed that has to be illegal somewhere for an SUV this size of 238 km/h (148mph).

On the optics side, the full body kit with carbon fiber trim on the inside are best described by the photos that follow.

And if the Hummer brand doesn't survive GM's current troubles, this H3 will look really retro out there on the road. Screaming 90s Detroit automotive narcissism. Ah, those were the days.

Nissan 370Z Tuning Package by Branew

Other Japanese automakers must be green with envy at Nissan's current success with the sports car genre. Tuners on the other hand, salivate each time the Japanese car maker is mentioned. Branew is one such tuner. Also based in Japan, Branew plans to launch a very comprehensive tuning kit for the new Nissan 370Z at the Tokyo Auto Salon in a couple of weeks' time.

Branew developed a new sports exhaust for the car, reprogrammed the standard 332hp 3.7-litre V6's ECU, upgraded its brake system and added a new sports suspension kit. Carbon fibre exterior kit includes front spoiler, side steps, rear spoiler, a rear air diffuser and a rear wing. Multi-spoke alloy wheels will be offered in various sizes for that final touch of performance.

Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 by Reiter Engineering

Reiter Engineering has not wasted precious development moments after letting loose a street-legal version of the Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT. This time Reiter moved swiftly to work on a Gallardo GT3 racecar in order to make it back as a street car.

The Gallardo is based heavily on the standard car with its 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V10. But Reiter's conversion features carbon fibre bodywork that includes fenders widened by 60mm, new front fascia, side skirts and a large carbon fiber rear wing.

The single large exhaust pipe reduces weight and helps add extra horses. Rubber is courtesy of sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 2. Standard seats have also been replaced by leather racing units.

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X N-Spec by Ings

Japanese tuner Ings has released a front bumper and spoiler kit for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. The N-Spec Lancer Evo 10 CZ4A looks at a glance like many of the other over-sculpted front ends available from various tuners, but the large intake, curious upper-intake ram air inlet, canards, brake ducts and intercooler shrouds of the Ings bumper appear to have been track-tested. The kit will also include a Z-Power wing when it goes on sale in a few months.

Ings plans to offer the front bumper in fiberglass or a "hybrid aero" urethane-fiberglass blend.

There's not much information about the N-Spec Evo 10 at the Ings website, other than the specifications of the demonstration vehicle (which features brake and suspension modifications in addition to the body kit and Ings Sports 18-inch wheels, if you were curious), and pricing has not yet been released.

DStyle Tuning Package for BMW Z4 Coupe & Roadster

The new BMW Z4 Roadster was revealed to us earlier this month, and is yet to be unveiled to the public but that hasn't stopped Germany's Dstyle from releasing new enhancements for the current generation model. The new aerodynamic styling package comes in two versions: Z4 CS for the Coupe and Z4 RS for the Roadster.

The styling is inspired by the world of motorsport and will be limited to just 100 units, it includes a new hood, a revised set of doors, fenders and tailgate along with a set of lightweight forged 19in alloy wheels and sports tires.

Edo Present the Limited Edition Lamborghini LP 710 Audigier

edo competition has just released what they claim to be the fastest Lamborghini ever. The Limited Edition edo Lamborghini LP 710 has a top speed of 224 mph (360 kph). Only five units of the LP 710 will be produced.

At the base of the LP 710 is a Murciélago LP 640. After disassembling the supercar, edo tuners make modifications to the body work, engine, exhaust, interior, tires, and wheels to bring the car up to their racing standards. All mods are completed within three months.

Surprisingly, the company seems more interested in the design of the car than its power. At the heart of the design is fashion magnet Christian Audigier, who chose the matte black paint for the car. Inside, Audigier embroidered his own name into the seats, while utilizing a different set of fabrics and materials for the seats, door paneling, and center console. World-reknowned artist Marcus Pfeil worked with Audigier to create an airbrush design for the car.

Horsepower, torque, and curb weight is unknown at this time.

Each of the five Limited Edition edo Lamborghini LP 710 production units will be custom made, giving the customer a chance to veto some of the designs and make a more personal choice. If you purchase one, you also get the opportunity to run laps in your new supercar at the oval track in either Papenburg, Germany, or Nardo, Italy. edo will even lend out race driver Patrick Simon to teach you a few tricks for your new car.

Tuning Package for C6 Corvette by Innotech

A new company out of the Czech Republic called INNOTECH has released a their new Corvette tuning package, and claims performance of up to 1,000 horsepower! Updates to the classic sports car include exterior body work, interior design, and performance upgrades.

Available through the company are modified Corvette C6 coupes and convertibles with engines reconfigured to crank out between 500 and 560 hp on a standard engine, and 600 hp with the supercharger.

But if you have the twin turbocharged Corvette LS3 6.2 litre engine engine, your C6 can rocket around a course with a blistering 1000 hp.

Numbers like that harken to the Bugatti Veyron supercar. And at 1400 kg, the INNOTECH Vette is lighter than the Veyron by over a half-ton.

Keeping the Corvette transmission choices - six-speed manual, or automatic - the C6 gets a choice of either 14" BAER brakes or 15" Brembos. With that much power, we recommend the biggest brakes possible. Rotors are drilled, slotted, and ventilated. Brake systems mate to forged aluminum 9x19" front- and 12x20" rear-wheels from brands like HRE and Forgeline. Dymag carbon-magnesium wheels are also available. The exhaust system is compltely overhauled to improve performance, and give the car a more unique appearance.

Around the car, INNOTECH is trying to make the car look a bit more Italian than American. New front and rear fascias make the Vette almost unrecognizeable, while maintaining a very cool look. New side rear window louvres and louvred hood is also available. They also have a wide body kit that, like the other body parts, is custom made from fiberglass or carbon fibre. Inside the car, upgrades include Italian or English leather, and carbon fibre seats covered in a matching leather.

Sadly, performance details have not been released, but the company did say that more performance and luxury options will become available later next year. The conpany is also working on customizations for the Z06 and ZR1 Corvettes.

INNOTECH Corvettes will be assembled in the US, despite the company's Czech Republic home base. Parts and complete cars can be delivered worldwide. The new INNOTECH Corvette C6 will be available beginning in January.