Well known for its tuning endeavors with BMW, MINI, Ferrari, Porsche, Land Rover and Lamborghini, German tuning house Hamann Motorsport has added Aston Martin to that list with the V8 Vantage Coupe and Roadster. Hamann makes no mention of engine performance upgrades but instead has focused on optimized aerodynamics and handling.

The body kit consists of a lower front bumper fascia with 2-piece side spoilers, side skirts, rear deck lid spoiler and three-piece diffuser with rear center spoiler which attaches to existing rear bumper fascia. Also, for the Le Mans GT look a roof mounted air scoop is available. Alternatively, a front lip spoiler is available for attachment to the standard front bumper fascia. All body components are available in fiber glass or in matte carbon.

Mechanically Hamann offers a stainless sport exhaust system good for an extra 20 hp, three-piece Hamann EDITION RACE 21-inch wheels and special chassis springs which lower the centre of gravity of the V8 Vantage by 30 mm at the front axle and by 20 mm at the rear axle.

For the interior Hamann offers an aluminium pedal set including a foot rest and floor matts made of threaded pearl velour. If desired, bespoke leather trim and equipment is available on request.

[Correction:  Hamann offers an ECU upgrade for the Vantage 4.3-liter and 4.7-liter V8 producing 358hp (283 kW) and 426 hp (313 kW) respectively, for an increase of 23 hp (17 kW) and 30 hp (22 kW).  Torque is increased by approximately 25 Nm and 30 Nm.  Top speed is increased to 290 km/h (series 283 km/h) and 295 km/h (series 288 km/h).]

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German based BMW Group tuning specialist Hartge first showed us off-the-shelf parts for the 1-Series coupe when it was first released, and then shortly followed with the aerodynamics kits. Now Hartge have developed an ECU upgrade for BMW’s already potent 3.0-liter bitrubo engine in the 135i coupe releasing an additional 44hp.

The result is a total of 350hp at 5660 rpm and 480 Nm (lb-ft 354) at 2950 rpm. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) arrives in 4.8 seconds – a half second faster than its standard 5.3 seconds. Also, an unrestricted top speed allows 280 km/h (174mph).

Hartge states that a 135i fully equipped with the entire suite of components will cost in Germany € 48,162.14, excluding VAT. See press release below for more details.
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20 year old German based tuning firm Rieger has released a subtle styling package for the new Ford Mondeo wagon that builds off of the standard appearance with something that is a bit more noticeable without being to extravagant. The kit offers a front lip spoiler, side skirts with cutout shaft and rear bumper fascia. All components are available in either ABS plastic or carbon fiber look. The rear bumper fascia comes in three versions depending on exhaust configuration – dual pipes on both right and left side (as pictured), single sport pipe or single downward curved pipe. Moreover, Rieger also offers for the Mondeo a coilover suspension by KW and chip tuning upgrades from SKN Technology.

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Following the teaser image from earlier this month, well known German tuner, Lorinser, have finally pulled the sheet off their new facelifted SL-Class. Designed in characteristic Lorinser form, the SL-Class program includes front bumper fascia, wide flare fenders with grille vents, side skirts also with grille vents and diffuser look rear bumper fascia which accommodates four pipe exhaust system. Also available for the package are the Lorinser RS9 wheels and lowered suspension. Lorinser states in their press release below performance engine upgrades are currently in development.
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VW Group tuning specialists JE Design have gone ahead and developed a fourth, no wait, fifth aerodynamics body package for the Seat Leon. Still closely resembling the base Leon P1 kit (non-Cupra, FR & wide body), the German tuning expert now offers a carbon fiber look adhesive film in various colors.

The body kit consists of a front bumper fascia with new LED daylight running lights, grille, headlamp lens strips, side skirts and newly designed rear bumper fascia skirt attachment which accommodates four 90mm exhaust pipes.

Under the hood, JE Design is offering a new power increase via engine management upgrade that bounces the standard 103 kW (140 hp) up to 130 kW (176 hp). Torque also increases by 85 Nm to 405 Nm.

New 19-inch multispoke wheel-set, 4-piston brakes and coilover suspension capable of lowering ride height from 35mm to a ground scraping 65 mm round out the package. See press release below for full details.
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Belgian Mercedes tuner Expression Motorsports have put together a DTM inspired wide body package for the new W204 C-Class. Larger air vents in the bumper and hood enhance engine cooling while the widebody kit allows for the larger wheels up to 22-inch to be fitted. The kit consists of front bumper fascia with fog lamps and LED indicators, front carbon fiber lower lip spoiler, hood from C 63 AMG, hood vents, 10 piece fender flair set, side skirts, rear bumper fascia with carbon fiber diffuser and integrated LED F1 brake light and deck lid wing plus additional carbon deflector. Finally, a double twin-tip exhaust system along with an assortment of wheel packages round out the kit which Expression Motorsports refers to as their EX C Motorsport kit.
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The Vorsteiner name is still somewhat fresh in our brains following the recent E92 M3 CSL package story, but the California based tuner wants us to remember it permanently. So they’ve quickly released another kit but this time for the Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series dubbed, “Black Widow”.

Striving to subtly enhance the already dangerous looks of the Black Series CLK, Vorsteiner have crafted functional front and rear spoilers which are constructed of lightweight dry carbon fiber. Vorsteiner states the spoilers improve down force & aerodynamics during high speed tests at the track over 321km/h (200mph).

The carbon fiber rear spoiler balances the front end out by extending the original factory rear lip spoiler design by approximately 50mm with a more aggressive wing profile. Both of these components are a direct bolt onto the factory body panels without any modifications required.

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Ford UK is offering for the Focus ST a performance upgrade from Mountune Performance. Available from select Ford dealers (see press release below) for a price of £1,120 (plus installation), the kit consists of a larger intercooler, a high-flow air filter and revised engine calibration resulting in an increase in power output from Ford’s potent 2.5-litre Duratec ST engine from 225PS to 260PS at 5,500rpm and from 320Nm to 400Nm at 2,500rpm.

0-60mph improves by 0.6sec to 5.9sec, and the 0-100mph time by 1.9sec to 14.1sec. The performance upgrade kit includes 12 months/12,000-mile dealer warranty up to a maximum of three years/36,000 miles. The vehicle warranty is not affected.

Expect to hear more from Mountune Performance as they are currently developing a performance suspension kit for the Focus ST and further packages will be available for other Ford models later in 2008.

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In a great marketing tactic, Mercedes-Benz is pitting four top tuners against one another in an online and mobile public vote. The luxury auto maker will enter SEMA 2008 in Las Vegas using a four-way attack plan with one piece of machinery at the center; its new GLK mid-sized SUV. These four tuned cars have been prepared by masters in their game, namely RennTech, Brabus, Boulevard Customs and Legendary Motor Cars.

Legendary Motor Cars offers the Four Corners Rock Crawler which comes with a winching system for those who like their sports extreme. The Urban Whip, which really has nothing to do with girls in tight leather shorts, is a Boulevard Customs design, with its wide-body styling kit, massive 26-inch wheels and a redesigned interior with its own customized stereo system.

RennTech went clean on this one, featuring a hybrid engine in its Rally Racer GLK. The concept was inspired by unlimited-class rally cars at Pikes Peak Hillclimb. Lastly we have Brabus, a name synonymous with what seems to be unlimited power offerings. Their car, the Widestar, is based in a GLK300 Bluetec and features wide wheel arches and a unique interior. The winner of the public vote will be announced on December 2, 2008.

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