Kicherer has realised the value of absolute power by putting in some outstanding work into a Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG. The car is Benz’s finest work as far as the coupe body type is concerned, already sporting a nice 612 hp/ 450kW V12 of two turbos and 1000Nm. Kicherer was never going to be satisfied as any power-hungry world car fan would know, and so decided to up the game a little. Later on that.

For the exterior they chose a few changes, headlined by 9 and 10 x 20″ Kicherer RS-X lightweight wheels, carbon fiber mirror shells, rear diffuser, front grille and front apron whose deflector is also of the black light stuff. The exhaust system is a mirror-finished affair with four tailpipes, and supposedly makes the most glorious of sounds.

Inside as expected the CL 65 receives velvet glove treatment, from the alcantara ceiling, carbon intarsia, to the nappa leather seats, and handmade hand-worked shag pile carpet for the back. And now for the numbers you want. Kicherer has managed to squeeze out 38 more stallions out of the engine to give it a well-rounded 650 hp/ 486kW and oak-pulling 1200Nm. A rear diff lock helps plant it firmly on tar. For that you get 0 - 100km/h in 4.2 seconds and a limited 320km/h for your top end.

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Some might call Lake Constance-based Kicherer’s obsession with making Mercedes-Benz products go faster an unhealthy one. Of course, those people clearly fail to appreciate the pleasure that 900Nm of torque at one’s command can bring. Kicherer’s latest is the CL 60 Coupe, based on the Mercedes CL600 luxury coupe.

The twin-turbo V12 CL600 sits pretty at the top of the Mercedes two-door lineup, and Kicherer’s wizards have left the basic package alone. Under the skin, however, things are a bit more exciting. The V12’s power has been boosted from 517 to 570, with a corresponding increase in torque to 900Nm. A modified transmission control module and locking rear differential ensure that the additional power gets to the road in a relatively dignified fashion, and the chassis has been lowered by 25mm. The CL 60 Coupe also features unique 20-inch Kicherer RS-1 wheels. A body kit and carbon trim set the CL 60 apart from stock CL600s nicely.

More information can be found at Kicherer’s website, at www.kicherer.net.

This week is officially Audi RS6 tuner week, we have already been treated to the efforts by Abt and B&B on top of the MTM version from last month, now Kicherer enters the arena with their own version which carries the label Audi RSStreet.

The hub of this latest performance upgrades centers around the 580 bhp 5.0-liter FSI twin turbo V10 engine laying in the engine bay. Kicherer modify several individual components on the power unit although they fail to state exactly what these are, nonetheless it still results in a power increase that takes overall output to 700hp and 780Nm of torque. Other performance upgrades are available including a 4-flow stainless steel exhaust system and a set of sports springs which lowers the model by 25mm.

All put together, the RSStreet can accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in a little under 4.3 seconds and it reaches 200km/h in 13 seconds flat, top speed lies rises to 280km/h. These times are a little slower than previous tuning packages seen, however it would be hard to compare these models other than side by side on a racetrack.

Kicherer also gives the RS6′ exterior are quick going over with a set a 22inch rims and a two tone color scheme along with mirror shells, front spoiler and rear diffuser all made from genuine carbon.

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AMG’s 6.3-liter V8 engine has been tuned to output an extra 33hp and 20Nm of torque bringing total ponies to 540hp. Looking at the performance figures we see Kicherer has managed to drop the 0-100km/h to just 4.1 seconds and top speed can now exceed 300km/h.

Subtle modifications to the exterior design retain the Black Edition’s aggressive stance with the addition of a sportier radiator grille made of carbon featuring carbon fibre struts. Other features in the model include lighter three-part wheels and ultra-light front seat buckets made of genuine carbon.

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