Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS 'Eau Rouge' Dark Edition

Carlsson is exhibiting the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS "Eau Rouge" Dark Edition at the 2008 Zürich Auto Show in what is billed as a World Premier for the famous tuner. The limited edition, highly exclusive CK65 RS will only be offered to 10 lucky customers. Two versions, a 705hp/ 526kW and a 756hp/564kW can be had. Both utilise the V12 Biturbo engine, with the latter going up to 1,150Nm, prompting a 0 - 100 time of 3.8 seconds and top speed of 335km/h.

Partnering with apparel house Etienne Aigner for the project, Carlsson chose the double-coloured combination obsidian black metallic with Himalaya-gray as exclusive paint. Interior is redesigned and fitted with Aigner-branded kit such as the alcantara, leather, headrest embossment, sun shields and rear screen frame. A Carlsson sports steering wheel in a leather/ alcantara combo works well with the sports aluminium pedal pads and illuminated doors.

Other bits that justify its €319,000 base price (€374,000 for the second power stage) are Carlsson sport running gears, brake systems, an LSD, 21-inch forged rims with a varied choice of wheel/ tyre combinations and C-Tronic SUSPENSION which adjusts to reflect appropriate road surface conditions.

Heico Sportiv Volvo XC60

Turning firm Heico Sportive has decided to take on the new Volvo XC60 in order to give it a more sporting appearance and an increase in power.

The big news is under the hood as both the 163 hp 2.4D and the 185 hp D5 engines are retuned to produce 210 hp. Higher spec models with the turbocharged T6 engine will now crank out 315 hp instead of 285 hp.

The traditional black plastic body-cladding disappears as it is now painted in the same color as the exterior. Customers can select from either 19" or 20" alloy wheels while other changes include a new dual exhaust system and a 30mm reduction in the vehicle's ride height.

Lamborghini Gallardo Elite Carbon Fiber Bodykit

US bodykit-maker Elite Carbon has unveiled a new kit for the Lamborghini Gallardo inspired by the LP560-4 and the Superleggera which the folks over at MotorAuthority.com say gives this Lambo a "more aggressive" looking visual style.

The kit features side skirts and scoop from the Superleggera (which means super-light in Italian), a diffuser on the back bumper, a rear wing, and a whole new front bumper. All parts are made of lightweight carbon fiber with the black color coming from a clear coating of the composite materials.

Elite Carbon also offers a separate rear diffuser and custom door mirrors out of the material.

No pricing details have yet been released. But a pair of carbon side mirrors by Elite Carbon carry a price tag of 3,000 US dollars and the previous rear diffuser is listed at 4.499.00 US.

In this economy, prices like that can seriously undermine your family's budget. Maybe you should think about delaying your next Lambo bodykits until next Christmas.

MK III Austin Healey 3000 Improved due to engine modifications.

The Austin Healey 3000

The Austin Healey 3000 was the replacement car for the Austin Healey 100/6. The Austin Healey 3000 was a superior car to its predecessor, equipped with many improved features and updated parts. During its production lifetime the Austin Healey 3000 went through three different versions, the MK I, MK II and MK III.
The Austin Healey 3000 MK I (1959 - 1961) was fitted with a 3.0 litre inline six cylinder engine developing 124 horsepower. The engine was equipped with twin SU carburetors. And the car featured disc brakes at the front.
The Austin Healey 3000 MK II (1961 - 1963) introduced several improvements and design changes. The engine was enhanced by the fitment of triple SU carburettors which bumped the power up to 132 horsepower. In 1962 the BT7 2+2 version was introduced. This seating layout became the only option from 1962 onwards. The Austin Healey 3000 MK IIa introduced wind-up windows, a curved windscreen, and a convertible hood.

The Austin Healey 3000

The Austin Healey 3000 MK III (1963 - 1967) was the final version of the 3000 model. The performance was improved due to engine modifications. Peak power was raised to 148 horsepower, giving the 3000 MK III a top speed of 120 mph. The brakes were also enhanced with the fitment of a servo.
In 1967, due to new safety regulations in the cars biggest market - America, the Austin Healey 3000 was discontinued. It's replacement, the MGC, was nowhere near as popular as the Austin Healey 3000.
During its lifetime the Austin Healey 3000 proved to be a capable racing car. And it competed successfully in rally and road races around the world.

VW CC Gold Coast Edition at SEMA 2008

The term Goldcoast no doubt comes from the German term Goldküste, which is used to refer to the wealthier neighborhoods in a coastal setting. In the U.S. it is probably taken to mean California. And why not? Who wouldn't want to take a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway in something like this.

VW has tried over the years to take its brand a little up-market. They did so with models such as the Touareg and the Phaeton. This did not always make business sense, since they brushed up against their own Audi premium brand and consumers were a little taken aback about the price tags on what are supposed to be the "people's car". But the cars were great and critics appreciated them.

So VW's latest offering to confuse our sense of their humble roots is the CC which they have taken to SEMA to show off their lux credentials.

And the highlights aren't just the paint job to tie into the "gold" theme. Using DuPont's Pepe Pepper in a tri-coat mix of brown, gold and silver tones the car looks its name. But it is also a real sports sedan, with interior finish names like Latte Machiatto, 19-inch wheels in propeller form, and the engine beneath the bonnet to provide the proper boogie.

The Passat-based CC Gold Coast Edition features a 3.6 liter FSI engine with 280 hp and 265 lb-ft (360 Nm) of torque, married to the VW Group's DSG twin-clutch 6-speed automatic gearbox -- a respectable amount of power for such a mid-sized sports sedan.

That 3.6 liter CC will see the streets. But this Gold Coast Edition is eye candy only.

9ff GT2 670 for Porsche 997

There's a reason German engineering is considered one of, if not the, best in the automotive world. It's because you have some of the world's greatest engineers devise a vehicle like, say, the Porsche GT2 and then, along comes a tuner like Dortmund-based 9ff, with its own crew of lab coats, and "optimizes" the results.

The head of that team is 9ff owner Jan Fatthauer, who himself oversees development, and with extensive modifications the 9ff GT2 670 reaches a maximum horsepower of 670 (hence the name) and top torque of 800 Nm (that's 140 and 120 more respectively compared to the serial model).

The engineers (we can call them lab coats. lab rats, or worse but we have to be respectful here, after all, they're the ones who make these machines we love) call the tweaks they put to the specially constructed V670 turbochargers "variable turbine geometry". What does that mean?

• Air inlet system with 9ff manifolds
• In-house racing headers
• 100-cell sport catalytic converters
• Titanium mufflers with driver-adjustable sound

Yes, the driver can adjust the sound from a "close-to-production" sporty sound to a "powerful" racing sound, which one has to take to mean very loud. They've also done some jimmying of the clutch and suspension. You can read the press release for those details.

Final numbers: 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 9.8 seconds, 0-300 km/h in 25.8 s.

JMS new Audi A5 Coupe Racelook

German tuning firm JMS has taken a more discreet approach with their Audi A5 tuning kit compared to their recent Audi A3 Sportback. The new Audi coupe starts with the JMS Racelook body kit which includes a front bumper lip spoiler (Euro 269) which sits only 3cm closer to the ground, side skirts (299 Euro) and rear apron (Euro 259) with diffuser look that is a perfect fit with the standard bumper fascia. For the S5 look JMS has also created a stainless steel exhaust system with 4 oval tips which JMS says provides a little more horsepower and torque. JMS is planning to make available the same Racelook kit for all S5 and S-line models.

For the chassis JMS has added H&R lowering springs (EUR 239) which drop the front end by 40mm and the rear by 35mm. The springs are compatible with the standard Audi shock absorbers. In the footwear department JMS has fitted 3-piece racing wheels 9.5x20 and 10x20 with 255/30R20 Dunlop tires (Euro 5699).