2012 Volkswagen Golf GTI by BBM Motorsport

BBM is a well-known tuner of various Volkswagens and the GTI has once again become a favorite of import car tuners everywhere. This latest GTI mod offered by BBM serves up both styling and performance modifications that are sufficient enough to make any Vee-Dub owner smile.

The first thing you get is a carbon-fiber hood that saves a little weight and adds to the look of the GTI. The carbon-fiber treatment continues on the door step plates, rear diffuser, and mirror housings, completing the look. CFC Styling Station wrapped the rest of the body in a blue metallic foil and added a load of stickers to the front, left fender.

Looks aren’t all you get with this package. You also get a set of orange and aluminum 8 x 20-inch Corniche Challenge rims with sticky 235/30R20 tires mounted to them for a little extra grip. Also helping you keep it on the road is a complete suspension setup from KW Clubsport. Bringing this GTI to a stop is a set of Stopteck front brakes that feature 355 x 32 mm (23.97 x 1.26-inch) rotors and 4-piston monobloc calipers.

The twisties aren’t the only place you can have fun with this BBM-tuned GTI. It also boasts am ECU flash and a full-stainless-steel exhaust system with a racing catalytic converter. This pumps the GTIs turbocharged 4-banger from 210 horsepower to a whopping 275 horsepower and its torque from 206 pound-feet to a more respectable 280 pound-feet.

There is no build price listed for this kit, but we would anticipate it to run in the $5,000 range with all of that carbon fiber. It may even sneak into the $8,000 range, if the ECU modification is more than a simple flash.

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2012 Mercedes CGL 45 Royal Last Edition by Carlsson

When Chinese car dealer Zhongsheng Group Holdings Ltd bought a 70% stake in Carlsson, we figured that it would only be a matter of time before we saw China-exclusive programs coming out of the German tuning firm. After all, part of the reason why Zhongsheng bought Carlsson was to give German automakers a little more flair in the Chinese market, which has been inundated with these models to the point that they’ve become a little too mainstream. Now, we have the very first program to be born out of that promise: the Mercedes CGL45 Royal Last Edition.

Based on Carlsson’s CGL45 program for the GL-Class, the 45 Royal Last Edition is an exclusive tuning program reserved only for the Chinese market. The CGL45 kit, which was already detailed in these pages, contains a bevy of components made out of high-quality PUR-Rim plastic. These components include wider wheel arches and a new chrome radiator grille with mesh inserts. There’s also an impressive lighting set-up that features a couple of double light units and LED daytime running lights on the front spoiler.

Under the hood of the German SUV, Carlsson gave the CGL45 Royal Last Edition’s 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine a comprehensive engine tuning, increasing the SUV’s output from the standard 265 horsepower and 457 lb/ft of torque figures all the way up to 310 horsepower and 516 lb/ft of torque. Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line 5.5-liter V8 model gets a new output of 435 horsepower and 442 lb/ft of torque.

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