2012 Lamborghini LP760-2 Aventador by Oakley Design

We have tremendous respect for tuning firms that are able to make a car like the Lamborghini Aventador that much more amazing. Not many have been able to pull it off, but after Oakley Design’s work on the Ferrari 458 Italia, we knew they’d be one of the few to make it happen. To illustrate just how fantastic this package fits with the Aventador, Oakley Design will only be producing five units, and three of them have already been sold.

Focusing on the looks alone, anyone can see the sportier appearance given by the addition of a larger airbox, an intake feed pipe diameter, a titanium exhaust system, and a new set of lighter and wider wheels. Those additions only hint at what’s going on under the hood. Oakley Design worked up the Aventador so that it became 253 lbs lighter than the standard model and, with the help of an ECU remap, 60 HP stronger. The V12 engine now delivers a whopping 760 HP, up from the standard 700 HP. Another impressive feature for this package is that the power will be sent to the rear wheels; no all-wheel drive for this baby. No word yet on how these extra 60 ponies and their delivery will affect the car’s performance, but expect to see a slightly better 0-60 mph time than the 2.9 seconds provided from the factory model.

UPDATE 05/20/2012: Oakley Design has unveiled a new set of images for their LP760-2 package based on the Lamborghini Aventador. The images show the 1st unit of only 5 set to be produced.

UPDATE 08/06/12: Option Auto has released a couple of videos featuring the Aventador LP760-2 by Oakley Design. In the first video, the French magazine gives out details about the car similar to a brief rundown of what you can expect with it. The second video, on the other hand, is a good ’ol fashion track shakedown. Check out the videos after the jump!

Read More

mazda cars Video: Driver Reigns In His Out-Of-Control 900-Horsepower Miata

There are some videos that are flat-out awesome and there are others that you can’t help but watch and just say “dayum, that was sick!” The above video just so happens to be a card-carrying member of the latter group. As a fellow Miata owner, I am slightly biased here...

This dude not only dropped an RB26 engine from a Skyline into his second-gen Miata, but he also pulled off one of the most bad-ass saves we have ever witnessed. This Miata launches from the starting tree and all is well, as it pulls away from its competitor until suddenly the back end of the Miata starts wagging its 900-horsepower tail all over the track.

The quick-acting driver manages to pull the reigns on this wild ride and get her going straight again. After all of that the Miata still crossed the finish line in just 16 seconds, which is faster than the majority of the cars on the road today.

The video ends with the guy operating the camera catching up to the slick driver and asking him what happened. It turns out that the car overheated and popped a freeze plug, which caused the coolant to spill all over the track. When you mix any liquid, especially coolant, with slick tires and 900 ponies, you are definitely in for just a little bit of tail action...

Read More

Kahn GMT Timepiece by Kahn Design

We know, we know. It caught us by surprise too. British tuner Kahn Design has a new project, except that this one doesn’t have anything to do with wheels.

What it is though is something that a lot of watch enthusiasts will surely enjoy: the Kahn GMT Timepiece.

Yeah, it’s a watch. Designed in the UK by Azfal Kahn himself and manufactured in Switzerland, the Kahn GMT Timepiece is the epitome of a watch that comes with a classic, no-frills style that embodies the company’s tuning reputation. The white face is finished in white and matches really well with the full soft leather strap that exudes that classic look we’re talking about.

It’s ideally suited to be worn as a casual watch of informal set-ups and it also has time zone references of just about every major city in the world, allowing you to keep tabs on just about every time zone there is.

All told, the Kahn GMT Timepiece makes for a dandy watch on your wrist, proving that the British tuner has far more skills than we thought they had.

Read More

2013 Lincoln MKT Town Car Fleet

Regardless of how odd it may look to have a bulky crossover SUV, like the MKT, replacing the equally bulky, yet outdated, Town Car sedan in Lincoln’s lineup, you can’t resist saying that it just might work. It’s equally luxurious as the Town Car and far larger, allowing passengers to stretch out a little more. One complaint about the Town Car that has somewhat carried over to the MKT is the cost to fuel it.

The last Town Car got a wallet-draining 16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway and the MKT was not much better at 16 to 17 mpg city and 23 to 25 mpg highway, depending on options. Well, for fleets later on in the 2013 model year, Lincoln is addressing this concern by offering a 4-cylinder engine – that’s right, a 4-cylinder Lincoln...

This variant will not be made available directly to the public, as it will be a fleet-only model. It will boast a 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine that pumps out 235 ponies and 260 pound-feet of torque. That’s a 65-horsepower drop from the now-standard V-6 engine, but only a 15 pound-feet decrease in torque. Where the EcoBoost engine comes into play is the fact that it gets 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, that’s a 3 to 4 and 3 to 5 mpg increase, respectively.

It achieves these increases by not only offering two fewer cylinders to fuel, but also that it is only available in front-wheel drive. The lack of an AWD variant may seem like an issue to many non-fleet, but look at any fleet of Town Cars and you’ll find out that they are all rear-wheel drive, so that’s not a concern to fleet owners.

The Lincoln MKT Town Car Fleet is expected to debut later in 2012 and will come in at a base price of $49,845. There are no details on whether the options list is thinned out from the current MKT, but we assume it will all remain the same..

Read More

UltraLuxum CXL is a boat McLaren lovers would fall head over heels for

McLaren’s stature in the auto industry as one of the pre-eminent supercar makers in the world is pretty secure. So if you know that your company is looking peachy in the eyes of most, you’re going to need to dive into new territory to find a new challenge.

Apparently, they’ve found that challenge in designing boats, particularly the UltraLuxum CXL, a ridiculous-looking boat that was co-developed by McLaren Applied Technologies. The boat features "state-of-the-art craftsmanship," which, when you look at the renderings, seems to be an understatement. It has retractable outer beams that can be used to stretch the boat out at 23 meters wide across open water and a svelte 11 meters across enclosed spaces.

The multiple decks are also a unique characteristic of the UltraLuxum CXL, further giving proof as to how huge this boat really is. Then there’s the equally expansive interior that features a master cabin, four guest cabins, three crew cabins, a lounge, a dining room, a kitchen, and last, but certainly not least, an optional garage where you can presumably stow a car like, say, the McLaren MP4-12C.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More