BMW's popular two-seater has been the focus for many tuning firms. We've chosen just a few that stood out from the rest. As the successor to the MX-5 fighting Z3, the BMW Z4 is considered a major improvement over its predecessor. First launched in 2002, the E85 Z4's shark-like styling was somewhat controversial but was generally well received. And by the time the E89 Z4 was revealed in 2009, BMW had mastered the design, with the recently facelifted model ranking as a truly beautiful car. Like so many other models from BMW, it's been the focus of many aftermarket tuning firms. And the following Z4s have been given a dose of added style and personality. more at CarBuzz: Guys Close Down Highway for DonutsLeno Gets Behind the Wheel of the Viper GTSEuropean Luxury Sedans: Jaguar XJ Japanese tuning outfit Rowen created the White Wolf Edition Z4. It features plenty of carbon fiber and race car-like styling thanks to its new body kit, which consists of a carbon-fiber front apron with splitter, daytime running LEDs, redesigned side skirts and titanium exhaust tips integrated into the rear bumper. Also included are a carbon-fiber rear wing and a lowered suspension. Larger wheels were also added for a more aggressive look. It's certainly a unique look that won't be to everyone's tastes.
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TIGER PRODUCTIONS
One of 25 models planned for production has been unveiled at Atlanta Motorsports Park. Russian tuning house TopCar has just revealed its first Panamera Stingray GTR in the US, which debuted at a private event at Atlanta Motorsports Park. Only 25 of these cars will be built, each with its own set of unique characteristics. We previously saw a blue and carbon-black model at the Top Marques Monaco 2012, and this particular model comes with similar aftermarket styling. That includes a host of carbon-fiber and Kevlar components including a front and rear bumper set, new hood, front & rear fender extenders and new side skirts. 
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Aston Martin's popular Rapide S four-door coupe has been reimagined as a shooting brake in the eyes of a popular automotive rendering artist. It's only been a few days since Aston Martin unveiled its facelifted 2014 Rapide, now called the Rapide S. The beautiful four-door has been given more power while remaining as stylish as ever. But the always talented "automotive manipulator" himself, Theophilus Chin, has just released his rendering of what the updated Rapide S could look like as a shooting brake. The overall design is quite natural, while at the same time maintains Aston's elegant and sporty style. 
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Volvo's popular crossover is due for a mid-cycle refresh for the 2014 model year and will feature updated front and rear styling and a revised interior. Mirroring the camouflage as the recently spied Volvo S60, this XC60 crossover prototype has been spied undergoing winter testing and looks to be getting similar upgrades as its sedan sibling. Remove the camo at the front and we'd doubtless find a revised fascia with a new front bumper and single-piece headlights as per the facelifted S60. Other changes to the baby crossover include a revised instrument cluster and larger infotainment system display, while at the rear Volvo is expected to add new exhaust tips and a chrome strip on the tailgate. 
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American wheel-maker creates brand-new alloys exclusively for the 997 Porsche. Having resoled the Ferrari California and 458 Italia as well as the Audi R8 and Gallardo Spyder, to showcase its latest wares Modulare Wheels has used a 997 Porsche 911 GT3. The American wheel-maker has just added a new design to its substantial collection of multi-piece and monoblock forged alloys - the B1 forged monoblock wheel with a centerlock configuration designed exclusively for Porsche. Dubbed the B1-CL, it comes in 19- and 20-inches and fits all late model 997s. The 911 GT3 pictured is wearing the 20-inch wheels, which have been wrapped in Toyo Proxes T1-R rubber. 
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Updated all-wheel drive system provides more power coupled with better fuel economy. The new seventh-gen Golf range has just been expanded with the unveiling of the automaker's updated 4MOTION all-wheel drive system, which VW says is one of the most efficient permanent four-wheel drive systems in the world and is available on both 2- and 4-door Golf models combined with two turbo diesel engines. The latest iteration uses an enhanced, fifth-gen Haldex coupling and has been rolled out in Europe with three levels of specification, namely Trendline, Comfortline, and Highline. 
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There are ways to street race without drawing the attention of the cops. While the authorities do their upmost to clamp down on organized street racing across the globe, fans of the illegal activity work to find alternative means of satiating their tire-shredding needs. And in Japan things have been taken to a new level. In an attempt to keep things clean and ensure the grunts of their hot-hatches' engines were reduced to zero, these street racers in the Land of the Rising Sun went out under the cover of moonlight to partake in what are the most environmentally aware street races we've ever come across. Click the link to see what we mean. And don't worry about missing the action. This is not something you'll need to rewatch in slow motion. 
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The M Division�s top-of-the-line car has been made even more exclusive. With its latest individualization program, Hamann has the complete set of the BMW 6 Series in its portfolio. The 6 Coupe and Convertible as well as models with the M aero package have already been seen too, and now it's the Gran Coupe's turn and specifically models with that same M aero package. At the front the German tuner has added a competition spoiler to increase downforce, while at the back an insert for the rear bumper makes room for a quad exhaust. Also on offer is a front bumper, rear spoiler, tailgate cover, side skirts, a range of new wheels and an updated interior. 
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The Denim Chin gets the keys to the SRT Viper GTS and hits the track at Willow Springs. Ever since SRT revealed its new Viper at last year's New York Auto Show, gearheads across the globe were not only ecstatic but downright relieved to see the V10-powered snake thrive once again. During Chrysler's bankruptcy just a few short years before, it seemed like wishful thinking and frankly outright lunacy to believe the Viper would return to market, at least under Chrysler's ownership. But here we are today and the Viper is better than ever. 
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The Cherokee nameplate will soon return to the Jeep lineup in the form of this Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based crossover, due to arrive in showrooms for 2014. The Jeep Liberty is dead and the Cherokee is due for a comeback. The classic Jeep model name will return to market for 2014 attached to a new vehicle that's based on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Up until now, we've only seen heavily camouflaged test mules on the road but today our always reliable spy photographers have brought us some exclusive photos inside and out of a production-bodied 2014 Cherokee. The exterior design is undeniably Jeep as we can clearly see from those wheel arch designs. 
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WARNING: If you don't want details from the first episode of season 19 of Top Gear, then stop reading now. That is all. For those who didn't catch the season 19 premiere of Top Gear last night and don't want any surprises given away, stop reading this now. For those who are still with us, perhaps the biggest news of the night was that the Pagani Huayra set a new record on the test track for a street legal supercar with a time of 1:13.8. Pagani's Zonda R had a time of 1:08.5 and the Ferrari FXX, driven by Michael Schumacher, came in at 1:10.7. Thing is, neither of those two are anywhere near street legal. 
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The nameplate which refused to modernize for many years finally has, and it�s brilliant. The British really do know a thing or two about luxury. Perhaps it's related to the fact they still actually have royalty and an aristocracy, but whatever the reason, they are quite good at it. The problem in the past has been although their ability to cling to tradition certainly has an upside, it is something which should be used sparingly when building cars. So even though there was a period when the Jaguar XJ was fairly irrelevant, it is now once again a supremely good car. 
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Full specs are still a heavily guarded secret, but is McLaren already set to close its order books on the P1 hypercar? Having revealed the P1 concept at the Paris Motor Show and pimped it out at private unveilings to its elite clientele in Beverly Hills and New York, we have still to learn the full specs of McLaren's first hypercar in over twenty years. Even its bottomless-pocketed customers are in the dark as to the P1's power and performance capabilities. But that hasn't stopped them from handing over deposits. Perhaps learning about the hypercar's industry first "superaluminum" wheels and mirror-finished full carbon brakes was enough for them to share their wealth. 
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The Audi Q7 receives some styling upgrades inside and out as well as a slight performance boost thanks to Hofele-Design. German luxury aftermarket tuning firm Hofele-Design recently got its hands on the big Audi Q7 in order to give it a styling update. The "Strator GT 780" program is the result of its efforts with the restyled Q7 receiving a new front bumper that comes complete with a larger air intake and four additional lamps. Also added are some wheel arch extensions in order to strengthen the SUV's stance, while out back we find a set of quad exhaust pipes integrated into the diffuser. 
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Lamborghini commits long term future to GT3 program with new GT3 car developed in cooperation with Reiter Engineering. Lamborghini has announced a new GT3 racer for the 2013 and 2014 seasons as it commits its long term future to GT3 motorsport. The Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2, co-developed by Reiter Engineering and Lambo's R&D motorsport department, is based on the 2013 Gallardo and designed to be a long-distance performer. To that end, it features "24-hour" brakes, improved engine cooling, reduced fuel consumption, and a new aero kit that includes a new front splitter, a rear carbon diffuser borrowed from the Super Trofeo. 
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Traffic brought to a standstill on Oakland�s Interstate 880 as morons perform impromptu donuts in broad daylight. We all love a bit of donut action now and again. Whether it's on a vacant parking lot or disused golf course in the wee hours of the night, there's a time and a place for getting one's wheels spinning and a burning. And then there's the highway in the middle of the day - absolutely not the place or the time to do donuts. That's why the police and internet vigilantes 4chan are hard at work trying to apprehend the guys who shut down a major Oakland freeway over the weekend, creating a major tailback of traffic while they got their fix of burning rubber. While the police do their thing, contacting witnesses and collecting information, 4chan will use their internet skills to bring these donut-loving animals to justice. Check out the incriminating footage of Mustangs and other muscle cars wreaking havoc on the highway if you want see what bona fide idiots looks like. 
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Get the look of a supercar on the budget of a sports car. The Toyota GT86 and Lexus LFA are both RWD and built in Japan. And if you squint really hard when looking at the GT86's profile you can you almost see the LFA's styling hidden in there. Tenuous links aside, these cars really are worlds apart. However if you have the means to buy the Boxer engine-powered Toyota, you can now give it the look of the $375,000 LFA thanks to this aftermarket package by DAMD. It's 552 horsepower 4.8-liter V10 does not form part of the aftermarket program, however. 
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Get ready for a new era of drag racing as powerful EVs such as the Tesla Model S take on the world's best supercars. EV fans are going to love this while traditional gearheads may want to turn away now. As for this week's installment of Drag Race Tuesdays, we see the all-new Tesla Model S go to the line next to a Dodge Viper SRT10 at the Palm Beach International Raceway and destroy it in a quarter mile showdown. The result wasn't even close. As the two crossed the finish line, the Tesla had a best time of 12.371 seconds at 110.84 mph and a 0-60mph sprint time of 3.9 seconds. Impressive. Because of this performance, the Model S is now officially the world's fastest production EV. The National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) was present at the time and has verified these numbers. Up until now, we never knew such an association existed but nonetheless, we're sure that future EVs will soon take on Tesla for this title. 
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Just two months after the debut of the all-new Corvette Stingray coupe, its convertible counterpart will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. It's been less than a month since Chevrolet revealed its long-awaited 2014 Corvette Stingray at the Detroit Motor Show, and with less than two months to go before the doors open at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Autoweek is reporting the C7 Convertible will make its live appearance at the Swiss event. Back in 2004 at Geneva, Chevy revealed the C6 convertible to the world. But unlike the outgoing C6, the new C7 has been engineered to be a true world-class sports car. 
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The Arab world�s first supercar has finally made its public debut at the 2013 Qatar Motor Show. W Motors has taken its time with the reveal of its maiden supercar project, and a month behind schedule it has finally debuted its Lykan Hypersport supercar. The Beirut-based automaker first announced it would be revealed in Dubai at the end of last year, but it has only just made its first public debut at the 2013 Qatar Motor Show. Limited to seven cars worldwide each priced at $3.4 million, it boasts signature diamond encrusted LED lights, a gold-plated hood, a carbon-fiber chassis, gold-stitched leather seats and "fully functional holographic display with interactive motion." 
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Quattro division plotting �Plus� variant of RS6 Avant. And it won�t be in limited numbers. While the 552 horsepower the new Audi RS6 Avant puts out is more than enough for most buyers, there will always be some wanting more. And for those, according to the head of Quattro Division Stephan Reil, Audi has plans for an RS "Plus" model. Speaking with Car Magazine, Reil revealed the new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 will get an "8-10%" boost compared to the stock RS6, so expect at least 600 horsepower. The first Plus model debuted on the first-gen RS6 Avant back in 2004, with Audi limiting production to 999 models. 
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Out in the Arizona desert a prototype Corvette stock car is tested and it sounds glorious. This is what the possibly loudest Corvette in the world sounds like. It's such a fabulous noise of raw power coming from that small block V8 and the Drive channel's Matt Farah is lucky enough to be given the opportunity to get behind the wheel in this week's episode of Tuned. Farah meets with the guys from AVI racing at the Inde Motorsports Park in Arizona in order to drive and see what goes into creating such a monster. This is a tube-framed Corvette GTI race car that features a redesigned chassis with a body made from fiberglass and carbon. 
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Believe it or not, Subaru doesn't currently offer a hybrid model but that's soon about to change. You'd think that in the automotive industry today, an automaker that doesn't offer a hybrid in its lineup wouldn't be doing too well. That's not at all the case when it comes to Subaru. In fact, the small Japanese automaker is currently experiencing all-time sales records in the US thanks to solid redesigns of its Impreza, Legacy and Outback. The rear-wheel-drive BRZ coupe has further upped the brand's popularity. And yet none of these models sports hybrid technology. 
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Called F150 internally, the car is built around a carbon-fiber monocoque that is crafted by Ferrari's Formula 1 division. It is made out of four different types of carbon fibers, resulting in a 27 percent increase in torsional rigidity over the Enzo. The cockpit features a fixed driver's seat that is tailor-made for each buyer. The pedal box and the steering wheel are both adjustable. Ferrari has confirmed that the F150 will be powered by a hybrid drivetrain that consists of an evolution of the f12berlinetta's 6.3-liter V12 engine and a Formula 1-derived Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). The combination cuts the car's 0 - 124 mph time by about 10 percent and helps reduce its CO2 emissions by around 40 percent. The Italian automaker has yet to release performance specs but rumors indicate that the supercar will sprint from zero to 60 mph in under 2.5 seconds, beating Bugatti's acclaimed Veyron. Precisely what the car will look like is not currently known but the latest spy images reveal a long and low shape with a wide front grille. Out back, Ferrari's latest creation borrows styling cues from both the Enzo and the f12berlinetta. The Prancing Horse's next supercar will be unveiled to an elite group of customers early next year and it will likely make its public debut at March's Geneva Motor Show. /* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 
In a recent interview with Reuters, VW brand development chief Ulrich Hackenberg revealed that the company is seriously considering a new budget brand that would rival Renault's Dacia and Nissan's Datsun. The brand would be built and sold in China, but would also help VW establish a stronger foothold in emerging markets like India. "That's an issue we're currently looking at," Hackenberg said. VW is said to be targeting a price point between 5,000 and 10,000 euros ($6,700-$13,500). That would undercut VW's 9,850-euro Up!, which is currently the automaker's most modestly priced vehicle. In order to hit those price targets, VW's budget brand would likely use platforms that are already out of production or near the end of their life cycle, eliminating the need for a costly clean-slate design. The brand's initial lineup would include a van, sedan and wagon. /* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 
Chrysler hasn't announced what model is in line for the Mopar treatment, but the automaker did release a single teaser image. "This vehicle is the perfect canvas for personalization and customization," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand. "We couldn't wait to get our hands on it and give it the Mopar treatment." Judging by the lone image, Dodge's Dart compact looks to be the basis of Mopar's next limited-edition model. The customized Dart follows the Mopar '10 Dodge Challenger, Mopar '11 Dodge Charger and Mopar '12 Chrysler 300. If Mopar sticks to its typical blueprint, the Mopar '13 Dodge Dart will arrive with a "Pitch Black" paint job complete with blue Mopar striping. Inside we expect the car to carryover that color scheme and feature Katzkin leather seats. Mopar-tweaked cars typically don't add any horsepower, but Chrysler's tuning arm usually throws in a few handling and brake upgrades. Expect more of the same from the newest Mopar '13 model. Be sure to check back for more details following the start of the Chicago auto show early next month. /* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 
Though General Motors has modest expectations for SS sales, NASCAR team owner and North Carolina Chevrolet dealer Rick Hendrick told ESPN that his showroom has already seen significant interest. The production SS will share no actual parts with the NASCAR SS race car, but Chevrolet hopes that consumers will see more of a connection between the two now than in the past. Previously, Chevrolet campaigned a NASCAR Impala that had nothing in common, even conceptually, with the more fleet-oriented Impala production car. "[After NASCAR testing], we started getting orders for deposits on the [production] car," Hendrick said of the SS. "We've got people who want to get in line to buy it. So that's a big step. You've got people who are enthusiasts all over the world looking at this car." SS notables Last year, our spies nabbed a lightly-camouflaged version of the new full-size performance machine out on the streets of Detroit. Chevrolet is keeping quiet on specific details, but the Detroit automaker says the SS will hit the market in late 2013 as a 2014 model year vehicle. Riding on the same Zeta rear-wheel drive platform that underpins the Chevrolet Camaro and the next-generation Holden VF Commodore, the SS will be Chevrolet's first rear-wheel-drive sedan in nearly two decades. Given those Holden roots, it should come as no surprise that the SS will be built in Australia. No word on just which V8 will power the SS, but Chevy has a few to choose from. We know that the Camaro's 426 horsepower 6.2L will fit in the Zeta platform, but the Bowtie brand is also developing a new small block V8 that recently debuted in the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette (the first one of which was recently sold to Hendrick for more than $1 million). Of course Chevy's 6.2L supercharged V8 is also an option, which would make a fitting follow up to the departed Pontiac G8 GXP. However, Hendrick revealed that the SS will boast 420 horsepower in his interview with ESPN. Our spy indicates that the camouflaged vehicle he spotted boasted a distinct "deep rumble of a V8" and that it was escorted by a Cadillac CTS-V. The NASCAR SS that debuted late last year - and recently underwent testing at Daytona Motor Speedway - gives us some limited styling hints about the SS' front fascia.The spy photos we've seen so far don't give us much to go on as far as SS detailing is concerned, but we can see that the car takes a rather evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, approach to replacing the current Commodore. The sedan remains large and low-slung, especially on the twin-spoke wheels that wrap around high-performance brakes. Large dual chrome-tipped tailpipes emerge from the rear splitter, indicating this is a V8-powered model. /* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 
