All posts in “Tuning & Aftermarket”

The McLaren 765LT, longtail, tuned by Novitec

In 1997, the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail won the GT1 class at the world’s most famous endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the McLaren 765LT, the UK based sports car manufacturer takes the longtail principle to the road once more, and NOVITEC takes the already impressive base to the next level with an uprated engine reaching 855 hp.

The McLaren 765LT is already a very potent car when it leaves the factory doors, with a twin-turbo, 4-Liter, V8 engine, but NOVITEC offers three versions of their professional engine tuning for this car from Woking. These kits are based on the NOVITEC N-TRONIC add-on control unit, which allows ‘plug-and-play’ performance upgrades.

The top of the line upgrade is called the Performance Stage 2 kit, complete with RACE exhaust system, ceramic coated turbo inlets, and the N-TRONIC box … the result is a 90 hp boost, torque peaks at 898 Nm at 6,300 rpm with a maximum power of 629 kW or 855 p at 7,400 rpm. Going from 0 to 100 km/h only takes 2.5 seconds now, reaching 200 km/h in just 6.5 seconds, with a top speed over 330 km/h, also thanks to the low weight of only 1,350 kg.

The high-performance exhaust upgrade from NOVITEC is made from Inconel, straight from the Formula One scene, weighing even less than titanium, it comes with full thermal insulation to keep the heat down in the engine bay … NOVITEC even offers 999 gold plating, and this includes the quartet of exhaust tips at the rear. Or you can opt for carbon fiber tips, or go for a more subtle matt black finish … to make the exhaust system conversion complete a 100-cell sports metal catalyst is also on the options list.

Novitec tuning wouldn’t be complete without a set of stunning wheels, again from Vossen, these machined NOVITEC MC3 forged wheels show seven double spokes and a track-derived center lock. 20 inches and 21 inches give that staggered look, 9×20 inches with 255/30 ZR 20 for the front, massive 12×21 inches with 325/25 ZR 21 high-performance tires to keep the rear on track. As usual, a 20mm lowering set of NOVITEC sports springs are the final touch you just need to add.

But you’ll want to have your McLaren 765LT by NOVITEC to look good standing still too, and while the wheels do help in that respect, the clear carbon fiber parts from NOVITEC are the cherry on the cake here. A pair of inserts for the headlights, the N-LARGO trunk lid, and let’s not forget the impressive air scoop on the roof … all available in ‘naked carbon fiber’ as NOVITEC likes to call it. Inserts for the side sills and air intakes on either side of the hood come in the same lightweight material.

More images of this amazing looking NOVITEC McLaren 765LT LongTail

Gronos 2021 – a Mansory modified Mercedes G-Class G63

Kourosh Mansory, located in Brand, Germany, is a well-known manufacturer of exclusive cars, most of which might be designed with Far-East, or Asian customers in mind, but their workmanship is at such a level you can’t resist admiring their creations, even if they aren’t always to your exact taste.

In 2013 MANSORY revealed the Gronos, a complete vehicle conversion taking Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG and G 65 AMG and completely transforming it into a beast, called the Gronos after the god Cronos who led the twelve Titans. The interior of the original Gronos didn’t have seats anymore, MANSORY calls them thrones now, upholstered in the finest leather possible, with amazing, bespoke stitching patterns. Together with perfect carbon fiber, made in-house in MANSORY’s own autoclave.

Back in 2013 MANSORY mounted 23-inch wheels with 305/35ZR23 tires, the original V8 engine is taken apart by MANSORY and gets rebuilt, together with a custom, stainless steel exhaust system, power output was 840 hp with an electronically limited torque figure of 1,000 Nm.

But MANSORY wasn’t finished with the Gronos, they also made a ‘Black Edition’ that had a full carbon fiber body, later a Gronos Facelift was released, with a carbon fiber redesigned body, wider fenders, new front hood, new front spoiler … and still with 840 hp.

Last year MANSORY came up with two new models based on the Mercedes G-Class, the ‘Star Trooper Pickup’, which was created in collaboration with Philipp Plein, and a ‘special protection’ version that is in line with the ‘invisible armoring’ idea from MANSORY, people that can afford this kind of exclusivity need to feel safe inside their car after all.

Now it’s time to take the Gronos into 2021 with a new evolution that takes the original design and modernizes it for the current market requirements. The entire aerodynamic program from the previous Gronos has been redesigned, a new front bumper and lower spoiler, even more exclusive, wide fenders, and a new rear diffuser. Note that all MANSORY aero parts are made from carbon fiber, and they even show special ‘Forged Carbon’ details finished in high-gloss.

While the car’s exterior is finished in a stunning, dark green shade referred to as ‘British Racing Green’, the front engine cover stays unpainted to display the perfect finish of the carbon fiber it’s made of, additional cooling vents just finish the amazing look. Additional DRL, daytime running lights, complete the aggressive look of the front and let’s not forget the extra, very bright, LED added to the roof above the windshield.

The Mercedes G-Class is one of those SUV that keeps the spare tire on the outside, on a large door, on this MANSORY Gronos 2021 the cover for this spare is made from Forged Carbon naturally, what else would you expect, and it matches numerous other parts on the exterior of the 2021 edition of the Gronos.

The factory standard Mercedes G63 AMG can’t be called underpowered with a healthy 585 hp available from the turbocharged V8 engine, still, MANSORY takes it apart and modifies the ECU, adds larges turbochargers, new downpipes, and a bespoke exhaust system. After MANSORY dials in the engine, the power output is raised to an impressive 850 hp, torque goes from 850 Nm to 1,000 Nm … acceleration is now only 3.5 seconds to reach 100 km/h from standstill, and the top speed is limited to 250 km/h.

With all that power and torque, those massive 295/30R24 tires might need changing quicker than you think, but those forged YN.5 MANSORY wheels, finished in glossy black, are just a feast to admire, so who cares about four new tires on a car like this. Just be careful when exiting the rear of this Gronos 2021, the two massive, round exhaust pipes exit just ahead of the rear wheels, and they might be burning hot!

And that brings us to the interior, if you think the exterior of this Gronos 2021 looks impressive, just admire that brown leather interior, MANSORY calls it ‘Fawn Brown’. And when you think about some of the other MANSORY creations, like a yellow Lamborghini Urus with a bright yellow leather interior, or a blue Rolls Royce with … you guessed it, a blue leather interior … this Gronos 2021 actually looks rather timid.

And this shade of brown leather complements the British Racing Green exterior perfectly, and if you look closely, you’ll notice MANSORY didn’t leave anything untouched inside this Gronos 2021, a new steering wheel, naturally with visible carbon fiber, dark carbon fiber inlays all over the interior. And that bespoke stitching pattern is executed to perfection, complete with embroidered MANSORY logo on the seats and floor mats.

The carpet in the MANSORY Gronos 2021 is finished in black for a nice contrast, but they added finely made floor mats that match the leather on the seats, even the inner door panel of that large, rear door gets the MANSORY treatment, and a custom floor mat just had to be added to the luggage space … even the entire headliner is replaced with the finest ‘Fawn Brown’ leather, how’s that for attention to detail?

But now comes the bad news … and no, it isn’t the price, because customers for this kind of total conversion don’t even have to ask ‘how much’, they just sign a blank cheque. No, the really bad news is that MANSORY will only make 10 units of this Gronos 2021, and while the CO2 emissions are 312 g/km and fuel consumption is a combined 13,6 l/100km … I don’t think this will deter people from buying the MANSORY Gronos 2021 … heck, most of MANSORY’s customers have their own oil fields anyway.

Manhart takes the BMW F95 X5 M Competition to the next level with the MHX5 800

Today the SUV market is crowded, there is a model for just any kind of customer, from practical, to fast, to spacious … you name it, there is an SUV that matches perfectly. But then there is the Super SUV segment, with the likes of the Bentley Bentayga which is fast and luxurious with 600 hp, or the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid with 680 hp. And let’s not forget my favorite SUV, the Lamborghini Urus that dumps 640 hp onto the street … but that’s nothing compared to the massive 823 hp in the Manhart MHX5 800.

Yes, you are reading that figure correctly, German-based Manhart Performance GmbH and Co. KG takes the already impressive 625 hp from the twin-turbocharged, 4.4-Liter, V8 engine in the BMW X5 M Competition well over 800 hp. Manhart changes the factory ECU with their in-house developed MHTronik version, puts in a bespoke Manhart turbo power kit, complete with a new inter-cooler and creates the MHX5 800.

Going from 625 hp to 823 hp, and boosting torque from the standard 750 Nm to a massive 1,080 Nm, should come with some impressive sounds, so Manhart installs new rear mufflers. Valve-controlled, quadruple 100mm carbon or ceramic-coated tailpipes to cater to your needs. If you really want to go to the extreme, Manhart offers ‘Race-edition’ down-pipes that remove the catalytic converters and come with OPF-Delete pipes from stainless steel … but this option might not be street-legal … just don’t tell anyone.

Because of the 30% power increase, the 8-Speed Steptronic needs a Manhart upgrade too, while the adjustable suspension gets the Manhart treatment that allows a 30mm lowering to clearly show off those new Concave One forged wheels Manhart installs. Massively wide 10.5×22 inch wheels with 29/30ZR22 tires on them, cover the standard disk brakes, Manhart can however offer more powerful brakes if the customer requests them.

The Manhart MHX5 800 not only receives engine upgrades, or wheels, the exterior is modified too. First off with the traditional Manhart gold trim, but they add carbon fiber parts into the mix too, a new engine cover with race style air vents for instance. But also a new front spoiler, side skirts and a rear diffuser are part of the deal from Manhart, while the interior gets some bespoke carbon fiber parts on the steering wheel and shift paddles.

Personally I wouldn’t fit the gold trim or striping on my car, but it is part of the Manhart look-and-feel …

Ferrari F8 Tributo by Novitec

If a factory standard Ferrari F8 Tributo just isn’t exclusive enough for you, just give Novitec a call and have them transform your Prancing Horse into an 802 hp super car. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h only takes 2.6 seconds, and now the Ferrari doesn’t run out of breath until it reaches 340 km/h.

This increase in performance is thanks to the Novitec engineers development of a custom mapping of two plug-and-play modules, called Novitec N-Tronic, that work in harmony with the standard ECU of the twin-turbo V8. Add the Novitec high-performance exhaust system and the boost from 720 hp to 802 hp is present.

Novitec offers different exhaust options for the Ferrari F8 Tributo, but without a doubt the best one is the lightweight Inconel version, complete with electronic sound management. This Inconel version is also plated with 999 gold, not only for looks, but this material dissipates the heat better (remember the gold surround in the McLaren F1?), and you can even have the 100-cell sports catalyst gold plated to match.

Probably the best part of the Novitec Aero parts for the Ferrari F8 Tributo is the fact you can order them in clear-coated carbon fiber, to get that F1 inspired look on your road car. At the front a two-part spoiler is fitted with flaps on the air intakes, a front hood insert in carbon fiber just completes the F1 look.

Novitec side sills generate a better airflow, and thanks to the carbon fiber mirrors and air deflectors on the side air intakes, the race car looks gets even better. Naturally, you also need a rear wing, and Novitec has options there too, either a large version that offers massive downforce, or a more subtle style version. A new cover can be fitted to the rear diffuser, while a cover for models with a rear-view camera is on the list too.

If you really insist, Novitec will even ship you a complete replacement diffuser for the Ferrari F8 Tributo to fit into the factory rear bumper, add the carbon fiber trim on the engine cover to have the full kit.

The Novitec wheels are made with the service of Vossen, and these forged rims fit the F8 Tributo perfectly, Novitec offers a few different designs for the most discerning customers out there. And on top of that Novitec offers a palette of 72 shades, brushed surface, or polished surface … whichever you prefer.

If you really want to fit a special wheel, you should go for the Novitec NF10 forged wheel, with five, twin spokes and center-lock look. These would be 9×21 at the front and massive 12×22 at the rear, 255/30 ZR 21 and 335/25 ZR 22 tires are fitted, and the Ferrari sits 35mm lower to the street thanks to a set of Novitec Sports springs. if the car is fitted with the front lift system, Novitec can install their own rendition that can raise the car by 40mm when needed.

A fully bespoke interior using Alcantara and leather is no problem at all for the artisans at Novitec, they can even change the design of the factory original upholstery, naturally, some exposed carbon fiber will be possible too.

Reveal: RUF SCR 2018

It’s been 40 years since RUF revealed a modified Porsche 911 called the ‘SCR’, with a 3.2L six-cylinder engine pushing out 217 horses. The tell-tale sign of a RUF Porsche was the whale-tail spoiler that crowned that iconic backside for aerodynamics.

RUF SCR 2018 Side

RUF SCR 2018 Side

It took four years of development for RUF to produce the SCR 2018 to their exact liking and specifications, updated from the first prototype appearing in the 86th Geneva Motor Show. Well, they’re back with a complete overhaul, inside and out.

Debuting this week in Geneva, the RUF SCR 2018 came into fruition, featuring a full monocoque body, active push-rod suspension, and carbon fiber everything.

RUF SCR 2018 Chas

RUF SCR 2018 Chas

With just 1250kg in weight, the RUF is out to fight with the big dogs. The figures are no laughing matter, with a top speed of 320 kph, and a very balanced, composed body layout.

The neat part is that RUF built everything in-house. RUF’s approach differs from other manufacturers, requiring a donor car to be gutted, indirectly inflating air-cooled vintage Porsche market prices. We’re looking at you, Singer! It’s the price to pay for perfection!

Finally, the RUF SCR 2018 features an integrated roll-cage within the carbon fiber chassis, so it’s race-ready, and the push-rod suspension is complex technology only seen in Formula One cars.

Inside lies a 4.0L naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine producing 510 horses. All of these details compound into something magical and the pictures speak for themselves. Unfortunately, these come with a hefty price and the RUF SCR 2018 will be quite a pricey piece of memorabilia.

With all of this technical specs laid out, we must see it being put to paces around a track.