When there’s a car that’s as popular as the Porsche Panamera, it’s not surprising that so many aftermarket companies are determined to put their own stamp on it. Whether its through a new aerodynamic body kit or a performance upgrade, tuning companies love to fawn over these types of vehicles. Such is the life of the Panamera these days.
The latest tuning program for the luxury sports saloon from Porsche comes courtesy of Vorsteiner. The German tuning firm has released their new V-PT body kit for the Panamera, one that includes a plethora of materials made using carbon fiber and finished in multiple layers of UV-inhibiting automotive clear laquer.
Among the items included in the V-PT body kit include a new front bumper cover with a splitter and a removable carbon fiber with an optional carbon fiber duct to go along with it. There are also new side skirts, a new ‘ducktail’ rear spoiler, and a rear bumper. Speaking of the rear bumper, Vorsteiner made one that combines three pretty important components: two vertical ventilation slits that help in extracting heat from behind the Panamera’s wheel arches and exhaust system; a carbon fiber diffuser; and a Vorsteiner-developed sub-panel.
Finally, Vorsteiner also made changes to the Panamera’s exhaust system, taking out the factory-issued part and putting in a V-PT sports exhaust system that can be built with a choice of either stainless steel or titanium, the latter offering 40% of weight savings compared to the stock-issued exhaust system.
The Panamera has been reworked and reprogrammed so many times in its short life span, but for a car that’s as popular as this one, there’s never a case of having one too many.
“It has always been a dream of mine to have a car that has so much downforce, such aerodynamic efficiency that you could drive on the roof of a tunnel at high speed - and this car can.”
These were the words of Roland Gumpert a little over a decade ago when he was fresh of leaving his job as the director of Audi Sport. During his tenure with the Ingolstadt-based automaker, he oversaw a team that won a total of 25 World Rally Championship races and four World Rally Championship titles.
In 2004, Gumpert officially founded GMG Sportwagenmanufaktur Altenburg GmbH in Altenburg, Germany, thus paving the way for the birth of one of the most exotic niche German supercars of the past decade: the Gumpert Apollo. Since it’s debut in 2006, Gumpert has developed four different versions of the Apollo, including the recently debuted 2010 Apollo Sport that made its first appearance at last year’s Geneva Auto Show.
In the six years since its debut, Gumpert has gone from the Apollo to the 2010 Apollo Sport, an impressive run of supercars that has become a fashionable name in the industry, giving Gumpert all the validation he needed when he said that he wanted to build his own supercar on his own terms.
Details on the Gumpert Apollo after the jump.
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We’ve gotten accustomed to some pretty intense tuning work done on the Porsche Panamera so it was a little surprising that the latest aftermarket company to make a program for the sports sedan erred on the side of subtlety.
German tuner, Schmidt Revolution, used a Panamera 4S for its latest work, using a software optimization to bump up the output of the sport saloon’s 4.8-liter V8 engine from 400 horsepower and 368 lb/ft of torque up to 425 horsepower and 394 lb/ft of torque. Schmidt Revolution also lowered the car’s ride height by 40mm while also putting in a set of 22” alloy wheels wrapped in 265/30 R22 tires at the front and 305/25 R22 tires at the back. According to the German tuning company, an elaborate interior program, complete with bespoke leathers and trim, is also in the woodwork, although details are being withheld for a later date.
From what we know, pricing for the disclosed options are as follows: €990 ($1,443) for the engine upgrade, €390 ($568) for the suspension module, and €4,900 ($7,141) for the wheel-and-tire set-up.
We’ll be sure to keep you posted as more details of Schmidt Revolution’s program for the Porsche Panamera become available.
German tuner, Kicherer, loves tuning Mercedes vehicles and apparently, they love sticking hot models on their projects for a photo shoot too.
Fresh off their take on another SLS AMG Supersport a few months ago, Kicherer – and their hot models – is proud to introduce their new crowning glory, the SLS 63 Supersport GT.
Decked in that unmistakable matte black foliation finish, the SLS 63 Supersport GT also comes with a rather curious shark-mouth, hand-made grille. We say curious because, well, we don’t like it, although Kicherer seemed to think that it added a sharper bite to the car’s looks so they decided to go with it. In any case, the modified SLS AMG was also given a new carbon front spoiler lip with a carbon fin set to go along with a set of the tuning company’s own three-piece RS-1 rims: 10J x 20” at the front and 11.5Jx21”. Save for the grille, the aerodynamic kit looks mighty impressive and it’s made even better by the fact that Kicherer also gave the car a performance upgrade, bumping up the car’s output to 621 horsepower and 516 lb/ft of torque. This allows the Mercedes to clock a 0-62 mph time of just 3.5 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 199 mph.
Can’t say that we don’t find the SLS 63 Supersport GT beautiful with the exception of that shark grille. But hey, if the car comes with those knockout vixens, then we’re going to let that grille pass.
Opel has unveiled a new special edition Insignia OPC on the European market. It is called "Unlimited" and the best part about it is that it comes with the removal of the 155 mph limiter. In Germany, prices start from 48,605 euro, or about $70,000 at the current exchange rates.
The new Insignia OPC Unlimited will be distinguished from the standard OPC version by a blue Brembo logo and a newly-designed tachometer and speedometer. A special edition of the vehicle is also planned with a matte black wrapping.
Under the hood, everything will remain the same with the only exception being that it comes equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission and can hit a top speed of 167 mph.
"We are responding to frequently expressed customer wishes," says Alain Visser, Vice President Sales, Marketing and Aftersales at Adam Opel AG. "Insignia OPC buyers are generally experienced and responsible drivers who want to enjoy the full technical possibilities of their car."
