Ever since MINI started expanding its line-up a few years ago, the German automaker has made great strides in bringing back its old school charm. In reinventing itself as a company, MINI has become quite a hit in the market and to a certain extent, the tuning market as well.
One aftermarket group that has taken a particular fondness to the MINI Countryman ALL4 is H&R, a Washington-based company.
Packed with its noted suspension components and a slew of aftermarket products, the H&R-tuned Countryman was turned from a mild-mannered crossover into a performance vehicle that exudes plenty of attitude.
The first order of business was lowering the car’s ride height and doing so without affecting the car’s overall drivability. H&R then added TRAK+ wheel spacers to create the perfect offset for the Countryman ALL4’s new set of 18" BE by Breyton GTF2 wheels wrapped in Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. The wheel-and-tire set-up is complimented by slotted brake rotors and blue Goodridge steel braided steel lines, thus improving the car’s overall braking power.
Not only does the new set-up provide stunning good looks for the car, but it also enhanced its cornering grip. Add that to other pertinent changes done on the Countryman ALL4, including an Alta Performance Front Mount Intercooler and Cold Air Intake package, a Borla stainless steel exhaust system, and Motul lubricants, and you have a program that speaks to the Countryman ALL4’s fun-loving character.
For all of the tuning projects that have been done on the BMW 1-Series M Coupe, it seemed a little surprising that we haven’t heard a whole lot from the popular 1M at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show other than the ’Black Knight’ vehicle that RevoZport was building.
Apparently, a second 1M Coupe has officially booked its attendance in Las Vegas.
This one comes from renowned suspension specialists, H&R Springs, who built a program for the 1M Coupe that centers on a number of high-end performance parts. That’s not to say that they didn’t work on the car’s aesthetics because they did dress it up with some decals bearing the unmistakable M-Series livery to go with some sticky jewel graphics.
To give the car the perfect stance and performance handling of a true M-Series, H&R Springs provided it with its own Sport Suspension set-up that lowered the car by 1.2" on the front and 0.6" on the rear. H&R also added their own Sport Sway Bars on the front (27mm) and rear (23mm) of the sports car. These bars come with forged ends and are made from HF wire, a material that’s unique to the industry because it’s heat treated and shot peened. The last of H&R Springs’ performance parts is the Trak+ Wheel Spacers, installed to perfectly space the wheels and tires in fender wells, and allow for wheel clearance of the big Brembo calipers.
As for contributions made by its contemporaries, the 1M Coupe’s new 19" wheels were provided by BBS and its new Super RS wheels and has been fitted with Continental ExtremeContact DW tires. As for the Brembo brakes, H&R Springs opted to go with the Brembo GT 380mm Big Brake Kit with matching blue calipers from Custom Motorsport.
UPDATE 11/08/2011: We have added new images of the BMW 1-Series M Coupe by H&R Springs from its official debut at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show. Check them out in the picture gallery.
German auto tuner, H&R, has been working on a 2011 Volkswagen Polo GTI with the intention of turning it into a meat-packing piece of machinery. A few days ago, the aftermarket company unveiled the result of their hard labor by introducing a better-than-ever Volkswagen Polo with an upgraded suspension that H&R says will drastically improve both the car’s handling and stability.
The Polo GTI is already powered by a 1.4-liter TSI gasoline engine with turbo and superchargers that produces an output of 180 horsepower with 184 lb-ft of torque that’s available from 2,000 to 4,500 rpm engine and is mated to a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission. The Polo GT is capable of a north-to-60 time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 142 mph.
While H&R largely left the engine alone, what they did was develop and improve the car’s suspension components to further increase its dynamics. This was done by improving the vehicle’s spring sets without compromising its overall drivability. On top of that, the front end of the Polo was lowered by 20mm with the rear seeing a 30mm decrease in ride height with a height adjustable H&R Monotube coilover suspension to boot.
H&R also took the task of including a set of TRAK+ wheel spacers that are made of high tensile aluminum alloy with an eventual option of offering a set of stabilizers in the near future.
The offerings may be a little limited compared to what we’re accustomed to with aftermarket tuning firms, but despite the lack of quantity, H&R Springs knows that quality is a much more important barometer in a successful tuned-up program. And as one of the foremost authorities in a vehicle’s suspension system, we have no doubt that this Polo GTI is going to have a lot more bite than its standard counterpart.
Press Release after the jump.
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The Fiat 500 is adored because of its cute and retro styling, and now German tuners, Hamann, and suspension specialists, H&R, have given us even more reason to like the little runabout. This tuned version is due to debut at the Essen Motorshow in Germany going on from November 27th through December 5th.
To add a little funk to the hatchback, Hamann upped the power from 135HP to a GTi-worrying 275HP thanks to some clever ECU tuning and a new exhaust. They also kitted the 500 out with new bumpers, sideskirts, and two-tone Hamann wheels that reveal the beefed up braking system. We’re not sure on the body vinyl yet, but do love the performance potential from the sorted 1.4 liter turbo mill under the bonnet.
Power without control means nothing – especially in a small FWD car. So, to help make full use of the new-found ponies, H&R have developed a lowering kit for the Hamann 500 that gets it lower to the ground, promoting nippy handling and good driver feedback. They also fitted a set of their billet wheel spacers to beef up the appearance of the cute car that will surely get it noticed more often while helping out the dynamics as well.
H&R Special Springs is no stranger to providing premium quality suspension components to a number of car models from different auto brands. To put it succinctly Quite simply, it’s what they do, and they’re pretty good at it too.
This time around, the tuning specialists went to work on a car that’s lauded for being a favorite in the auto world for having the best of both worlds: high quality performance without the wallet-burning price tag.
This, dear boys, is the Volkswagen Jetta.
Regarded as a car that comes with a blend of sophisticated styling and unparalleled German engineering, the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta was the perfect vehicle to use as a platform for H&R to showcase their unique abilities in demonstrating how a car as inherently capable as the Jetta can be tuned and styled into something that can turn it into a car worthy of recognition.
Details after the jump.
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