Modified Car reviews

Shelby needs no introduction. The company recently took Ford F-250 Super Duty under its wings and made it an absolute off-road beast. The truck features a new, rugged off-road suspension system, custom wheels and off-road tires, and steel bumpers amongst other things. It is powered by the stock engine itself that makes more than 1,000 pound-feet of torque. There are some tweaks on the inside, too. Courtesy of all these changes, Shelby has priced the F-250 Super Baja at over $125,000. Also, it is limited to just 250 examples. Care to buy one?

Gunther Werks’ remastered 993-generation Porsche 911 now has a drop-top sibling. The new model, called the 993 Speedster Remastered, is the latest bespoke creation from the California-based tuning firm. It’s more powerful than its coupe counterpart, and with the roof get lopped off, it also looks like a true speedster. Only 25 units of the 993 Speedster Remastered will be built. There’s no word yet on pricing, but with the coupe version fetching $565,000, expect the speedster to carry a price that’s closer to $600,000.

Ford Ranger is a capable midsize truck with a lot of potential for off-road and performance-oriented mods. Ford has denied us the pleasure of the Ranger Raptor in the U.S. market, but it has been a boon to the aftermarket companies who are filling this vacuum with their respective iterations. The latest one to do so is Roush Performance. Roush has taken the 2021 Ranger under its wing and turned it into an off-road beast.

ABT is back with another Audi build, this time for the SQ7. The automaker recently ditched the diesel engine from this vehicle and dropped an even more powerful V-8 gasoline mill under the hood. In the standard form, the SUV comes with 500+ horses, which is already on the higher end. So, ABT decided to give this bit a skip for this build and went ahead with making changes to the interior and the exterior. The aesthetic changes are significant and make the already-hot SQ7 even hotter.

Novitec is back in the car tuning spotlight with a new aftermarket program. This time, the German tuner is setting its sights on the Ferrari 812 GTS with a promise of aesthetic and aerodynamic improvements to go with an engine upgrade kit that bumps the Ferrari’s 6.5-liter V-12 engine’s output to almost 850 horsepower. A new set of wheels courtesy of Vossen Wheels is also included in the program.

Mansory is famous for taking some of the world’s most exotic supercars and turning them into examples of excess car tuning. No supercar is spared from a Mansory tuning creation, including the already radical Lamborghini Aventador SVJ.

The Mansory-tuned Aventador SVJ — it’s called the Cabrera — gets an exaggerated new look, an engine upgrade, and an abundance of aerodynamic upgrades. Only three units of the Mansory Cabrera will be built.

For the second time in less than a year, Mansory is dropping jaws to the floor with a new iteration of its Le Mansory program for the Ford GT. The German tuner is known for its over-the-top cosmetic upgrades, and, once again, it lived up to the billing. The second Ford GT Le Mansory packs the same design changes as the first model, albeit dressed in a new red and black colorway. Mansory has said that it plans to build three units of the GT Le Mansory. With this being the second of those three units, the third and final model should be just as wild.

ABT Sportsline is known for sweet Audi tune-ups and offers packages for almost all the vehicles in the German automaker’s lineup. 2021 is a special year for the Kempten-based aftermarket tuner as it marks its 125th anniversary. And, to commemorate this milestone, ABT has announced a high-performance version of the Audi RS Q8 SUV that makes almost 150 horses more than the standard model.

Roush Performance is known for Ford builds and it has come up with one more; this time for the 2021 F-250 and the F-350 Super Duty trucks. The aftermarket company has worked on aspects that will make it even more capable in tough conditions, like a new exhaust system, upgraded suspension system, and new wheels and tires.

The BMW X5 M is quite intimidating when it’s standing peacefully. With those big, burly wheels and tires, and the sharp cuts and creases all around, it has a very strong street presence. When you see it in action, well, that’s a whole different story altogether.

In its top-spec, it comes with a V-8 engine under the hood that can give even some powerful performance sedans a run for their money. But, it seems like this wasn’t enough for Manhart Performance. The German aftermarket company has created its iteration of this beast that comes with carbon fiber elements inside and outside, exhaust system and suspension upgrades, and a power boost that makes the X5 M even scarier in action.

Brabus builds are quite expensive at the onset, but there’s no denying that they’re fun. This time around, the aftermarket company has laid its hands on the Mercedes-AMG A45 S. The Brabus build of this hatch is more than just a remap. The car comes with part upgrades under the hood, new wheels and tires, an upgraded suspension system, and a few changes inside the cabin.

This is the Lamborghini Urus, or at least it was until it turned into a Decepticon. All jokes aside, this heavily modified Urus is the proud work of Keyvany, a German tuner who apparently knows a thing or two about the Mansory way of vehicle modifications. One look at it and you’ll understand that reference. Keyvany’s tuning program for the Urus is excess personified. It’s loaded with enough carbon fiber parts and pieces to make other tuners blush. The kit also comes with a hefty engine upgrade that should delight the power-starved among us and a massive set of attention-grabbing wheels.

Spanish automaker Seat revealed its performance-oriented brand Cupra a couple of years back. The cars look good, come with a load of niceties, and of course, are strong performers. But, no amount of power or mods are ever enough and that is essentially what’s keeping the aftermarket companies running.

ABT Sportsline, the company which is known to work on Audi cars, and by extension, Volkswagen products, is here with its own version of the Cupra Formentor – a subcompact crossover SUV. The ABT Formentor comes with new wheels, a power boost, and a new exhaust system that makes it a different beast.

Custom-made electric vehicles are a trend that’s slowly picking up. They aren’t as popular as internal combustion-engined cars for now since there aren’t a lot of moving parts in EVs that you can play around with. We’ve seen some tuners crack the system to unleash more power for a much cheaper price than the company offers. Apart from playing with the mechanicals, some aftermarket companies have worked on the body of EVs as well. From equipping it body kits and turning them into station wagons, we’ve seen it all already.

Now, however, a company called Ares Designs has transformed a Tesla Model S into a convertible. This isn’t the first time we’re seeing a convertible Tesla, but it is arguably the cleanest one we’ve seen.

Carlex Design is renowned far and wide for its expertise in visual upgrades for all sorts of vehicles. Carlex has worked on different vehicle types, ranging from luxury SUVs like the Range Rover and Rolls-Royce Cullinan to performance machines like the Ferrari 488, McLaren 720S, and the current subject of our desire, the Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro. Carlex even comes with appropriate names for its creation. This program for the mighty AMG is called the Tattoo Edition, and it’s an appropriate moniker given the surprises that await when you step inside the super coupe’s interior.

The Porsche 911, in all of its generations, is a legendary machine. As some would say, it has mastered the art of having the engine in “the wrong place”. The classic 911 models in particular that are the most intriguing and often subject to modernization by tuning studios. The Italian coachbuilding company Ares Design has chosen to let its creativity loose upon the 964-generation 911 Turbo, resulting in one of the most epic recreations ever. Of course, there are other studios that have their own interpretations of the 911, so what makes the Ares 964 Turbo so special?

Novitec is the rare tuner that has mastered the art of building subtle tuning programs that aren’t really all that subtle once the package is in place. Whereas other tuners turn on the “wow” factor with obscene aerodynamic upgrades or over-the-top engine modifications — some even combine both — Novitec is perfectly happy providing all-around programs that offer the required improvements without any of the unwanted excess.

Take this new kit for the Ferrari F8 Tributo. You would think that a supercar that already packs a 720-horsepower 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged engine is powerful enough on its own. While that may be true for some, there’s nothing wrong with massaging more power out of that V-8 engine while also providing the right amount of aerodynamic improvements that leads to a more powerful and better handling ride. It takes a tuner with the kind of experience in the game like Novitec has to understand this delicate balancing act. We’ve seen it time and time again from the German tuner, and we’re seeing it now with the Ferrari F8 Tributo.

The Abarth 595 is a pocket rocket that makes you grin every time you drive it. If you are someone who prefers driving a slow car fast instead of a fast car slow, this needs to go on your bucket list. And, it looks like Pogea Racing understands that. The company has brought out a Hercules version that doesn’t just look sinister, but also comes with a significant power boost that will plaster a wide smile on your face.

Land Rover Defender is one of the most popular choices for tuners and aftermarket companies to show off their skills and creativity. This time, it’s Ares Designs’ turn to show off what it could make of this butch SUV. Called the Defender Spec 1.2, it comes with changes inside out. The exterior includes stuff like carbon fiber bodywork and a panoramic roof and the interior benefits from some luxurious touches. Even the four-cylinder engine is swapped in favor of a V-8 engine for that extra grunt and roar.

Most would agree that many great cars came from the 1960s. It was a time of style, performance, and competitive spirit. Although these days are long gone, the people who remember them and those who want to familiarize themselves with the vintage motoring experience, companies like Eagle are recreating the old formula with a touch of refinement.

Eagle is a small British car company that has been making some of the most exciting Jaguar E-Types for over 35 years now. The Eagle Low Drag GT is said to be the ultimate way of experiencing Jaguar’s vintage motorsports prowess. But just how much E-Type is there in it?

Your Ferrari deserves a level of protection that, say, your Honda Civic doesn’t. On that end, Ferrari owners may find themselves interested in this Ferrari 458 Speciale that’s been tuned to not only produce more power out of its 4.5-liter turbocharged V-8 engine, but to also carry proper protection in the form of armor. The real kind of armor, too. For a starting price of just $28,000, Add Armor will kit your Ferrari with armor that’s supposedly 10 times stronger than ballistic steel without compromising your Ferrari’s performance capabilities. That’s what you call hitting two birds with one stone, folks.

Ford revealed the 2021 F-150 a few months back and it seems like a complete package. The exterior feels fresh and the interior comes with new features like Max Recline Seats and Interior Work Surface. When it comes to the drivetrains, Ford even introduced a new hybrid mill for the 2021 model along with a power boost on some of the existing engines.

One thing missing, however, was the Raptor version of the truck. Ford is still working on it and hasn’t introduced the 2021 F-150 Raptor, but just like the Bronco and the story of the missing V-8 engine, PaxPower has swooped in to capitalize on the opportunity.

PaxPower has introduced a few packages for the 2021 model year F-150 that come with bigger tires, heavy-duty steel bumpers, and a massive power boost that makes it more powerful than the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX.