With the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, it only makes sense that high end tuners like Brabus are delving into the world of Tesla tuning along with the forward thinking electric charging station chain RWE with this modified electric roadster. RWE recognizes that the single largest drawback of an EV is the amount of time that it takes to recharge the batteries and feels that if owners had access to in home rapid charging stations, like their Eco-Power unit, that we would see a lot more on the road already. So at this year’s Essen Motor Show Brabus and RWE will have this lightly modified Tesla Roadster on display complete with the more practical Eco-Power charging station that fits in your garage and is able to top off the batteries three times faster than with a conventional outlet.

The TESLA Roadster Sport Brabus Green Package kit includes a carbon fiber front lip and the obligatory highly efficient LED driving lights integrated into the roadster’s grill. Out back Brabus has incorporated a rear wing made from the lightweight woven black stuff and a downforce producing rear diffuser, while a set of staggered Monoblock S alloy wheels measuring 18 inches up front and 19 inches on the back axle. For those high performance electric car owners who miss the sounds of the internal combustion engine, Brabus has also incorporated a space sound generator that can produce tones ranging from race cars and V8s to futuristic songs that are referred to as Beam and Warp. And if that still isn’t enough to convince you, RWE is also offering the use of all their public charging stations to their Eco-Power customers free of charge for up to one year.

Press release after the jump.

Tesla Roadster Sport Brabus Green Package originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Friday, 27 November 2009 16:00 EST.

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In 1953 at the Paris Salon Ferrari unveiled the 375 America. It was a coupe model designed by Pininfarina, featuring a duo tone paint finish, the shape of which was a refinement of that seen on 212 Inter models. The car was exclusive and expensive, with one unit being designed by Pininfarina for King Leopold of Belgium - a two-seater cabriolet.

The 375 America was built on a 2800mm wheelbase chassis - the longest Ferrari used at that time. The majority were fitted with either a Pinin Farina three or five window coupe body. Three examples had a Vignale coupe bodies, whilst there was also a single Vignale cabriolet, and the very last example produced had a very special, and unusual, Pinin Farina coupe body with a wrap around front screen, vertical radiator grille, and buttresses running from the roofline into the tail panel, which was built specially for Gianni Agnelli, the head of Fiat, and displayed at the 1954 Turin Salon.

The 375 America was powered by a 4522cc "long" block V12 engine with a bore and stroke of 84mm x 68mm, fitted with a bank of three twin choke Weber 40 DCZ or DCF carburettors, twin coil and distributor ignition, to produce a claimed 300bhp. Coupled to a four-speed manual gearbox, the engine sprinted the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 7 seconds, while the top speed went up to 150 mph.

Ferrari 375 America originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Friday, 27 November 2009 12:00 EST.

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As we can see Mercedes are becoming a popular target for tuners, and this particular GL Class caught the attention of Brabus. The German tuners will bring this modified SUV to the Essen Motor Show next week adorned with their signature WIDESTAR treatment. The wide body panels are made from Pur-R-Rim plastics and are made to match quite a few of their 21 and 22 inch wheel choices. Although Brabus will leave the high performance variant of the GL pretty much alone, they are offering some serious performance upgrades for the diesel powered versions.

Press release after the jump.

Mercedes GL-Class facelift by BRABUS originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Friday, 27 November 2009 11:30 EST.

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Brabus put their hands on the new Mercedes E63 AMG and transformed it into a real beast. Thanks to the new BRABUS B63 S performance kit, both sedan and station wagon versions deliver 555 hp and can hit a top speed of 200 mph.

Thanks to the addition of two sport air filters, free-flow metal catalysts and newly programmed engine electronics the 6.3-liter V8 engine deliver a total of 555 hp and a peak torque of 650 Nm at 5,400 rpm. As a result the sprint from 0 to 60 mph is made in 4.3 seconds and top speed goes up to 200 mph.

The exterior kit includes: a spoiler lip, a diffuser and a rear spoiler, aluminum sport fenders with lateral air outlets and 18, 19 or 20 inches wheels.

Press release after the jump.

Brabus B63 S originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Friday, 27 November 2009 09:30 EST.

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In Germany even the police has great cars, and not just any car, but a tuned BMW 1-Series. And with AC Schnitzer doing the job you can only imagine that you cannot be a bad guy around there.

The AC Schnitzer police car is based on a BMW 123d Coupe powered by a 2.3 D engine tuned to deliver 241 HP and 480 Nm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and accelerates the from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.7 seconds.

The body kit includes two-piece front spoiler, rear skirt insert, rear wing and rear roof spoiler and the latest AC Schnitzer wheels Type IV BiColor. On the interior the tuner added racing bucket seats with AC Schnitzer logo and silver genuine carbon fiber trim on the dashboard, center console, door handles and steering wheel.

Press release after the jump.

Police-BMW 123d Coupe by AC Schnitzer originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Friday, 27 November 2009 07:07 EST.

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The last of the Mondial series was revealed in 1989. Called Mondial T it was the most heavily revised Mondial, with letter "T" inspired by the F1 312 T single-seater, which had just won the Formula 1 World Championship and also used the longitudinal engine/transverse gearbox layout: the previously-transverse engine was now mounted longitudinally whilst the gearbox remained transverse, thus forming a ’t’.

Production last between 1983 to 1993, with 858 units produced in both right and left hand drive configurations, together with various world market specification models.

The new Mondial T was finally worthing the "Ferrari" name and was able to compete with supercars such as the BMW 850i, Chevrolet Corvette, Honda NSX, Lotus Esprit and Porsche 911 Carrera.

Besides using a longitudinal engine/transverse gearbox layout, Mondial T was also offering for the first time: power assisted steering, and had a 3-position electronically controlled suspension for a variable trade off between ride quality and road holding. It also had standard ABS.

Ferrari Mondial T originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Friday, 27 November 2009 06:00 EST.

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GM launched this days in China the 2011 SLS luxury sedan at the Guangzhou Auto Show. It will be offered in four different version, with prices ranging from 448,000 RMB to 698,000 RMB.

The new 2011 Cadillac SLS will be offered with a choice of two new engines: a 3.0-liter SIDI engine that delivers 272 hp with 300 Nm of torque, and a 3.6-liter SIDI engine with 310 hp and 374 Nm of torque. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic-manual transmission.

The list of technologies featured in the new SLS includes: MagneRide, an electromagnetic active suspension system, and Air Quality Control. It will be offered with a choice of five body colors: Black, Titanium Silver, Golden, Space Gray and Platinum Gray combined with two interior colors: Champagne and Ebony.

Press release after the jump.

Cadillac SLS originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Thursday, 26 November 2009 17:00 EST.

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Revealed in 1948, the 166 Inter was Ferrari’s first GT car. It was a road version of the the 166 sports racing models like the 166 MM barchettas, and was produced between 1948 and 1950, with 37 units being produced.

They normally had coupe bodywork, although Stabilimenti Farina produced three examples in cabriolet form and Bertone also produced a single cabriolet body for the model. Various coachbuilders’ bodywork was fitted to the series, all with their own interpretation of how they felt a Ferrari should be coutured. Apart from Stabilimenti Farina, Bertone, and Carrozzeria Touring, the latter having bodied the first 166 Sport coupé for the 1948 Turin Salon, there were also examples of coachwork from the design houses of Ghia and Finale.

The 166 Inter was built on a 2420 mm wheelbase tubular steel chassis and was powered by a 2-liter V12 aluminum engine coupled with a 5-speed gearbox driving through a rigid rear axle. The engine delivered 115bhp having been available at 6000rpm when compression was set at 7.5:1. With this amount of power the 166 Inter was able to hit a top speed of 115 mph.

The engines on these models had a twin distributor and coil ignition system, and were fitted with a single twin choke carburettor as standard although a triple twin choke carburettor set-up could be specified as an option to obtain extra performance. These were the only road production Ferrari models of the period available with disc type road wheels, as an alternative to the more popular and sporting wire wheels. In either instance they had Ridge type splined hubs, sometimes under a chrome hub cap on the disc wheels.

Ferrari 166 Inter originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Thursday, 26 November 2009 12:00 EST.

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The third model in the Mondial line-up was the 3.2 Mondial unveiled in 1985 at the Frankfurt Salon. It was called 3.2 as a reference to the cubic capacity of the engine in liters. The car remained into production until 1989, with a total of 987 units produced, with both right and left hand drive available, together with various world market specification models.

This model saw the first change in the body styling: restyled and body-coloured bumpers, similar to the 328 with more integrated indicators & driving lamps, and new wheels with a more rounded face. The body shape remained otherwise unaltered from its predecessor, although once again the interior detailing was revamped, the most noticeable being angled top corners to the instrument nacelle.

A leather dashboard and/or headlining was available as an option. The five spoke road wheel pattern changed from a flat spoke design to a convex spoke layout to accommodate negative offset suspension geometry for the optional ABS braking system, which would eventually become standard equipment.

Ferrari 3.2 Mondial originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Thursday, 26 November 2009 06:00 EST.

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The Ford GT is without a doubt one of the best blue oval cars of all time, so it is no wonder that despite being out of production since 2006 tuners are still tweaking the 21st century retro super cars today. The most recent group to turn a wrench on a GT are the U.S. high performance specialists at Geiger Cars when they readied their HP790 package for the Ford.

The Geiger HP790 is powered by a the Ford GT’s standard 5.4 Liter V8 unit, however it has been boosted by about 240 HP to produce a maximum output of 790 HP and 637 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to the newfound power the Ford GT is able to sprint from 0 to to 60 MPH in under 3.6 seconds and climb all the way up to a top speed of 223 MPH. In order to keep the super car stable at speed, the GT has been lowered by about two and a half inches that eliminates whatever fender gap was in between the body and the car’s 20 and 21 inch staggered wheel setup giving the tuned Ford GT the stance it deserves.

Press release after the jump.

Ford GT "Geiger HP790" originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 November 2009 15:00 EST.

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In the spring of 1951 at the Turin show Ferrari unveiled the 342 America. However before it, in 1950 Ferrari unveiled the 340 America, a model built in just a few units and powered by a “long-block” V-12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi. For this engine the distance between adjacent cylinders was some 20mm greater than in the Colombo V-12 (this is where the “long-block” name come from).

First used in a grand prix competition, the this 340-hp 4.5-liter engine was detuned to 4.1 liters and placed in the 340 America. The 340 America were fitted with a surprising array of different coachwork, ranging from a development of the classic barchetta body style by Carrozzeria Touring, to quite staid three-box 2+2 coupés from the house of Ghia, with a selection of Vignale interpretations thrown in along the way. A Vignale-bodied 340 America berlinetta won the 1950 Mille Miglia driven by Villoresi/Cassani. Vignale also produced a unique 340 America cabriolet that unfortunately no longer exists in its original form, as its body was cut up and disposed of as part of an attempted insurance fraud a few years ago, which led to the remains of the car being fitted with a body in the style of a Vignale spider.

The 342 America was produced for a relatively short period during late 1952, with only six examples made, one with a Vignale cabriolet body, and the remainder with a fairly homogeneous Pininfarina body in either coupe or cabriolet form. They were built on a 2650 mm wheelbase, tubular steel chassis, as opposed to the 2420 mm wheelbase of the 340 America, and also featured slightly wider front and rear track.

Ferrari 342 America originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 November 2009 12:00 EST.

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While Cadillac may be at the top of the heap as far as General Motors domestic sales are concerned, the Buick brand is surprisingly popular in a few far off markets. Keeping their other customers happy the other upscale arm of GM has just unveiled the all new Excelle XT at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The XT is an interesting vehicle due to its coupe like profile despite being a five door wagon. The new car is slated to go on sale in China in 2010 and is basically an Asian iteration of the European Opel Astra.

The Excelle XT will be offered with a choice of three engines. The top of the line model will be powered by a 1.6 Liter turbocharged four cylinder gasoline engine cranking out 180 HP. Aside from the boosted offering, there will also be a naturally aspirated version with the same displacement making 116 HP and a slightly larger 1.8 Liter DOHC inline four with lots of high tech working parts to manipulate the cam profiles and produce an impressive and at the same time efficient 138 HP. No matter which internal combustion option you choose, all engines will be mated to a fuel efficient six speed automatic transmission, putting the driver at ease when they are behind the wheel.

Press release after the jump.

Buick Excelle XT originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 November 2009 11:00 EST.

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As you know, a few weeks ago Renault officially announced the return of the Gordini name, and the first model to carry this name is the small Twingo RS. The new Twingo Gordini R.S. will make its world debut on January 10, 2010, at the L’Atelier Renault on the Champs-Elysées, in Paris and sales will begin in march 2010.

Like any traditional Gordini model, the new Twingo Gordini RS comes painted with Malte Blue lacquered metallic finish combined with two white racing stripes.

At the exterior the car also receives front and rear bumpers enhanced by gloss black details and white contrasting finish on the fog-lamp surrounds, exterior mirror housings and lip spoiler. The car sits on either blue or black diamond-effect 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels.

On the interior Renault added Gordini sports seats, blue leather door panel inserts, blue and black leather steering wheel with two white stripes, blue gear lever bellows and Gordini-badged gear lever knob and a blue rev-counter with white surround.

Press release after the jump.

Renault Twingo Gordini R.S. originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 November 2009 08:00 EST.

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In 1989, at the same time as the coupe version, Ferrari also revealed the Cabriolet version of the Mondial T, the fourth and last model in the Mondial line-up. Like tis coupe brother, the T Cabriolet stayed into production until 1993, with 1017 units produced, in both right and left hand drive versions, together with various world market specification models.

The engine capacity increased to 3.4 liters (up from 3.2 liters in the Mondial 3.2) and it became longitudinally mounted, instead of transversely on the previous models. It was coupled to a transverse gearbox, hence the letter "t" in the model designation, and had an ABS braking system as standard equipment, whilst the front and rear tracks increased by 2mm and 50mm respectively.

The new T model was visually different from preceding Mondial models, the most recognizable being the redesign of the air intakes to a smaller, neater rectangular shape. The door-handles were of a visually different design and, along with the bumpers, became body colored, whilst a painted black band was added around the bottom of the body.

Ferrari Mondial T Cabriolet originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 November 2009 06:00 EST.

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The BMW E60 automobile platform is the basis for the 2004 5-series of automobiles. It replaced the BMW E39 for 2004. Models available at launch include the 525, 530, and 545. All models received an engine upgrade for 2006, with a 550 replacing the 545 in the fall of 2005. The exterior of the design by Chris Bangle and Adrian van Hooydonk is controversial, as is BMW’s new iDrive interface for accessing things like the radio and HVAC controls.

From the start, the fifth generation of the BMW 5 Series introduced in 2003 stood out through its impressive design and innovative technology. Once again, both the sedan and the Touring launched in 2004 set new standards in terms of active safety, driver assistance systems, and efficiency. BMW’s typical design language with convex and concave surfaces as well as flowing transitions from the front and side to the rear gave the fifth edition of the BMW 5 Series a particularly characteristic note, the interior with its clear-cut functions highlighting above all the iDrive control system featured as standard.

BMW 5-Series E60 originally appeared on ures.topspeed.com on Tuesday, 24 November 2009 14:23 EST.

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