Autoblog

Click above for more high-res pics of the Genesis DUB-ified

Who says you need to wait for Hyundai's Genesis Coupe to get your tuning freak on? Not the rims and system folks over at DUB, who took two Genesis (Geneses?) and kitted one out like, well, KITT, and the other kind of like a Stormtrooper from Star Wars. For an interior we can't exactly describe as attractive, the white one's not that bad -- certainly not as bad as it could have been. Still, following Wesley Snipes' advice from Passenger 57, we're going to bet on black. Check out the gallery of hi-res images below. Thanks for the tip, Hyundaifan!


[Source: Bobaedream via Hyundai Blog]

In my lifetime, there has never been a single day in which I've wanted a Pontiac Sunfire, but a one of a kind tuner donated by Dallas Star defenseman Matt Niskanen is almost cool enough to own. Niskanen has owned the 2001 Sunfire since he was 15 years old, and the rookie kept it even after making the big bucks in pro hockey. The Sunfire was given a $12,000 makeover by Niskanen's more famous teammates, and Matt is donating the black and white coupe to benefit the family trust of ticket sales director Matt McKee. McKee died of cancer at age 33, and the team is pitching in by donating memorabilia and personal belongings to help his wife and young daughter.

Bidding is currently at $15,000, but if you're going to drop coin on this one of a kind Sunfire, you might want to be a fan of the Dallas Stars. Besides a tricked out sound system equipped with navigation, sub-woofers and black 18 inch rims, the Sunfire has a decidedly Stars theme. Hit the jump to view a video showing how the Sunfire was pimped out. Thanks for the tip, Scooter!

[Source: NHL]

click above for more high-res iamges of the V8-powered Scion xB

Forget about body kits, custom fiberglass enclosures for your woofer and LCDs in the headrests. This is the only way to make the Scion xB entertaining in our humble opinion. Oh yeah, Scion wants you to think its cars are more fun than a box of rocks, but like Flava Flav said, don't believe the hype. We'll even forgive the fact that there's a big, dumb carburetor sitting atop the Chevy-based small block. This first-generation xB is owned by a guy named Rick, who apparently knows his way around plasma cutters, nibblers and welders. It's not quite finished yet, as evidenced by the photos showing a stripped interior and lots of zip ties, but Rick's Scion is already quite the sleeper.

Peering inside the engine bay, it's the tidy dimensions of the small block FTW. A transmission hump/center tunnel had to be added, and the chassis was converted to rear-wheel drive, too. Keep in mind, this is the smaller, original xB. The overinflated second-generation would have even more space in the engine room for this sort of chicanery. There's obviously some time and money spent to give this ho-hum little box a big infusion of epic cool, and we bet that's all worth it when you can take in the looks of discongruity as you blow the doors off the unsuspecting.

[Source: Carscoop]

It's been made abundantly clear that Toyota is taking this year's SEMA show seriously, particularly since it's the featured marque at the event. But in addition to debuting the new Corolla and Matrix, along with releasing a number of factory-approved Lexus performance parts, it's tasked nine separate tuners with kicking the luxury brand's offerings up a notch, or three.

While most of the aftermarket firms won't unveil their creations until November, Blitz and BRS Autodesign have already released some teasers of what we'll see when we head down to Vegas. The BRS SC430 is pictured above and the Blitz'd GS430 is shown at right. Little information is available about either model at the company's respective websites, but we've included a full listing of what Lexus will offer up in the City of Sin after the jump.

[Sources: SEMA, The Passionate Pursuit]

Heico Sportiv has been putting a more stylish and powerful edge on Volvos for ten years, and they've applied their touch to the latest V70 and XC70 wagons from Gothenburg. With tuning skills derived from racing experience, the changes are more than cosmetic. Heico has developed suspension, brake, and exhaust upgrades that enhance the reflexes of the wagons. The restrained bodykit bolted to the EUCD platform cars is the most visible change. It's tasteful, though the ultra low profile tires and overkill-diameter rims look awkward to us. The interior gains extremely attractive two color seats and various aluminum trim pieces embossed with the Heico Viking helmet logo. We'll take the low and mean looking V70, though it'd be tough to go wrong with the more chromed-out and higher-riding XC70, as well.

[Source: Carscoop]

Sometimes folks buy a slice of automotive history and put it somewhere safe, away from roads and crowds, so it won't get hurt. If you bought this particular example of automotive history, you'd probably lock it up somewhere safe because, like the folks who are selling it, you wouldn't actually drive it anywhere in public -- outside of Zacatecas.

What is it? It's a truly pimped-out Chrysler Voyager that miraculously survived this transformation on Pimp My Ride. Among the tasties included: black suede ceiling, triple flip down monitors, a 32" footrest monitor, denim upholstery, a lighted floor controlled by remote, lasers, and heart-shaped exhaust tips. Don't expect to haul much, though -- the back end is, of course, nothing but speakers. However, it does come with an advance mobility power sliding door for when grandma needs to get her pimp on.

If you saw the episode and you're really interested, you should know that it doesn't come with the Vroom Box. Whatever that was, it was only a prototype. So if you're a pimp with a family, you chariot is calling. And don't let being light on funds stop you -- the seller even offers a link for a loan.

Thanks for the tip, Sean!

[Source: eBay]

Click the image above for a gallery.

We can't imagine having 780 HP on tap in a convertible, but 9ff has realized the ridiculousness and created what's likely to be the fastest drop-top in the world. The German tuning haus has taken the 997 Porsche Turbo convertible, stroked the 3.6-liter six to four-liters, modified every conceivable part of the motor, all in an effort to reach a top speed of 237 MPH.

On the outside, the only thing that distinguishes the TRC 91 from its "sedate" ancestry is a set of 20-inch rollers, upgraded brakes, a revised front grille to increase airflow, a couple of aero bits and a trunk lid made entirely out of carbon fiber.

The 4.0-liter mill was actually de-tuned from the hardtop model, which creates 910 HP and 671 lb.-ft. of torque, and allows the rear-engined rocket to make it to 60 just after you count to three. Insanity. But it's our kind of madness.

[Source: Motor Authority]

The scandal! German tuner shop TechArt might have thought it was Christmas when it unwrapped three prototype Porsche engines. Final Gear reports that two conventional engines and one "engine of the future" missing from Porsche's development center have been found in the custom car builder's garage, much to Porsche's irritation. TechArt maintains its innocence, stating that employees bought the engines in good conscience and thought they were getting conventional 997 engines. We don't know much more than that, but it appears so far that Porsche is taking the tuner to court for theft, and that two Porsche employees, and two customers, are in the slammer.

[Source: Final Gear via Jalopnik]

click the pic above for a gallery

Mazdas are typically pretty sporty from the get-go, but there's that subset of car nuts that wants to make their car "just right."

The CX-7 is pretty new to the market, and Japanese tuner AutoExe has transformed it into the ER-03. Underneath, there are chassis braces that look like bridge abutments. It's too bad they're out of sight. For those of us who like to lean close to engineering work and make sure that the welds look like stacks of coins, the red trusses are art. There's also new springs, struts, and braces on the control arms and strut towers to keep the wheels tightly reined.

The engine room wasn't neglected, either. There's a larger intercooler, and silicon plumbing connects the breathing apparatus to the engine and the turbo inhales through a ram air system tuned to honk just right. The body mods look pretty tasteful, as far as body mods go, though the chromed wheels wearing rubber bands for tires are a bit much. There's a sharp (slick looking, not meat cutting) little gauge pod perched atop the dash, a carbon shift knob, a natty little antenna and brightly colored braking components to round out the offerings.

In the (Google translated) words of AutoExe: Pleasant sensation of the adult, such cool isn't probably to point? That could either mean something obscene, or just this car rocks, but it's rude to point.

[Source: AutoExe]

The event is a Bososoku parade, and the goal is to break laws and piss off "The Man" in Japan. This has got to be the craziest, most hilarious video we've seen in a long time. It has all the elements of a Godzilla flick: crazy-looking monsters, lots of noises that sound like alien creatures (at one point we thought we heard dueling light sabers), and a lot of very excited people.

The common theme of many of the cars on display in this video is a highly-pronounced exhaust fetish. Some of the pipes coming out of these mods are up to 10 feet long, none of them look very practical, and the car in the image above isn't even the craziest in the battle for big-pipe supremacy. There's also a character in there whose foreground dancing for much of the six-odd minutes of video makes for a second, very entertaining side-show. We can't hear the tunes he's cutting a rug to, though -- just the tinny whine of blown engines with displacements under two liters.

Sometimes, Japanese and Western cultures clash, and the mods in this video are like a plaid blazer and checkered pants. Yikes! We implore you to follow the jump to watch this one, but if you're at work, you may want to get a conference room to muffle the laughter.

[Source: YouTube]