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This V8 M3-Powered BMW “1M” Coupe Is An Affordable Alternative To The Genuine Article

The BMW 1M is considered one of the carmaker’s finest performance models ever. This example, though, is not exactly what it seems.

When it was in production, the 1M was sold exclusively with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with 335 hp and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque. The owner of this car obviously wanted some extra grunt and has replaced the standard engine with the S65 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 of an E92 M3 that delivers 414 hp (420 PS) and 400 Nm (295 lbft) of torque.

Coupled to this engine is a six-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. Obviously, the new engine makes this 1M much faster than a normal one but does it handle as well?

This is one of the questions that Drivetribe had when it arranged a drive of the car. Within 5 minutes, the reviewer notes that the extra weight of the V8 doesn’t upset the handling balance in the slightest and that it continues to perform superbly.

As impressive as this car is, however, it isn’t actually a genuine 1M. Instead, this particular car started out life as a standard 1-Series that has then been upgraded with the M3’s drivetrain. Those living in the UK can buy a car just like this from a local builder for around £30,000 (~$40,000), and that includes the price of a donor 1-Series, the M3 powertrain, and all the labor needed to make it work. This is roughly half the price of a well-maintained, genuine 1M you’ll find on the used car market. Sounds like a good deal to us.

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Dacia Duster Gets A Wild Bodykit From Prior Design For Less Than $4k

The Dacia Duster is known for its affordability, practicality, and off-road capability but Prior Design had other things in mind for the Romanian SUV. The tuner is offering a wide bodykit that brings a race car look to the second-generation Duster with a cost of €2,999 ($3,516), plus an additional €299 ($350) for the rear spoiler.

Prior Design’s bodykit is made from a high-quality mixture of fiberglass and Dura-Flex that is easy to paint, cheap to manufacture, and quite stable. The modifications are compatible with any Duster from 2018 onwards, including the recent facelift since the body panels remained unchanged.

The kit includes considerably wider front and rear fenders which extend to the front and rear bumpers creating DTM-style inlets. There is also a front skirt, new side sills, a rear diffuser housing two large exhaust pipes (not included), as well as an optional rear spoiler.

In the official images from Prior Design, the bodykit is combined with an extremely lowered suspension and a new set of large-diameter wheels. We can also see larger brakes with red-painted calipers and a roll-cage inside, further enhancing that race car look. In this configuration, the Duster, which sits very close to the ground, will obviously lose its off-road credentials, but it will surely attract a lot of attention.

We don’t know how many Dacia Duster owners will be interested in this kind of modifications, but Prior Design is already accepting orders for the kit or the standalone components.

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Brabus 900 Rocket Edition Claims The Title Of The World’s Fastest Street-Legal SUV With A 205 MPH Top Speed

The Brabus 900 Rocket Edition was revealed at the 2021 Monaco Yacht Show, claiming the title of the “fastest street-legal SUV in the world” with a top speed of 205 mph (330 km/h).

Brabus will produce only 25 examples of the GLE Coupe-based 900 Rocket Edition, with prices starting at €381,243 ($447,407), excluding taxes.

It was exactly two months ago when Brabus unveiled the 800 SUV Coupe based on the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S 4MATIC+ Coupe, but it seems now that the tuner had an even faster version on the cards.

Starting with the engine, the twin-turbo V8 has an increased displacement of 4,407cc – up from the stock 3,982cc. The modifications include new turbochargers, larger forged pistons, longer forged piston rods, a billet crankshaft, high-pressure pumps, larger downpipes, and various software updates.

The mill produces an impressive 888 hp (662 kW / 900 PS) and a maximum 1,250 Nm (922 lb-ft) of torque, but the latter is limited to 1,050 Nm (774 lb-ft) in order to “protect the driveline”. Power is transmitted to all four wheels thanks to the 4MATIC+ system through a 9-speed automatic gearbox.

0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) comes in 3.2 seconds, according to Brabus. Combine this with the 205 mph top speed and the new 900 Rocket Edition is -on paper at least- considerably faster than models like the Bentley Bentayga Speed, the Lamborghini Urus, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, and virtually any other stock performance SUV available in the market.

However, in order to achieve it, you need to spec the car with the 23-inch Brabus Monoblock Y “Platinum Edition” wheels, shod in Continental tires (295/30 ZR23 front and 335/30 ZR23 rear) and not the pictured 24-inch Brabus Monoblock Z “Platinum Edition” which come with exposed-carbon aero-discs.

Brabus has also added its own control module in the air suspension system, lowering the car by 25 mm (1 inch). Braking is taken care of from vented and cross-drilled carbon-ceramic brake discs measuring 400 mm (15.7 inches) at the front and 360 mm (14.2 inches) at the rear.

Styling updates are similar to the Brabus 800 SUV Coupe with the body’s exposed carbon-fiber components including a new grille, front splitter, fender extensions, three-piece rear spoiler, diffuser, and additional trim for the inlets/outlets. The stainless sport exhaust system has four titanium/carbon tailpipes with active sound management.

Inside, Brabus has added fine leather upholstery that can be specified in any desired color in combination with Alcantara, noble-wood, and carbon fiber. The display car comes with red accents that are …quite striking to say the least, contrasting with the Superior Gray finish.

Whoever is interested in acquiring the “world’s fastest street-legal SUV” should hurry up and order one, since Brabus will only offer 25 examples of the 900 Rocket. The starting price of €381,243 ($447,407) excluding taxes is significantly higher than the $116,000 price tag of the stock Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe, but the modifications are quite extensive. For peace of mind, Brabus is offering a 3-year or 100,000-km/62,000-mile warranty.

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This Chevrolet Camaro Would Double As An Excellent Snowplow

The Chevrolet Camaro may no longer be selling in the numbers it once was, but it is still a very well-rounded performance car. It is also a very popular car to customize but the owner of this particular example has perhaps gone a little overboard with its custom features.

This photo was recently shared to the Shitty_Car_Mods section of Reddit after the car was spotted somewhere in North America. It is painted in a shade of red but the owner decided to paint the hood and roof black. However, it’s not these parts that drew our attention.

For starters, this Camaro features hugely flared front and rear wheel arches that sit out well beyond the edges of the wheels. Were the wheels to fill these arches, they wouldn’t look so bad but they don’t even come close. A truly bizarre front splitter has then been affixed to the front of the Camaro which protrudes out at least a foot from the front bumper.

In fact, the splitter is so massive that it features additional supports securing it to the front of the muscle car. The size of it even led the original poster to suggest that it looks more like a snowplow than it does a Chevy Camaro – and we’re inclined to agree.

Rounding thins up is a rear wing that, obviously, is anything but subtle. To our eyes, it all looks way OTT, but what do you make of this rather unusually modified Camaro?

Nero Nemesis Twin Turbo Lamborghini Huracan Performante Looks Good On Golden Wheels

With the exception of the Aventador SVJ, the Huracan Performante remains the fastest production car from Lamborghini to ever lap the Nurburgring. This particular example, outfitted with a pair of turbochargers, would be even quicker.

Strasse Wheels recently got its hands on this Huracan and fitted it with a set of SV12 Deep Concave Duoblock wheels measuring 20×9 at the front and 21×12.5 at the rear. These wheels have a Brushed Champagne finish that contrasts the Nero Nemesis matte black paint absolutely perfectly. Making the car all the more striking are red centerlocks and red brake calipers.

We’re not sure what company was tasked with installing the twin turbochargers, but whoever it might be, this Huracan should be pumping out in excess of 1,000 hp. To put that into perspective, the 5.2-liter naturally-aspirated V10 of the stock Performante delivers 631 hp.

The Huracan, as well as the Gallardo that it replaced, has always been popular among tuning companies. The supercar’s V10 engine is strong and receptive to modifications, so much so that there are some twin-turbo Gallardo and Huracan models out there with upwards of 3,000 on tap. It’s little surprise that these cars rank among some of the world’s quickest, with many capable of sub-8-second quarter-mile times and top speeds exceeding 250 mph (400 km/h).

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Cadillac Won’t Make An Estate Version Of The CT5-V Blackwing, But You Can Have This CTS-V Wagon Instead

As impressive as the new Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is, we think the fact that it isn’t available as a wagon is a pity. Fortunately, anyone wanting a high-performance Cadillac combined with the practicality of a wagon can buy something like this on the used car market.

The Cadillac CTS-V Wagon you’re looking at is a 2013 model and while that means it has some outdated technology compared to the CT5-V Blackwing, it still offers heaps of power. In fact, this particular example has been extensively modified and dyno graphs included in the Bring a Trailer listing confirm it has 781 hp at the rear wheels and 750 lb-ft (1,016 Nm) of torque.

Upgrades made to the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 include an Airaid intake system, American Racing long-tube headers, GM Performance three-bolt cam gear, BTR Stage 3 camshaft, BTR timing chain, BTR valve springs with titanium retainers, BTR trunnion kit, a D3 Crank-mount boost pulley kit, Innovators West lower balance, new spark plug wires, ported throttle body, aftermarket fuel pumps, new fuel injectors, and the ability to run on E85.

Watch Also: This Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Is So Powerful And So Fast It Needs A Parachute To Stop

The exterior of the car is clad in Black Diamond Tricoat paint and it has been upgraded with a carbon fiber splitter and carbon hood. It also sits on 20-inch wheels from Vossen with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.

As with any CTS-V Wagon, the cabin is comfortable for a family and includes heated and ventilated Recaro front seats clad in Ebony leather. The cabin also features dual-zone automatic climate control, remote start, navigation, and a custom Audison audio system with a 1,000-watt amplifier.

The listing confirms the car has only been driven 26,000 miles (~41,800 km) and since Cadillac won’t make a CT5-V Blackwing Wagon, this remains the next best thing.

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Modellista Aero-Kitted Land Cruiser Is Here To Make Babies Cry

Toyota has only just pulled the covers back on its new Land Cruiser, but the company’s aftermarket arm is ready with a stack of mods designed to make pedestrians even more terrified of it.

We’re willing to bet Modellista’s Aero Parts set offers no meaningful improvement to the aerodynamics and stability of a vehicle that glides through the air with all the grace of a WWF wrestler getting into a Lotus Elise. But it certainly gives the Land Crusier a heap more visual attitude, which is the real point.

The kit comprises a new front spoiler that fits in the lower section of the bumper and bigger wheelarch mouldings with a contrasting trim that really makes them pop.

Moving to the rear there’s a new lower bumper section with the now obligatory diffuser-like shape, a sporty twin-outlet exhaust tailpipe and a stainless steel rear bumper step guard. And towering above both is the kind of double-hump roof spoiler you expect to see on a hot hatch. Finishing the exterior look is a set of six-spoke 21-inch alloy wheels.

Prices range from ¥51,700 ($473) for an unpainted roof spoiler to ¥401,500 ($3674) for Aero Parts Set A, which includes the front and rear bumpers and arch trims painted and ready to fit.

The interior options for the new Land Cruiser are pretty disappointing in comparison, but you can jazz up the door panels with some metal (or metal-effect) trim, add infrared film to the windows, and improve the interior lighting with LEDs in the door bottoms and luggage area.

But before you run down to your local Toyota dealer it’s worth bearing a couple of minor details in mind. One is that Modellista’s take on a performance-themed Land Cruiser is much glitzier and less authentically sporty than the new GR Land Cruiser, which Toyota says is the base for an upcoming assault on the Dakar Rally.

And the other, rather more important, detail is that depending where you are in the world, you might not even be able to buy the new Land Cruiser at all. Toyota retired the model from the U.S. market due to falling sales, and though the next Lexus LX will be based on the Land Cruiser, you’ll pay a premium for that badge.

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This 2,000 HP, 7-Second Twin-Turbo Lamborghini Huracan Is The World’s Fastest

While the Lamborghini Huracan is slowly heading towards the end of its lifecycle, it remains a favorite among those looking to build an insane street-legal drag car that can set astonishing quarter-mile times.

We have featured this twin-turbocharged Huracan in the past when it was performing some massive wheelies at the drag strip last year. Fast forward to the middle of 2021 and development of the car has continued to the point where it is now the world’s quickest Huracan.

Watch Also: 1,800 HP Lamborghini Huracan Pops Some Massive Wheelies At The Drag Strip

The car has been built by AMS Performance which doesn’t just make some of the world’s quickest and most powerful Nissan GT-Rs but is also quite experienced with equipping the Huracan with twin turbochargers and turning it into an absolute animal. In addition to fitting two turbos, AMS has comprehensively overhauled the 5.2-liter V10 and also fitted a billet intake manifold. The dual-clutch seven-speed transmission has also been strengthened. All up, the car delivers over 2,000 hp and 1,279 lb-ft (1,734 Nm) of torque at the wheels.

The AMS crew brought out the tuned Huracan to the Hail Mary Derby in Maryland and performed a handful of quarter-mile runs in the pursuit of a record. Helping to put all the power to the ground are beadlock wheels with Mickey Thompson ET drag radial tires. The car recorded a number of quarter-mile runs in the mid-7-second range before setting a best time of 7.33 seconds at 194.52 mph (313 km/h), setting a world record in the process.

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The Sexy 2002 Speedbird That Launched Chip Foose’s TV Career Can Be Yours For 50 Grand

Named SEMA’s 2003 Best of Show, the Ford Foose Speedbird has some provenance. And now it’s being offered for sale on eBay.

One of three Thunderbirds given to hot rodders in 2002, the Ford customizing program was meant to get people excited for the new 11th generation Thunderbird. This one was designed by Chip Foose (the other two were done by So-Cal Speed Shop and Bobby Alloway), who would later come to prominence in the era’s TV hot rodding scene.

Although it’s still recognizably a 2002 Thunderbird, the changes are pretty thorough. Not only was the windshield replaced by a shorter wraparound unit, the front and rear fascias were also replaced, and a new grille insert was added.

The front headlights, meanwhile, came from a Volkswagen Beetle and the whole car was lowered with Eibach springs. One-off 20-inch wheels were designed to match the car’s deeply early-aughts aesthetic.

And there’s actually a pretty good chance that you know that. Or knew it. Because the whole process was documented for the Discovery Channel‘s show Rides.It’s powered by a 3.9-liter V8 making 252 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque that sends its power to the rear wheels through a 5-speed automatic transmission. Slowing it down are cross-drilled and slotted four-wheel disc brakes clamped by BAER calipers.

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Inside, it has distressed leather bucket seats, white face gauges, and brushed aluminum accents. As a 19-year-old car, the interior certainly looks completely dated now (not that it ever really looked modern to begin with). The stance, to modern eyes, looks a little off and the head unit is classic Ford.

But it’s also deeply representative of that time and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before this becomes historically relevant.

If it’s already relevant enough to catch your interest, you can check out the listing at Kassabian’s Hotcars, which is offering the Speedbird for $49,995.

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Update: GM Shoots Down Rumor On Supercharger Option For Escalade, Tahoe And Yukon SUVs

We reached out to General Motors asking them about MT’s report on a dealer installed supercharger option for the automaker’s trio of large SUVs, with a Cadillac spokesperson shooting down the rumor as “complete speculation” without saying anything further. [Updated 2/14/2021]

– Original story follows below

Rumors about a high-performance Cadillac Escalade-V were circulating a few years ago, but that now seems unlikely as officials recently suggested the CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwings would be the last petrol-powered V-Series models.

While that’s disappointing, it appears fans of high-performance SUVs won’t be entirely out of luck.

According to Motor Trend citing an inside source, GM will offer a supercharger for the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe / Suburban and GMC Yukon. Little is known about the company’s plan at this point, but it appears the supercharger will be a dealer-installed option for models equipped with the 6.2-liter V8 engine.

Driven: The 2021 Cadillac Escalade Finally Feels Like A Proper Flagship

Picture credit: Michael Gauthier for Carscoops

In naturally aspirated form, the engine produces 420 hp (313 kW / 426 PS) and 460 lb-ft (623 Nm) of torque. It moves the SUVs with authority, but we wouldn’t exactly call them quick.

However, the supercharger could change that as the publication estimates they could increase the output to 600-625 hp (447-466 kW / 608-634 PS). That would be a significant jump and not too far off from the CT5-V Blackwing’s rating of 668 hp (498 kW / 677 PS).

There’s no word on when the supercharger could arrive or how much it will cost, but the publication noted the SUVs have a locked ECU. This prevents tuners such as Hennessey Performance from offering their own high-performance versions and it means GM could see a boost from customers looking for more power.

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