Autos

When I think of old restored cars, the cars that come to mind are either muscle cars, sports cars, or some sort of limited production cars that were pretty rare even when they were new.  A mass-produced Mercedes-Benz sedan is probably the last car I’d think of restoring but that’s exactly what German car tuner VÄTH has done.

VÄTH is known for tuning newer Mercedes-Benz cars with some very powerful engines.  The car they’ve worked their magic on this time is the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, which the tuning firm is calling W109.  The 300 SEL was the predecessor to the world-famous S-Class and was produced from 1967 to 1972.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of writing about the Land Rover Defender and if the Defender has aftermarket modifications, it puts an even bigger smile on my face.  British car tuning firm A. Kahn Design, formerly known as Project Kahn, has tuned the Land Rover Defender called the XS 90 under the Chelsea Truck Company, a sub-brand of Kahn Design that specializes in off-road vehicles.

You could ask just about anyone to name a famous race event and in all likelihood their answer would be the Indianapolis 500. Held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on every Memorial Day long weekend since 1911, the Indy 500 is a huge spectator event. Thousands of racing enthusiasts love this race for its history, traditions, format, and of course, to see the most technologically advanced open-wheel Indy race cars, the Indy pace car, and the world’s best drivers in heated action.

It’s the job of the Indy pace car driver is to lead the race field for a 2 ½ mile lap around the track to warm up engines, tires, and to allow the entire field to position themselves correctly while reaching a prescribed speed so that the race can be started from a flying start. As the field comes to the starting line the pace car peels off into the pit lane and the race is under way!

Lexus, the company known for making luxurious cars that are extremely well built and mostly driven by old people, has been trying to reinvent itself by showing us some exciting new products lately that would appeal to a younger crowd.  Their latest creation is the Lexus LS TMG Sports 650, based on the Lexus LS luxury sedan.

The car is the brainchild of Toyota Motorsports GmbH (TMG) and is much more aggressive looking than any stock Lexus sedan.  The TMG Sports 650 sports sedan is powered a 5.0 liter twin-turbo V8 engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.  The turbocharged engine produces a massive

Kahn Design has built quite the portfolio over the years with tuned luxury vehicles as well as superfast exotic sports cars. Some people like to modify their vehicles in a subtle yet classy manner while others like their ride to stick out like a sore thumb. If you like a bit of class and a whole lot of “hey, look at me” then the lime green Range Rover Evoque RS250 by Kahn Design is the ride for you.

The Range Rover Evoque Rs250 features a Lamborghini Green Pearl paintjob which would normally be way too much for a vehicle like the Evoque but roof and hood of the vehicle are finished in black giving it a nice contrast and more elegant look. Besides the eye popping paint job, the Evoque receives an aerodynamics kits with new bumpers, side skirts, wheel arch extensions, spoiler, and a new front grille.

Last year, Acura brought the NSX Hybrid Concept car to the 2012 Detroit Auto Show and promised us a production version of the Japanese mid-engine supercar.  This year they brought yet another NSX Concept that looks even closer to a production car, with a few tweaks to the exterior design and a real interior.

The Acura NSX will probably be sold as a 2015 model and a production model could make its debut next year at one of the major car shows.