Tuesday 8th March 2011

Geneva Show: Tune In, Freak Out

We check out some of the more, er, extravagant creations to grace the Swiss show floor this year

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ABT's R8 was spectacular...

The tuners were out in force at Geneva, ranging from the stands with six cars or more to the minnows, and containing very much - if you'll forgive us the cliché - the good, the bad the ugly. And the Mansory, of course.

As usual, the most common recipient for the tuners' attentions was Porsche, but we'll start with a couple of respected Audi fettlers, ABT and MTM.

The MTM stand was dominated by the blinding spectacle of their R8 V10, not as you may presume, a wrap, but the result of stripping the paint from the car and then hand-polishing the aluminium for 700 hours. It also features their twin-turbo installation, bringing the power up to 777hp with 655lb ft of torque - good for 0-60mph in around 3.0 seconds. They also showed a TT RS with 472hp that looked more than a little useful.

ABT countered with a pair of R8s, both V10-based and featuring 620hp along with a raft of carbon fibre body parts. On the coupe the weight saving was said to be 100kg. They also had A6 and A7 models, but we'd been distracted by then with the great 'Geneva Cayenne Competition'.

...But MTM's effort was - er - shiny

Nothing seems to get the tuners excited like Porsche's SUV, even if the Mk2 version must be far too subtle for the tastes of their extroverted clientele. One of the more popular creations has always been the 'Magnum' by Techart so, no doubt to the delight of footballers everywhere, the company presented their new version at the show.

Still, if you think that's a little bit gauche, you haven't seen anything yet. SpeedART's black-with-blue example, for instance, or the Sportec offering, were certainly rivals, but the Hamann Cayenne really bent the needle on the good-taste-o-meter, challenged hard by Lumma (we'll be hearing from them again shortly, oh yes) and everyone's favourite, the Mansory. In fact, you might be expecting Mansory to scoop this competition outright, but the 'creation' that really snapped the meter's needle was the wide-arched, matt paint creation from FAB Design. We don't have a trophy, but if we did, imagine just how tacky it would be...

Techart Cayenne seemed almost conservative...

..compared to the efforts of some

FAB Design also triumphed in the emerging 'Geneva Panamera Competition' with a truly stunning white, wide-arch effort. Contrast, if you will, efforts from SpeedART, and of course, the new Techart Panamera Grand GT.

The Panameras were equally...	...erm... striking

Novitec Rosso's Ferraris were more impressive - including an Ecurie Belge-inspired 599 GTO - while Mansory's 458 was, er, 'interesting', and included slats over the rear window like those on an old Capri. Should you mess with the delectable 458 in the name of individualisation? You decide.

[goron59]

Out of that lot, the only one that *looks* good is the shiny R8.
Some of them look like they've just paid a visit to Halfords :-/

[jbforce10]

That Mansory 458 is an abomination. I wonder what kind of a person would buy such a thing instead of an original 458... And how do I ensure that I never meet such a person in the flesh, ever.

[Heartworm]

Love the R8. Don't think the 458 looks bad, but it's ruined the lines of the original.

[OwenK]

What is it with tuners deciding to put "old style" front ends on newer cars? First the SLS made to look like an SLR, and now the 458 made to look like an Enzo. You'd think if anything they would be doing it the other way around, offering kits to "update" the styling of older models to match the new stuff, rather than looking backward.

I guess if anything it reinforces the theory that they have no actual design ability themselves and with a lack of new models to copy they've had to start copying older bits in their ongoing near magpie-like quest for shiny things.

[JumpinJack]

I'm sorry but chrome paint, or wraps, went out a long time ago! infact... were they ever in

Personally my fave is the ABT R8, but not sure about the "roof" scoops.

[JohnGoodridge]

Hahahah. Mansory, the Charlie Sheen of the automotive world.

[chazwozza]

i WAS just about to have breakfast, think i'll pass now.

[The Donster]

I wonder if Mansory now employ this nutjob:

http://www.ridelust.com/a-lithuanian-a-destroyed-m...

Or, indeed, this loose cannon:

http://www.yourdiscovery.com/chopshop/gallery/inde...

[jake15919]

The only difference between this and some spotty little kid buying a spoiler out of the back of Max Power and gluing it on the back of his Saxo is the money spent. Exactly the same Bowerbird mentality.

[PHmember]

Not ONE of those looks better than the original.

[vintageracer01]

I went to Geneva at the two press days taking pictures.

I terms of tuners I only saw the bad, the ugly and the Mansory. Ehrmmm, where were the good ???

[E36GUY]

What's the story with Mansoury then? Where does the money come from to keep buying then ruining all these seriously expensive cars?

[george h]

E36GUY said:

What's the story with Mansoury then? Where does the money come from to keep buying then ruining all these seriously expensive cars?

Arabs no doubt, they seem to have endless money with no taste.

[mylesmcd]

We need to stop giving the Middle East so much money for oil.

[Pixel Pusher]

george h said:

E36GUY said:

What's the story with Mansoury then? Where does the money come from to keep buying then ruining all these seriously expensive cars?

Arabs no doubt, they seem to have endless money with no taste.

Not all are bought by Arabs.....

[Benjman]

MTM had to polish really hard to get the plastic bumper that shiny

[Mad for tar]

It must be bad when an X6 is the least offensive car in a line up like that....

[sootyrumble]

The Donster said:

I wonder if Mansory now employ this nutjob:

http://www.ridelust.com/a-lithuanian-a-destroyed-m...

In all honesty i can't believe how good it looks at the end the wheels are horrendous but Mansonry don't have that guys flare at all LOL

[jezzaaa]

jbforce10 said:

That Mansory 458 is an abomination. I wonder what kind of a person would buy such a thing instead of an original 458... And how do I ensure that I never meet such a person in the flesh, ever.

Wealthy Arabs

[CABBYBROWN]

GOOD GRIEF!!! Only goes to prove that money doesn't buy taste!

If Visualtech can transform a (very nice) XKR into the (absolutely stunning IMHO) Growler, even if only digitally, what excuse do these people have for disfiguring some of the most beautiful production cars of the day into these blinged-up gurners?
These "designers" should have their crayons taken away and re-distributed posterior-wise!