Mansory Rolls-Royce Phantom. If good taste is your thing, we would recommend looking away for a very brief moment. These are not our words, but the words of various automotive media whenever news surfaces from Mansory. And we must confess that our eyebrows have also been less affected by gravity when witnessing Mansory’s creations. But we understand their clientele, who move in circles that mere mortals barely know about. And in that world, an ordinary Rolls-Royce is like a standard-equipped Volkswagen over here, not done. So off to Mansory with it, where they first make up the order form. The amount on that order form is something that you can’t save up with a normal job, so we see few of our readers bidding on this Phantom that was recently put up for sale for just under 975,000 euros. And that makes the b, the l, the i, the n and the g very expensive letters if you’re going to put them in a row. In return, you do get a new front bumper, LED DRLs and a carbon fiber splitter. The grille gets some lighting so it can make the most of its function as massive flytrap. The front fenders get side grills, the sides also get some carbon fiber and in the rear, all kinds of things are happening. And thankfully, it is done very stylishl, as the diffuser with a quartet of exhausts fits like a glove, as does the subtle boot spoiler. The Phantom was also lowered slightly so that the 24-inch wheels fill the wheel arches perfectly. Opening the doors should come with a warning that a welding mask is mandatory, as this is something that only the Dutch do not go partially blind. Finally, a mechanic at Mansory also managed to open the bonnet, and the result is an extra 39 bhp, so this Mansory Phantom now delivers 602 bhp and 950 Nm of torque. No doubt enough for that little layer of foam in your champagne glass….
Manhart G 800 Inferno & C63 CR700. Inferno is not a new blockbuster from Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the type indication for some extra power for your G-Class by Manhart. AMG’s twin-turbo V8 gets 798 hp, which is quite a bit more than the original 577 hp. Torque increases even more spectacularly, as it comes out to 1170 NM, instead of the standard 849 Nm. Unfortunately, these are figures that scare even Manhart a bit, as they don’t mention a word about performance. The garnish of carbon parts on this G-Class is a complete carbon fiber kit from Top Car Design. A second case study is the V8-powered Mercedes-AMG C63 S, which is the base for this Manhart CR 700. Scaled-up turbos, a modified intercooler, a carbon intake and some fiddling with the computer produce an extra 199 hp and 220 Nm. And then you quickly figure out why Manhart calls this sedan CR 700, because you do get 702 hp and 918 Nm of torque on board. Here, they were apparently less afraid to climb aboard, because after a test drive, it was soon clear that the 0-100 km/h distance was mastered in 5.5 seconds. For both cars, the gold trim is an option, and perhaps just as well.
BBR Mazda MX-5/Miata. The Mazda Miata or MX-5 is known for its contribution to the term driving pleasure. And you experience that driving pleasure at its best when you have to do some cornering on public roads, but when a track day occurs, you soon notice that it lacks some power. Mazda itself never came up with the idea of doing anything about that, so the ball is in the field of the Aftermarket industry. But even there, it’s pretty much a fluke, with only a limited number of tuners seeing potential in tuning the little roadster. Fortunately, there are always exceptions that prove the rule, but you have to go to the country once ruled by a scarecrow and a queen who wouldn’t budge for 70 years. BBR is the name of the company and they are offering new stages of their supercharger kits for the 2015 and 2019 Miata/MX-5 models. Standard, the 2.0-litre engine produces 155 hp, and by fitting a Rotrex supercharger, among others, BBR can boost that power to just under 250 hp. BBR is also currently working on a supercharger package for the more powerful 181bhp 2.0-litre engine. Perhaps 300 hp for this little roadster will then be an option, and then the fun factor will be all over the place.
Irmscher Opel Astra Hatchback. Future grandparents are still going to be able to tell their grandchildren how Opel was once a sexy car through their OPC division. Those were Opels that got a little more space in the automotive press, and even got a spot on a cover once in a while. Today, sporty Vauxhalls are an extinct breed, but fortunately there are still some survivors of the 20th century who look upon a tuned Vauxhall as a form of livelihood. Irmscher is a name that has been around for several generations, and is still making efforts to make Opel’s look more tasty. Irmscher’s full contribution consists of a front and rear spoiler, side skirts and some striping. You can choose the Irmscher rims in 18 or 19 inches. And that’s where it ends, because even at Irmscher they apparently haven’t found the little lever to open the bonnet, and so you are stuck with the maximum 225 hp that the sportiest Opel Astra GSe has to offer. Now we just have to wait and see how many enthusiasts will want to bring these renders to the real world.