At the end of the ’90s it became apparent that many people were getting bored with modern cars, which were all beginning to look and feel very much alike. To address the quest for individuality, manufacturers tend to go in one of two ways. Either they make groundbreaking futuristic designs that may or may not be liked, or play it safe and go down the retro route.

A stack of tires sits in the corner and there are broken down bodies of BMWs past and present everywhere. It would be a shame, but this is no graveyard, it’s the headquarters of Manhart Racing and each and every one of the sorry BMWs is the precursor to a brighter, better future. Like the 707bhp V8 R Biturbo we’re here to drive.

In my younger days, much younger, a Tonka truck took its proud place on the living room carpet. That truck went through walls, bounced over rough terrain and launched several feet into the air off ludicrous ramps made from wood and bricks. This, right here, is the real version: the Bowler Nemesis EXR.

It doesn't seem that long ago that 500 hp was the entry level for the top rank of supercars. McLaren's F1 changed that by upping the ante to 600 hp nearly two decades ago.

The Brabus 5.0 liter V8-powered 190E of 1984 was spectacular but expensive and impractical for most customers. So the M103 straight-six that debuted with the W124 in 1985 was a godsend.

When GT Haus showed up with this Flossman-kitted widebody at the yearly SEMA show in Las Vegas, opinions were mixed. Show attendants tended to either drool or throw up. Those who threw up really only pretended to do so, stating that widebodies only belong on racecars. Those who loved it, well they just ogled it, some of them touching their nether regions. And while it’s not a racecar, it looks like one and definitely can’t be hurt by the extra grip in the corners from tires and wheels allowed by the extra wide stance.

Engine transplants have been around since the dawn of tuning time and we have watched in wonder as bright men with spanners forced the largest possible powerplant through the smallest possible aperture to create a bucking bronco the original manufacturer never envisaged. This, though, is something else. This is the Mansory G-Couture, the military G-Wagen crammed full of, wait for it, an SLR 722 engine. Seriously.

The BMW X6 M is, effectively, Europe's Hummer. It's faster, slicker, better engineered, superior in more or less every way. In fact, it's a borderline miracle in pure engineering terms. But the underlying attitude is the same.

On paper, taking the flat-plane crank V8 from the F430, mating it to a state-of-the-art twin-clutch gearbox, and then adding a powered folding hardtop, would seem like a match made in heaven. Yet to die-hard Ferrari addicts, the California is one of those strange aberrations that happen every now and then. The Mondial that attempted to offer a 2+2 experience was one, and the California, as Ferrari's answer to the wildly successful Mercedes SL formula, appears to be the latest.

Money, like mold and rat infestations, tends to collect in localized points. It finds itself, which can be both good and bad. It means there's always a friendly face to share a bottle of Krug and some smoked salmon, but it can also mean driving down the high street in a Veyron, thinking you're the man, until you catch a glimpse of your friend's Bugatti in the rearview. It can happen, and it can send a rich man into fits. Mercedes tuner Carlsson might have the unlikely answer with its C25.

Gray is a controversial color for a supercar. While it looks sharp and technical in bright sunshine, its stealthy character doesn't deliver the "Coming through, move over!" message so vital for autobahn stormers. Aside from that, Porsche's Meteor Gray metallic hue really suits SpeedArt's take on the second-gen 997 Turbo, which comes with the mind numbing BTR-II 650 EVO appellation.

The only possible way this M3 could be more extroverted is if it was painted something like Speed Yellow or Verde Ithaca. According to VF Engineering founder Nik Saran-one half of the two-pronged attack launched at making this one of the world's most extreme E92s (the other being carbon-panel specialist Vorsteiner)-he has always wanted to do a military-themed car. "A lot of our customers are military personnel," Saran says. "And it's just a very eye-grabbing theme."

The Mercedes-Benz SLK has fought long and hard to shake off the hairdresser's sports car tag bestowed upon it by the monolithic presence that is Jeremy Clarkson. Admittedly, the asthmatic two-liters and their automatic gearboxes kind of deserved the abuse, but the new R171 55 AMG is a real weapon with performance to back up its brutish looks. Especially this one.

The events of the days leading up to the meeting of these three tuned Panameras read like a suspense novel. In fact, some aspects that played out were so bizarre, you couldn't make it up.

This menacing matte-black Brabus SL65 Black Series bestrides the autobahnen and even ordinary roads like a Colossus. Its huge intakes look capable of vacuuming up small animals and children as it prowls the streets. Resistance is futile.

BMW's latest 7 Series never wanted to be a luxury car. It was faking it. Sure it comes draped in luxury leather, is packed with gadgets and enough space for a board meeting in the back, but it was always, first and foremost, a driver's car.

Everything seemed fine. Sublime, actually. Outskirts of Nagoya, in a tweaked F430, pulling back on the paddle for fourth gear, hard on the throttle, revs climbing, engine screaming and traffic politely moving over.

With a top speed of 322.3 km/h (200.3 mph) the BRABUS GLK V12 has set a new speed record for street-legal compact SUVs on the Italian high-speed test track on October 19th, 2009. BRABUS builds this high-performance automobile based on the Mercedes GLK-Class powered by a twelve-cylinder twin turbo engine with 750 hp (740 bhp). The new BRABUS SV12 R Biturbo 750 engine was implanted in the small engine bay of the GLK with meticulous precision. The engineers and technicians drew upon their experience and know-how gathered from the development and production of the special model BRABUS BULLIT, based on the latest Mercedes C-Class.

It's called the rearview mirror effect, the instant psychological reaction to another machine rushing up to your tailgate, and it's more complex than you'd think. A Ferrari's inimitable front end rushing up can provoke envy, even blocking tactics. But today, in ABT Sportsline's AS5-R, with lights ablaze and venomous warning colors running down its length, the local traffic virtually throws itself off the road to avoid a potentially painful bite. At least we warned them.

Brian Werstak's 1994 Mercedes E500 Limited Limited. the word can mean many things and unfortunately its usage in automotive nomenclature has been widely and pathetically abused. Used in an automotive context, the earliest association I muster goes back to the 1950s and the Ford Crown Victoria LTD.

When you drive fast cars for a living, it's difficult not to be blasé when a tuner claims that his latest car is the best thing since sliced bread. But when a car sets your pulse racing just like it did when you were a newbie, you know you're on to something special.That happened when I drove Nowack's 5.7-liter M5. The claimed 628 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque are impressive enough, but this engine really can set the hair on the back of your neck tingling.

"So you guys do Aston Martin now, that right?"
"Well, we had a customer referred to us who-"
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"-decided to do a little bit of research. Then-"
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"-phone with Aston Martin Racing in the U.K., and-"
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Now even more dynamic:
Exclusive Carlsson RS design for a distinctive look
Available in genuine carbon fiber or PUR
Performance rear muffler with four stainless steel tips
Light alloy rims in 21" for the current S-class

The Volkswagen Golf GTI was unveiled in 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The UK market had to wait a further two years for vehicles to arrive - 1977 saw 34 examples, all of them left hand drive, sold in the GTI's first tentative year.

Horsepower is like a drug. It provides a nice high for while, but the cravings for more soon ensue. This is the case with the Audi A3 equipped with AWE's K04 turbo upgrade. It wasn't the lack of power that prompted the quest for greater thrills, but brief exposure to the vehicle's potential. It just so happens that AWE has recently finished development on a fuel system upgrade to accompany the K04. Time to get a fix.