On a sunny, late summer day, we called Charlie Watson at Beechmont Ford Performance (BFP) with a question: “Anything new?” He said yes, because he always says yes, following that with, “And I can probably get you a drive.” Watson is the guy who, in 2016, opened the gate to…

If the tumescent front fascia on the fourth-generation BMW X3 didn’t convey its inspiration clearly, enough, look at the new crossover in profile: It’s a scaled-down XM, the SUV that still points to BMW’s future. The new X3’s interior? It’s a concept car interior headed for Munich streets, as shown…

It’s been a long, strange trip to get the modern Volkswagen Bus back to the U.S. in the smooth electric form of the 2025 ID.Buzz. While that replaces the model, though, it doesn’t replace the old Bus culture. That’s where Seattle shop Peace Vans comes in, having spent six months…

[Update: Ford let us know early Thursday morning that the 2022 model year Bronco Raptor had been inadvertently left out of the mix. The following copy has been updated to include it.] Remember the days of inexpensive, factory-backed upgrades for domestic performance cars? Well, Ford does, and man have they…

The first thing to follow a crate engine announcement seems to be a long wait. Dodge announced a range of Hurricrate inline-six engines and four Hellephants in November 2022. The Hurricates are finally here. They start with the Cat 1 (as in hurricane category, ba-dum bump) making 420 horsepower and…

If you’re the type with a Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion fetish, deep pockets and good connections, you may just be in luck. Boutique builder and restoration provider Tuthill Porsche is going to build 22 examples of this carbon-fiber GT One road car — emphasis on road, there. Of the various…

Another summer, another stanza in the composition of Singer Vehicle Designs’ Turbo Study. If you’ll remember, in 2022 Singer debuted the Turbo Study with a 964-derived (but heavily modified) 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six making either 450 or 510 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, shifted through a six-speed manual gearbox. The…

Associate Editor Byron Hurd introduced to you the official Subaru performance accessories that we had installed on our 2023 Subaru WRX. And of them, the one I was most excited for, and anticipated would change the experience the most, was the STI muffler. For as fun and feisty as the…

Mercedes-Benz’s rivalry against Audi and BMW looks almost friendly compared to the war that the firm is fighting against counterfeiters. It’s working with law enforcement to destroy knock-off parts, and it announced that authorities seized over 1.6 million counterfeits in 2023. Whether we’re talking about Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, or Louis Vuitton,…

Electrifying classic cars is one of the most polarizing topics in the automotive world right now, with some feeling that it’s a great way to keep older models on the road and others angered that people are ditching classic gas powertrains for electric power. British-based Arcade Cars is walking the…

North Carolina-based tuner RTR Vehicles is re-releasing one of the Ford Mustang’s most striking paint colors: Mystichrome. Part of the company’s newly-announced Premium Paint Options palette, Mystichrome completely changes color depending on the light hitting it. Mystichrome was called Mystic when it made its debut on the 1996 Mustang Cobra.…

Recaro, a German brand best known for supplying seats to sports car manufacturers and racing teams, has filed for bankruptcy. The company declared bankruptcy in a German court on July 29, 2024, and officials appointed a Stuttgart-based lawyer named Holger Blümle to oversee the process. Note that not every company…

It’s easy to make fun of the Tesla Cybertruck’s looks and talk about its lack of utility, but some people actually do “truck stuff” with their funky electric pickups. The automaker recently began offering a pair of accessories to help those owners get the most out of their Cybertruck’s odd…

The most powerful factory-built version of the seventh-generation Ford Mustang is the $300,000 GTD, which packs over 800 horsepower. Michigan-based tuner Roush announced a supercharger kit for the 5.0-liter V8 that unlocks GTD-like power for a comparatively low $10,000. Developed jointly with Magnuson Superchargers, the kit includes dual intercoolers, an…

In addition to its first special edition, Ineos brought a bunch of custom projects from itself and partner companies to Goodwood. They range from modified production cars to some very special-purpose vehicles, including a safari truck and a race SUV. Not only that, but with the right pocket book and…

Land Rover offers three versions of the new Defender called 90, 110, and 130, respectively, but it doesn’t sound like the range will gain a pickup anytime soon. Dutch coachbuilder Heritage Customs has stepped in to fill the gap by giving the longest modern Defender a cargo box. Chopping up…

Toyota is finally building a turbocharged GR86, but it’s not following the Subaru-blazed path of blending forced induction with a flat-four. It’s instead turning the coupe into a one-off, rally-inspired concept that will debut at the 2024 SEMA show with the Corolla GR’s turbo-three. While the Japanese brand hasn’t released…

As the electric Jeep Wagoneer S was making its debut, Texas-based Vigilante was busy taking the nameplate in a completely different direction. It gave the original Grand Wagoneer the resto-mod treatment with a modern suspension, huge brakes, and an 807-horsepower V8. The company started with a 1988 model and left…

Volkswagen is stepping into the fun spirit of the Bus with the imminent launch of the ID. Buzz here in the U.S. As the second “International Bus Day” approaches on June 2, VW announced a new custom graphics program that will be available for the Buzz in collaboration with Wrapmate.…

Exomod is no stranger to stretching vintage (looking) carbon fiber Dodge bodywork over modern Challenger Hellcat foundations. Its current catalog spans three variations, including a mean-looking Daytona, but the company recently announced a new car with a Hennessey-supercharged V8 under the hood. The Ascent Blue Angel, named after a custom-built…

America’s favorite car colors skew toward the boring, with white, gray, and black holding the top three spots. That can be a real bummer if you’re shopping for a used car and want something spicier, but the good news is that you can easily get more color in your life…

Law enforcement officials in South Carolina will begin issuing tickets to vehicles with the so-called “Carolina Squat” modification on May 10. While the practice of lifting the front end of a vehicle has been illegal for months, the state has given out warnings since announcing the ban. Broadly speaking, “squatting”…

The latest S650 Ford Mustang made numerous improvements over the outgoing generation, including a revised powertrain and better tech. Now that it’s had time to marinate on the new car, Shelby American has given it the Super Snake treatment, taking the already capable Mustang to the next level with far…

No one knows better than the folks who manufacture and market automobiles how crucial the choice of color is. Now, hoping to chase the concept of some of BMW’s technologies, Toyota is developing a method to modify their vehicles’ colors, chameleon-like, by using heat and light. As initially spotted by…

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Buying new car batteries is about as exciting as watching paint dry, but choosing the right (or wrong) product can significantly affect how your car starts and drives. It’s essential…

After watching heaps of tuners, as well as dealers like Beechmont Ford Performance, supercharge their profits by supercharging Coyote engines, the factory is increasingly getting in on the deals. Last summer, Ford Performance created the FP700 package for the F-150 for dealer showrooms, bolting a 3.0-liter Whipple Supercharger to the…

ECTO-1 looks pretty good for a 1959 Cadillac that has spent decades chasing ghosts, but the members of the Ghostbusters team wanted to add a more modern vehicle to their fleet before embarking on their next adventure. Like the #vanlife crowd and Amazon, they got a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. While the…

Unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the Jaguar C-X75 could have been one of the British brand’s wildest and coolest models. It received the green light for production, got canned, and resurfaced in the 2015 James Bond movie Spectre before disappearing for good. However, not everyone has forgotten it:…

Cyan Racing, which was known as Polestar until Volvo purchased the rights to the name in 2015, has unveiled an evolution of its resto-modded P1800 that puts a bigger emphasis on comfort. Called GT, the coupe remains as attractive as its more track-focused sibling. If you need a refresher course,…

Shelby is celebrating 25 years of the Series 1, the first car designed from the ground up by company founder Carroll Shelby, by resurrecting it as a coupe. Buyers can choose between an aluminum and a carbon fiber body, but they’ll need to install an engine before going for a…

If you’re into carbon-fiber rebodies of vintage muscle cars, SpeedKore is probably already on your radar; if not, you’re still probably familiar with their creations. SpeedKore was responsible for Kevin Hart’s “Hellraiser” and the Fast & Furious clone dubbed “Hellacious,” both of which made the rounds when they were completed.…

There’s no shortage of companies that specialize in transforming the Porsche 911 into an off-roader, but most of these builds start with an older air-cooled model that costs a significant amount of money. Denmark-based coachbuilder KALMAR Automotive wants to make high-performance off-roading accessible to a wider audience, so it developed…

So let’s say you’re an owner of a Dodge Challenger Demon 170. You just bought the ultimate factory Challenger with upgraded supercharger, engine and driveline, and it makes more than 1,000 horsepower on E85 ethanol. But you want to go even faster, what do you do? Well, Hennessey Performance is…

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. There is a lot of disagreement in society these days, but one thing we can all still agree on is that there’s nothing quite like that “new car smell.” After…

The Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear is what happens when you take the electric F-Series and turn it up to 11 on the off-road scale. In a way, it’s like an F-150 Lightning Raptor, which is now a truck that we want to see made. However, the Lightning Switchgear is not…

Japan’s carmakers continue to preview their modified wares for the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon. The show gained popularity for its vast array of tuned sports cars, but Mitsubishi’s lineup is geared towards overlanding.  Headlining the roster are a pair of Mitsubishi Triton pickups. The stock Yamabuki Orange example marks an…

Liberty Walk just loves to show up to the Tokyo Auto Salon in outrageous, heavily modified builds that stir up the hornet’s nest of opinions. For this rendition, the tuner just dropped a Liberty Walk build of the Lamborghini Countach. It’s only apt that the Japanese car builder follows its…

With 641 horsepower, aggressive bodywork, upgraded chassis, upgraded suspension and upgraded brakes, not many people were likely thinking the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N would need much else. But “not many people” is also not “all people.” So for that subset that just want something even more wild, Hyundai is going…

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is developing a product for electric vehicles that it says will help ease something that’s hampered their competitiveness against gas-powered vehicles: tire duration. EVs weigh more than their internal combustion counterparts owing to their heavy battery packs, putting more wear and tear on tires. Goodyear sought to extend…

Remember when a heated car seat was a big deal? Or when seats were made to cool the driver? Or massage his or her tush on a particularly annoying commute? Recaro has been there, done that, and this week is showing off a range of advanced seating options for sim…

If flying cars ever glide their way into the mainstream, Mansory is ready to tune them. Known for giving luxury cars a polarizing makeover, the German tuner published renderings of a coupe fitted with an aggressive-looking body kit, a pair of small wings, and retractable wheels. Mansory stresses that its…

Dodge revived the Charger name in 2006 for use on a large sedan, and while it certainly got more power and performance over the years, it still never recaptured the magic of the original coupe. Exomod changed that with its cars, which feature a Dodge Challenger Hellcat base with a…

Mercedes-Benz ended production of the G-Class Cabriolet in 2013, and with the exception of the Maybach-branded G650 Landaulet it hasn’t released another chopped-top G-Wagon since. Dubai-based Refined Marques has filled this void with a limited-edition convertible G63. Company boss Ahmed Al Bakry tells Autoblog that the idea of turning the…

Go anywhere in the world where the Land Rover Defender built its reputation, and you will find original Defenders still adding to that reputation. Since Land Rover ended production and wasn’t able to secure exclusive rights to the design, not only has one of the most famous basic utility vehicles…

Doing these roundups is always fun. Flipping through the pages of stories written in a year is kind of like going through a photo album. And this year was full of some wild memories driving amazing cars in astonishing places. I even ticked off a couple of bucket-list items, and…

Since its launch in 2018, the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny has been modified by a long list of tuners from all over the world. We’ve seen it turned into a mini Ford Bronco, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class lookalike, a clone of the original Land Rover Defender, and a small pickup truck. The…

The 2023 Hot Wheels Legends Tour is nearly over, and the brand has published the list of the 10 finalists that will compete for the chance to join its catalog of die-cast cars. This year, three of the finalists come from the United States while the rest are scattered across…

California-based Icon has unveiled its first Chevrolet Sububan-based build. The first model in a new range of resto-modded classics called Suburban Reformer Series is a one-off 1970 model with an extensive list of modifications, supercar-like power, and a price tag to match. “[The] client wanted us to stretch creatively, which…

After spending months traveling around the world, Hot Wheels has chosen the next custom-built car it will add to its catalog of scale models. The winner of the 2023 Hot Wheels Legends Tour is a 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata nicknamed Chimera and built out of a shed in New Zealand.…

If you want to roll in a Rolls-Royce even after the very end, an Italian company called Biemme Special Cars has turned the Ghost into one of the world’s most luxurious hearses. It keeps the sedan’s distinctive rear-hinged doors and luxurious cabin and adds a huge coffin compartment. While it’s…

California-based Icon is bringing together artists and independent brands from all over the country for a one-day charity event called Icons of Design. Held in the Los Angeles area, the show will feature some of Icon’s resto-modded cars along with the work of numerous other artists. The recently-unveiled 1,000-horsepower 1970…

Now that the hubbub around the Dodge Challenger Demon 170 has died down, souvenir hunters with deep pockets can buy the next best thing: A Hellephant C170 crate engine matching the one in the ultimate modern American muscle car. Buyers get a 6.2-liter mill with a 3.0-liter IHI supercharger expected…

It’s Thanksgiving week and with it comes the predictable sluggishness of the holiday news cycle and its corresponding boredom and restlessness. We’d had enough of it by Tuesday afternoon that Riswick turned (figuratively) to Hurd and said, “Hey, why don’t we throw some cars in a post and see what…

The market for tuned vehicles is so large and varied that Texas-based PaxPower, at just five years old, is already a name in the pickup truck world here and abroad. One of its outlets, a Saudi Arabian Ford dealer, asked if the builder could do a regular cab version of…

As the current-generation Dodge Challenger prepares to retire, Japanese coachbuilder Mitsuoka has previewed how it could keep the big coupe alive — with a twist. It unveiled a concept called M55 that puts a Challenger-inspired body on the current-generation Honda Civic. Mitsuoka’s latest creation hardly comes as a surprise. After…

In 1984, Steve Saleen put his first souped-up Ford Mustang on starting lines, a Fox Body coupe he called the S302 White Label. Race wins and a blue and white graphics package caught the attention of enough eyes and wallets to begin the tuner’s line. Forty years later, the evolution…

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They start by discussing the the cars they’ve been driving, including the 2023 GMC Canyon AT4, ECD Jaguar E-Type EV, ECD Land Rover Defender 110 and the Genesis GV60. Next, they hit the…

The new 2024 Toyota Tacoma is offered in a dizzying number of configurations; buyers can notably choose from several cab styles and two suspension systems. Numerous factory-developed accessories will also be available, and a leak has revealed what some of them cost. Posted on enthusiast forum Tacoma4G, the list of…

Hyundai-owned Genesis is going off-roading — in Europe, at least. The carmaker’s European division teamed up with a German off-road specialist named Delta 4×4 to develop a more rugged version of the GV70 that gains a lift kit and a roof rack with numerous accessories. Presented at the Essen motor…

It’s taken longer than planned and costs more than planned, but Carvaggio Corvettes is ready with its Unica Series 1 package for the C8 Chevrolet Corvette. The Ontario, Canada-based company, founded by John Caravaggio and in business since 1986, specializes in body kits and custom interior makeovers for the iconic…

Tesla began delivering the Cybertruck in November 2023, and the few customers who have already taken delivery of the pickup can already deck it out with aftermarket accessories. Unplugged Performance launched a range of off-roading parts including a bull bar and a lift kit. Developed specifically for the Cybertruck, and…

Meat snack company Slim Jim is asking motorists to keep an eye out for the modified Nissan Z it displays at promotional events across the nation. Highly distinctive thanks to a long list of aftermarket parts, the coupe (which is nicknamed Fast Meat) was stolen in Los Angeles. Slim Jim…

Hoonigan has published the last video that Ken Block starred in before his death in January 2023. Shot in Mexico City in November 2022, the film is a follow-up to Gymkhana 11 called Electrikhana Two that shows a heavily-modified Audi S1 drifting and even popping wheelies. Block’s team leveraged the…

We have good news, we have expensive news, and we have more good news. First, the Ford Performance 7.3 Megazilla V8 crate engine has a price and will soon be available to order. Ford announced the motor three years ago, a hiccup called Covid preventing the automaker from taking the…

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — We went down to ECD Auto Design to drive its brand-new Jaguar E-Type restomod, but the folks there didn’t let us leave without enjoying another treat from its bread-and-butter business: a Land Rover Defender. “ECD” used to stand for East Coast Defender, but that’s been modified to…

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — If you’ve ever dipped a toe into the restomod world before, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of the Florida-based company ECD. Originally known as East Coast Defender for the company’s earliest efforts restomodding Land Rover Defenders, it’s now just “ECD Auto Design.” That’s because there’s a…