“Be it a famous Hollywood actor or pop star: anyone who is in the spotlight has to keep an eye on their fitness. Eibach have sent the latest VI version of the 26-time ‘millionaire’ VW Golf – one of the best selling cars of all times – to the gym: here, if desired, the Pro-Kit Performance Springs or the slightly ‘shorter’ Sportline Sport Springs can lower the centre of gravity of the car.”

Warning: you might want to turn down your volume when that Audi TT with a new turbo upgrade hits full boost. The last time I heard a whine like that was when the Pratt & Whitney engines on my jet spooled-up, developing 21k lbs of thrust apiece; and it only does 0 – 60 mph in about 15 seconds (and then 60 – 250 mph in another 15). Which brings me to my question. I've seen many a car "tuned" beyond belief, many with ridiculous body kits to emphasize the fact. How much tuning on a car it too much? When does the tuning destroy the car's original character and turn it into a peaky, unreliable mess? I like it when people modify cars, especially when it builds upon the car's strengths and tones down its weakness (like the above Audi). But looking around me on Friday nights, sometimes I think it gets a bit extreme. What say you?

Brabus is the German uber-tuner that's made its name taking oversized engines from AMG Benzes and wedging them into smaller, lower-down-the-line models. It's also known for keeping the dark Satanic mills in situ and making them even bigger. And so comes word that the new mega-motored 2008 Brabus SL will be called the R230. Hang on; wasn't there a Benz by that name? And didn't Brabus tune it? You guys really are the Best and Brightest! Anyway, this nose-heavy monster sports (in the ironic sense) a custom turbocharged 6.3-liter V12. Ready? It's got 730 horsepower and 811 ft.-lbs.of torque. Thanks to the five-speed automatic transmission, the industry standard sprint from rest to 60 mph will only occupy four seconds of your valuable (if you can afford this) time. Hey! You just might outrun a stock Corvette! Okay, that was cruel. But true. Also true: AMG will soon offer an SL Black Series with 700-something horsepower AND a factory warranty. And then Brabus will tune that. Madness.

If you know me, you know I like Suzuki's SX4. A lot. In fact I'm making my girlfriend cross shop the SX4 for when her dying Focus finally gives up the ghost. But what about me? No, I wouldn't buy an SX4 because I'm a leadfoot. But what if Suzuki and Road Race Motorsports got together and slapped a turbo kit on the SX4, boosting power from 143 hp to 221 hp and torque from 136 lb-ft to 208 lb-ft? Where do I sign up? We're talking about the new SX4t Concept (the "t" stands for Turbo) and along with much more grunt they're throwing in sport springs, 17" Rota wheels, a carbon fiber hood and a decidedly oddball-looking paint job. They also yanked off the roof rack. Inside you get drilled pedals, sports seats and a proper wheel. For anyone tsk-tsking the fact that a WRX wagon has more power than this amped-up tuner, please remember that the WRX tips the scales at 3,252 lbs, whereas the SX4 is just 2,800 lbs. Expect the kit to add $5,400 to the SX4's price, bringing the total to $21,000. That's still less than a MazdaSpeed3 and you get standard AWD. Once again, where do I sign up?

I've always greatly admired Hennessey. Any tuner that even thinks about boring-out a 500hp Dodge Viper mill to 9.5 liters gets my respect. And one that straps a brace of  turbos on the result– boosting horsepower from a "mere" 800 to a Veyron-beating 1200–gets what Sajeev insists on calling mad props. According to Motor Authority, the Texas-based tuner is now turning its tuning talents towards Japanese metal. Specifically, the two hottest cars to come from the Land of the Rising Sun: the Lexus IS-F and Nissan's world-beating GT-R. While I have a slightly different opinion of the IS-F than Mr. McCombs (I friggin' love it), I think we can both agree that the last thing the lunatic Lexus needs is more power. So naturally Hennessey is going to bolt on a supercharger and fit the beast with headers, exhaust and a new intake. No word on the power, but you can bet it will be, "adequate." And by adequate I mean seven kinds of bonkers. Look for it later this year. As for Godzilla, it won't show up until 2009. I'm thinking the sky [line] will be the limit. Either that, or there won't be any limit whatsoever. The No Limits GT-R. Sign me up.

AMG is the world's largest purveyor of $100k+ automobiles. Daimler says the average Mercedes AMG buyer has an annual household income of $348,854. So… The Chicago Sun Times is reporting that Mercedes has decided to semi-transform its in-house tuner AMG into a semi-separate automotive demi-brand. Announced at the launch of the new C63 AMG, the spin-off is an attempt to raise the profile of AMG as a super-premium. Uh, that's it.  No wait; performance brand. Starting in the second quarter of this year, seven pilot AMG Performance Centers will begin offering sales and service for the blistering-fast, mondo depreciating uber-Benzs. The goal: 30 such centers in the U.S. by year's end. The new dealer network– attached to the old dealer network– will offer a number of marketing features aimed at luring buyers away from BMW's M, Lexus' F, and Cadillac's V-line. We're talking a traveling roadshow, a new website and an ad campaign. While the seriously rich are still… seriously rich, Daimler is launching the AMG demi-brand straight into the teeth of the worst automotive market for over a decade. Good luck with that.

I recently ran into Moose, the famous employee of fabricating-badass Troy Trepanier and his "Rides" show on TLC. After tossing me in their award winning, Ethanol burning, Blowfish Salt Flat race car, Moose clued me into a new toy in Troy's shop: an EPA-blessed, plug n' play E85 conversion kit from Flex Fuel US. The bad news? Its only kosher for Crown Vic enthusiasts (for now). The good news: Troy's shop frequently cranks-up engine timing for extra power (20+ horsies) and marginal fuel economy losses (one to two mpg less) with the corn-fed fuel's 100+ octane rating. Sounds great, provided the government subsidies never run dry.

LA-based Hondata modifies Honda engine computers (or ECU’s) for enhanced performance. According to the Hondata website, company co-founder Doug Macmillan drove a modified 2003 Acura RSX to four new speed records during the Bonneville Nationals Speed Week. The specially-prepped car was run in the “altered coupe” and “competition coupe” classes. With a gas-fueled, 2.0-liter, 270hp modified Honda K20 engine, the RSX set a one-way speed record at 172 mph. On another run, switching to a combination of VP Racing Fuel plus nitrous oxide, the [now] 390hp RSX captured a one-way record of 190.1 mph in the “fuel” class. Pretty impressive given that the K20 engine in a base Acura RSX Type-S normally generates 200 HP. If you fancy some of this action, the non-profit Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) offers the oxymoronic opportunity to engage in “safe and participant friendly land-speed racing events."

“It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slowly,” is a common aphorism in these parts. But slow racing? The UK’s Slow Car Club is for drivers who want to race “without going to all the bother of buying a fast car, getting a racing license, or doing any tuning.” South Dakota’s SC (Slow Car) Racing club shares their lack of motivation. Organizer Trevor Puckett proclaims “We are not out to have the loudest car, the brightest underglow, the better brand name, or who can break the law the most in one night, we are all about a driver's skillz, and to have fun.” Our news peg for this story? The Slow Car Club holds its next event on September 2; they need all the advance warning they can get.