Category Archives: Tuning

Tuning

Kuhl Racing Turns the Toyota GR86 into a Rally-Ready Rebel

Sports cars are born knowing exactly where they belong: low, stiff, and glued to asphalt. Anything else is heresy. Or at least it was, until Lamborghini bolted all-terrain tires to a Huracán and Porsche sent a 911 drifting into the desert. Suddenly, the idea of a lifted performance car stopped sounding ridiculous and started sounding… fun. Really fun.

Now Japan is weighing in, and it’s doing so with one of the best possible candidates: the Toyota GR86. The result is the Kuhl Racing GR86 Outroad, a rally-flavored reinterpretation of Toyota’s lightweight rear-drive coupe that looks ready to trade apexes for gravel rooster tails. And somehow, it works.

Kuhl Racing isn’t exactly subtle in its approach. The headline change is ride height. The Outroad sits roughly three inches higher than a standard GR86 thanks to a bespoke suspension setup, instantly transforming the car’s stance and proportions. If that’s not enough clearance for your imaginary WRC stage, there’s also an optional hydraulic lift system that can jack the car up an additional 1.6 inches at the press of a button. When you’re done playing rally hero, it drops back down for normal driving duties.

That lift does more than just add drama—it changes the whole personality of the car. The GR86 has always been about balance and approachability, a modern echo of classic lightweight sports cars. Raising it up and toughening it out taps into a different but equally romantic tradition: the idea that driving fast doesn’t require perfect pavement.

Visually, the Outroad looks like it’s itching to throw rocks at passing supercars. Chunky fender flares widen the body to make room for beefier tires, while redesigned front and rear bumpers improve approach and departure angles. Skid plates and protective cladding hint that Kuhl expects owners to actually leave the pavement behind, not just park aggressively at cars and coffee. Auxiliary lights add full rally cosplay energy, and roof rails finish the transformation, because nothing says “weekend adventure” like mounting gear on a sports coupe.

Despite the rugged makeover, the Outroad doesn’t abandon the GR86’s mechanical simplicity. Under the hood sits the familiar 2.4-liter flat-four, unchanged in its standard form. That means 232 horsepower going to the rear wheels—still modest, still honest, still very much in the spirit of the car.

For those who want a little more punch to match the tougher look, Kuhl offers an optional turbocharger kit. With revised cooling and ECU tuning, the turbo setup bumps output by about 50 horsepower. That’s not supercar territory, but it’s enough to make the Outroad feel properly lively, especially on loose surfaces where traction—not power—is the limiting factor. Buyers can still choose between a manual transmission or an automatic, which means the Outroad remains refreshingly democratic in an era of increasingly rigid configurations.

What really elevates the GR86 Outroad from wild show car to legitimate enthusiast proposition is that it’s not just a one-off. Kuhl plans to sell the Outroad as a full conversion package for existing GR86 owners. Better yet, customers can pick and choose individual components. Want the lifted suspension but not the full rally body kit? Fine. Just the wheels and aero? Also fine. Kuhl will happily let you build your own version, dialing the madness up or down depending on your taste—and courage.

Pricing reflects that modular approach. The full Outroad conversion rings in at ¥4,150,000, or about $26,600, assuming you already own the car. The body kit alone costs ¥1,771,000 ($11,800), the wheels add another ¥440,000 ($2,800), and the turbocharger kit tacks on ¥1,250,000 ($8,300). None of it is cheap, but neither is the idea of doing something genuinely different with a modern sports car.

The GR86 Outroad will make its public debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon next month, with sales in Japan planned for later in 2026. Whether it ever officially reaches other markets is unclear, but that almost doesn’t matter. The point is that someone looked at one of today’s best affordable sports cars and decided the solution wasn’t more grip or more downforce—it was dirt.

In a world where performance cars are increasingly defined by lap times and software updates, the GR86 Outroad is a reminder that driving enthusiasm isn’t limited to smooth tarmac. Sometimes, the best way forward is sideways, slightly lifted, and covered in dust.

Source: Kuhl Racing

Tuning

Mansory Wraps the Electric Rolls-Royce Spectre in Gold

Mansory has never been a brand for the faint-hearted, and its latest creation proves once again that subtlety is not part of the brief. Based on the Rolls-Royce Spectre, the German tuner’s newest project is called Equista Linea d’Oro, a name that hints strongly at what defines this car more than anything else: an unapologetic celebration of gold.

At first glance, the front end sets the tone. The Spectre’s fascia has been completely reworked and finished entirely in gold, transforming the already imposing Rolls-Royce presence into something closer to rolling jewelry. Even the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy has not escaped Mansory’s attention, now reimagined as a transparent gold figurine that glows with an almost surreal sense of excess.

The hood is new as well, crafted from forged carbon fiber and distinguished by large, golf ball-like flakes embedded in the material. This forged carbon and “golf” theme continues along the flanks of the car, where oversized carbon panels dominate the front side sections and a matching visual line stretches elegantly from nose to tail. Gold accents punctuate the design throughout, with door handles and window surrounds shimmering like precious metal in a display case.

Lower down, the drama intensifies rather than fades. Gold and carbon elements are layered onto the side sills, wrapped around the taillights, integrated into the rear diffuser, and even applied to the spoiler. Completing the exterior statement are massive 24-inch forged wheels, finished in gold to ensure nothing about the Equista Linea d’Oro goes unnoticed.

Inside, Mansory has treated the Spectre’s cabin with the same philosophy. Every seat is trimmed in plush white leather, offset by gold piping and stitching that reinforce the car’s ultra-luxury theme. White seat belts add another visual contrast, while carbon fiber and gold dominate the dashboard, center tunnel, and steering wheel. The attention to detail borders on theatrical: gold speaker grilles, gold switches and buttons, and even door umbrellas fitted with gold handles underline the extent of the transformation.

Mechanically, the Spectre remains true to its original identity. As an all-electric Rolls-Royce, its battery and motors are left untouched, preserving the serene, silent performance that defines the model. However, Mansory could not resist adding one final, unconventional twist. Mounted beneath the rear bumper is a set of external speakers designed to emit artificial petrol engine sounds, a provocative nod to combustion theatrics in an otherwise whisper-quiet electric grand tourer.

The Mansory Rolls-Royce Spectre Equista Linea d’Oro is not about restraint or tradition. It is a bold statement piece, engineered to divide opinion and command attention wherever it goes. For some, it will be the ultimate expression of bespoke luxury; for others, a step too far. Either way, Mansory has once again ensured that looking away is not an option.

Source: Mansory

Tuning

Brabus XL 800 Cabrio: When a G-Wagen Just Isn’t Wild Enough

Just when you think the automotive world has reached peak madness, Brabus decides to cut the roof off a Mercedes-AMG G 63—twice—and turn it into something even more outrageous than the factory ever imagined. Say hello to the Brabus 800 Cabrio and XL 800 Cabrio, two open-air titans built in strictly limited runs of 50 units each, complete with “Masterpiece” interiors and the unmistakable stance of a luxury super-truck.

A G-Class With Its Roof Off? Brabus Says: Why Not.

Brabus didn’t simply unbolt the top. The company “hacked” the G-Class open at the C-pillar and engineered a retractable soft-top roof made from more than 500 newly developed components. It takes 20 seconds to open or close, creating what the tuner calls a “unique open-air experience.”

A carbon-fiber roof bow stabilizes the structure and helps with sound deadening, while a steel roll bar at the rear takes care of safety duties. The result is a convertible SUV that looks equal parts luxury yacht and armored personnel carrier.

Two Flavors of Excess

Both models wear Brabus’s signature widebody treatment and gigantic 24-inch wheels, but their personalities are completely different.

800 Cabrio: The Road Weapon

The standard 800 Cabrio leans toward on-road performance. It rides lower, wears high-performance rubber, and sports exposed carbon elements that make it look something like a convertible G-Class that wants to star in its own music video.

XL 800 Cabrio: Portal-Axle Insanity

The XL 800 Cabrio, though, is the wilder sibling. Thanks to portal axles and a skyscraping 18.9 inches of ground clearance, it isn’t just made to look off-road capable—it genuinely is. Brabus says it’s “mainly designed for phenomenal off-road capabilities,” and with those axles and all-terrain tires, there’s little reason to doubt it.

789 Horsepower of Roof-Down Fury

Under both hoods lives an uprated 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 pushing 789 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque.

The lighter, road-oriented 800 Cabrio rockets from 0–62 mph in 4.0 seconds and tops out at 150 mph. The taller, knobbier XL version does the sprint in 4.6 seconds, which is absurd given its ground clearance—and even more absurd considering it can likely do that on dirt, sand, gravel, or anything else you point it at.

Open-Air Luxury, the Brabus Way

Inside, both cabs are drenched in Brabus’s so-called “Masterpiece” treatment: ornate leatherwork, bold colors, and enough stitching to upholster a small boutique hotel. The headrests feature neck-level heating to keep passengers warm during winter roof-down cruises—because if you’re spending this much money, you’d better be able to use the thing all year.

Prices That Make a G 63 Look Like a Bargain

If you thought the standard AMG G 63 was already at the top of the food chain, think again.

  • The Brabus 800 Cabrio starts at €761,500 (around £670,000 before tax).
  • The XL 800 Cabrio begins at €887,600 (around £780,000).

For perspective, a factory G 63 starts from roughly £185,000. That means the Brabus convertibles cost at least £485,000 more—a premium you pay for exclusivity, engineering lunacy, and the sheer joy of driving a roofless super-G that nobody else on your street (or probably your country) will have.

Source: Brabus