Tag Archives: V8

NEW CARS

Land Rover Classic Builds a V8-Powered Quartet of Restomod Icons

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Land Rover’s Classic division has clearly discovered a lucrative formula: take one of Britain’s most enduring off-road icons, restore it with near-obsessive attention to detail, then offer it back to a clientele that wants heritage without compromise. The latest example of that philosophy doesn’t arrive as a single vehicle—but as a coordinated quartet of restomods heading to the same fortunate garage.

It’s been just over a decade since production of the original Land Rover Defender ceased, closing the chapter on a utilitarian legend that had long outlived most of its contemporaries. In the years since, Land Rover established its now well-regarded Classic division in Coventry, breathing new life into carefully selected Defenders built between 2012 and 2016. The result is a curated continuation of the model’s legacy—restored, upgraded, and reinterpreted for a very modern kind of off-road luxury buyer. In the broader landscape of heritage SUVs, even newer interpretations like the Ineos Grenadier underline just how influential the original Defender’s blueprint remains.

This particular commission pushes personalization into near-obsessive territory. A single enthusiast has ordered four separate builds, each in a different body style: 90 Station Wagon, 90 Soft Top, 110 Station Wagon, and 110 Double Cab Pick-Up. Mechanically, they share a familiar heart—a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 producing 405 hp and 515 Nm of torque, paired with a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. Power is delivered through a permanent four-wheel-drive system, good enough to haul the boxy silhouettes from 0–100 km/h in under six seconds, before topping out at an electronically limited 170 km/h.

For a vehicle that began life as a rugged agricultural tool, those numbers feel almost surreal.

Visually, the brief leans heavily into spectacle. The quartet is finished in a bespoke “chameleon” paint effect that shifts between green, purple, and gold depending on the light—an almost concept-car flourish applied to one of the most utilitarian shapes in automotive history. White roofs and matching external roll cages provide contrast, while even the 18-inch alloy wheels receive the same color-shifting treatment, wrapped in all-terrain tires that hint at capability beneath the showmanship.

The execution is anything but superficial. Each paint job alone reportedly consumes around 400 hours, and the cabins receive equal attention. Inside, heavily sculpted seats are trimmed in pale leather, transforming the Defender’s traditionally hard-wearing interior into something closer to a boutique restomod lounge than a farm-ready cabin. Buyers can even specify modern infotainment—an optional 9-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—replacing the standard retro-style radio unit. It’s a small but telling reminder of how far these builds sit from their utilitarian origins.

The donor platform may be familiar, but the philosophy is not about preservation in the strict sense. Instead, Land Rover’s Classic operation is increasingly acting as a bridge between eras: retaining the silhouette and spirit of the original Defender while layering in performance, luxury, and personalization that would have been unthinkable during its working life.

In this case, the result is less a restoration and more a curated reinterpretation—four Defenders, four personalities, and one unmistakable reminder that some icons don’t retire. They simply get re-specified.

Source: Land Rover Classic

Restomod

This BMW E9 CSL Restomod Is the V8-Powered M Car BMW Never Built

The BMW E9 CSL occupies a sacred place in the brand’s history. Lightweight, elegant, and instantly recognizable thanks to its dramatic “Batmobile” aero package, it remains one of Munich’s most celebrated performance cars. Yet for all its motorsport pedigree, the original CSL never enjoyed the kind of power modern enthusiasts crave.

That’s where this remarkable one-off creation comes in.

Built roughly a decade ago by German workshop MKO, founded by BMW enthusiast Michael Oberhauser, this machine answers a question nobody at BMW ever officially dared ask: What if an E9 CSL had been developed using the heart and soul of an E39 M5?

The answer is sitting before us in steel, aluminum, and hand-crafted ingenuity.

Rather than performing a simple engine swap, MKO essentially merged two generations of BMW performance legends into a single cohesive package. The project reportedly began with an E39 M5 and components sourced from two E9 CS coupes. What followed was a painstaking transformation that blended 1970s styling with the engineering of one of BMW’s greatest modern sports sedans.

The surgery went far beyond cosmetic alterations. According to details from the original build story, the upper structure of the M5 was removed, the wheelbase shortened by nearly eight inches, and an E9 roof grafted onto the modified chassis. The goal wasn’t simply to recreate the look of a classic coupe—it was to preserve its delicate proportions while retaining the mechanical sophistication underneath.

Achieving that balance required extensive bodywork. The front fenders were widened by roughly 2.5 inches, while the rear arches gained around four inches of additional width. Much of the custom fabrication was completed in Romania, where craftsmen hand-formed bespoke body panels to create a seamless blend of old and new.

The finished product looks as though BMW’s skunkworks division secretly built a restomod decades before the term became fashionable.

Visual cues pay tribute to the legendary 3.0 CSL “Batmobile,” including a roof-mounted spoiler, small front-fender aero fins, classic Hella driving lamps, and period-inspired badging. The body wears Porsche-sourced paint and now rides on 19-inch Alpina-style wheels wrapped in sticky Continental SportContact 7 tires. Early versions reportedly wore standard E39 M5 wheels, but the current setup better suits the car’s muscular stance.

Inside, the modern underpinnings become more apparent. A modified E39 M5 dashboard remains in place, accompanied by heated Recaro seats, dual-zone climate control, power windows, and a Pioneer touchscreen infotainment system. It’s an unusual mix of classic grand tourer and modern sports sedan, complete with creative engineering solutions such as relocating the driver’s window switch to the center console.

The real star, however, lives beneath the hood.

Power comes from BMW’s legendary 4.9-liter S62 V8, the naturally aspirated masterpiece that made the E39 M5 a performance benchmark. In this application, the engine has been reworked to produce 432 horsepower, all sent exclusively to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential.

Considering the E9’s significantly smaller dimensions and lower visual mass, the combination borders on outrageous.

Handling upgrades include adjustable KW coilovers and the M5’s braking hardware, giving the car the stopping power and chassis control needed to keep pace with its muscular powertrain. The result is less a restoration than a BMW hot rod—one that combines the analogue charm of the 1970s with the mechanical confidence of one of the greatest M cars ever built.

It’s the sort of machine that could only exist outside BMW’s corporate walls: too expensive, too complicated, and perhaps too niche for production. Yet that’s exactly what makes it so fascinating.

Now, after years of turning heads and challenging conventional BMW history, this singular creation is looking for a new caretaker. Listed through Bring a Trailer Germany, the hand-built CSL-M5 hybrid had attracted bids of €42,225 at the time of writing.

For BMW enthusiasts, that’s a small price for a glimpse into an alternate universe—one where the E9 CSL never stopped evolving.

Source: Autocar

NEW CARS

Mercedes Gives the S-Class a Flat-Plane V8

Mercedes-Benz doesn’t usually do mid-cycle refreshes with a flamethrower. But for 2026, the S-Class is getting exactly that—a ground-up rethink that Stuttgart is calling the most extensive update within a single generation in the model’s 50-plus-year history. That’s not marketing fluff. More than half of the car’s components have been reworked, the tech stack has been rewritten, and—because this is still a proper flagship—the V8 has been fundamentally re-engineered.

Let’s start with the headline: the S-Class is going flat-plane.

When the camouflage comes off in the coming weeks, the visual tweaks will matter less than what’s hiding under the hood of the V8 models. The outgoing M176 4.0-liter V8 gives way to a revised M177 that ditches the traditional cross-plane crankshaft in favor of a flat-plane design—the same basic philosophy used in the AMG GT Black Series. Yes, that’s a race-bred solution finding its way into a chauffeured luxury sedan, and no, Mercedes isn’t apologizing for it.

For the uninitiated, a flat-plane crank arranges its crank pins at 180 degrees rather than the 90-degree “X” layout of a cross-plane V8. The result is a lighter, freer-revving engine with evenly spaced firing pulses, a sharper throttle response, and a higher-pitched, more exotic soundtrack. Think less bassy burble, more mechanical snarl—especially as the tach needle climbs.

Crucially, this isn’t about sacrificing character in the name of emissions compliance. Quite the opposite. Output in the mild-hybrid S580 jumps from 496 horsepower to 530, trimming the 0–62-mph sprint toward the four-second mark. Engineers say the flat-plane setup actually helps reduce emissions while unlocking more performance—a rare win-win in today’s regulatory climate.

The Maybach S580 will be next in line, using a higher-output version of the same engine tuned to 603 horsepower. That motor replaces the outgoing V12, which Mercedes is quietly ushering off the European stage. It’s the end of an era, sure—but the replacement is faster, cleaner, and far more scalable across the lineup.

AMG’s updated S63 hasn’t been shown yet, but don’t expect it to sit this party out. The flat-plane M177 is also destined for other heavy hitters, including the upcoming CLE 63, signaling a broader shift in AMG’s V8 philosophy.

If V8 fireworks aren’t your thing—or your market won’t have them—the straight-six S-Class models carry on. The plug-in-hybrid S580e, in particular, gets a meaningful boost: the turbocharged inline-six rises from 362 to 443 horsepower, the electric motor increases output to 161 horsepower, and combined system power lands at a healthy 577 horses.

Inside, the changes are quieter but arguably more important. The refreshed S-Class debuts a significantly updated version of Mercedes’ MB.OS operating system, riding on what the company calls a new service-oriented electrical and electronic architecture. Translation: faster processing, more flexibility for future updates, and a digital experience that won’t feel dated five minutes after delivery.

Mercedes says the revamped S-Class is now in the final stages of road testing and close to series production. UK sales begin later this year, with pricing nudging above the current £100,000 entry point.

In a segment increasingly obsessed with electrification and autonomy buzzwords, Mercedes has taken a different tack: evolve everything, but don’t forget what makes a flagship special. A flat-plane-crank V8 in an S-Class may sound borderline unhinged—and that’s exactly why it works.

Source: Mercedes-Benz; Photos: Autocar