Geneva Preshow: Lotus Joins Forces with Mansory to Tune the Evora

Mastering the fine art of tuning is a complicated process and, judging by the sheer number of overkills one can see on the web every day, it’s clear that only a few have what it takes to do a good job. For Lotus that special someone is Swiss tuning firm Mansory, which is responsible for the creation of an Evora concept that will be presented at the Geneva show in the beginning of March.

The automaker released two pictures of the special version 2+2 sports coupe, while also stating this:

“Let’s be clear on this: contrary to media reports, what you’ll see in Geneva is NOT an Evora facelift. It’s a taste of the future of Lotus product customisation. Merely the first toe in the water and a showcase of the potential future.”

From what we can tell, the modified Evora features a new front bumper with bigger air intakes and inserts, which appear to be made out of carbon fiber. The same lightweight composite material seems to have been used for the side vents, mirror housings, side skirts, greenhouse, rear spoiler and oversized diffuser. The 10-spoke alloys with a glossy black finish are also new.

While we can’t say that the Evora is our favorite Lotus, overall the bodykit looks nice and it seems that the Brits are really on to something good here.

By Csaba Daradics

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Edo Competition Turns Porsche Panamera Turbo into a 750HP Beast Named...Moby Dick

We can think of quite a few reasons why Edo Competition chose to name its latest creation after the imaginary white whale in Herman Melville's classic 1851 novel, Moby Dick, but we'll let you, our readers, humor us with your answers in the comments section after the break. Back to the German Tuner's Moby Dick on wheels, the white Panamera benefits from a hefty power boost as well as modifications to the exterior and interior.

On the outside, the tuner turned to Mansory for a full bodykit, which includes restyled bumpers, widened wheel arches, lowered side skirts and a new bonnet. However, the aerodynamics package is just the prelude for what lies underneath.

First of all, there’s a lowering module for improved handling, as well as 22-inch wheels that can be painted either to match or to contrast the car's exterior color.

But the real McCoy is found under the bonnet, in the form of an upgraded, twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which now produces 750HP, up from stock model's 550HP. Edo Competition says the Moby Dick can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 4 seconds and achieve an electronically limited top speed of 340 km/h (211 mph).

As part of the engine conversion, turbocharged Panamera also comes with an upgraded exhaust system.

For the interior, the tuning firm used a combination of materials including leather, wood, metal and carbon fiber. Don’t like this combo? No problem, as Edo Competition says virtually anything can be tailored to the customer’s taste.

By Csaba Daradics

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Mansory Takes on the Maserati GranTurismo Coupe

For the man who has everything except taste, there is Mansory. The Bavarian automobile tuner has now turned their attention to the Maserati GranTurismo coupe and its more powerful 'S' brethren.

The Mansory GT and GTS features a new front spoiler, radiator grille, bonnet, deeper door sills, rear spoiler, exhaust inlay, rear apron and rear diffuser. All of these add-ons are carbon fibre and made in-house by Mansory.

Mansory has also tweaked the engine output by fitting the GT and GTS models with a new ECU, air filter and sports exhaust which increase performance by 30 hp and torque by 40 Nm on each model (435HP / 5000 Nm on the GT and 470HP / 530 Nm on the GTS).

he Italian coupe now rolls on 255/30 R 20 tires at the front and 305/30 R 21 tires at the back. These are painted to match the body color.

The interior is also customized (of course) with new seat fabrics, aluminium pedals and a supposedly sportier-looking steering wheel.

For styling sadomasochists, Mansory also has all sorts of packages for cars built by Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ford, Bugatti and Aston Martin.

By Tristan Hankins