Fine Tuning – Improving Upon Perfection

As far as top-tier auto manufacturers are concerned the general consensus is that they know what they’re doing, and it’s safe to say they’re pretty competent when it comes to putting a car together. So to that end why do tuning companies that specialise in enhancing these already pretty special machines even exist? Surely a car from an automotive powerhouse like BMW, for instance, has been engineered in the best possible fashion to perform its intended function in the most effective way. It would perhaps seem a little audacious then for a company to step forward and declare that they think they could do better – after all, you don’t see somebody taking a Michelin Star dish and re-working it to improve the flavour.

The thing is, unlike one-off passion projects that can remain true to a single vision without any interference from outside influence or a board of meddling directors, commercially manufactured and marketed cars are built to an incredibly strict specification and budget, and in that respect certain compromises will always have to be made, unfortunately. Whether that be explicit safety features dictated by legislation, or more restrictive performance features for emissions regulations, or additional weight due to the use of various money-saving materials, there will always be areas that can be improved upon – even a super car can be made extra super in the right hands, as we shall see – and that’s where tuning companies come in.

Because of that lack of individualism when it comes to mass-produced cars there is a large market for customisation. This premise goes way back to the American hot-rodding glory days of the 1940s and 50s where owners would modify their cars themselves in garages at home and so it was only a matter of time before commercial operations sprang up to cater to this need. One person’s idea of how a car should drive and perform will be vastly different from the next and while there is the peace of mind and mechanical know-how that comes from buying a factory car from a well-respected company there is still scope for fettling; some people hanker after additional power while others may want improved handling or better fuel economy, for example. Others may just want something a little bit different, a little more special.

After all, isn’t it human nature to crave something better? Whether that be for ourselves, our families or even our cars. There will always be a market for vehicle tuning and modification and there are a whole host of companies out there that provide that service so let’s take a look at five of the more well-established and recognised industry names that allow the individual to remain exactly that – individual.

Alpina

Although now an auto manufacturer in its own right Alpina still rightly deserves inclusion in this list. Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen KG began life as a tuning company in 1965 in a shed behind the typewriter factory that was its initial business, with founder Bovensiepen (who still heads the company today) working on carburettors, cylinder heads and crankshafts in order to squeeze more power from the then current crop of BMW engines. He quickly developed the company into a full-blown BMW tuning and modification enterprise, fully sanctioned by BMW themselves and taking some notable motorsport victories along the way, including winning the European Touring Car Championship in 1970 with their BMW Alpina 2800 CS.

Nowadays Alpina’s vehicles have an emphasis on luxury, individuality and speed with the use of more torque-oriented engines but that original ethos of simply making a BMW better still rings true and remains at the core of what the company stands for.

Brabus

If there’s a tuning company for BMW then you can bet your bottom Deutschmark there will be an equivalent for Mercedes-Benz too and Brabus has produced some truly remarkable machines over the course of its 44 year lifespan. Founded in 1977 by Bodo Buschmann who was dis-satisfied with the then current state of the customisation market he set out with friend Klaus Brackmann to establish a new brand that could deliver exactly what he wanted and hence Brabus was formed.

The initial philosophy was simple – they wanted more power. And lot’s of it. Taking standard Mercs and transforming them into fire-breathing behemoths of performance, from dropping a V12 into a G-Class to their 900bhp, AMG GT-based ‘Rocket’, Brabus are still leading the way when it comes to after market tuning and customisation. It’s not just about outright power either, oh no. Buying a Brabus means you’re also getting an unmatched level of luxury, exclusivity and innovation to boot.

Overfinch

Perhaps not quite as in your face as Brabus, British tuners Overfinch have nevertheless been successfully customising Range Rovers and Land Rovers since way back in 1975, although the name Overfinch wasn’t used until ten years later. Created by Arthur Silverton in Surrey as a way to correct what he saw as design flaws in Land Rover vehicles of the time he began by swapping the Rover engine for a Chevy small block V8, improving the braking system and re-fitting a more luxurious interior.

To this day they remain dedicated to the Land Rover marque and continue to provide enhanced versions of their signature vehicles including the Range Rover and Defender, although the company has segued into more of a lifestyle brand these days and customisations are now more limited to aesthetic enhancements rather than outright mechanical improvements and tuning.

Callaway

It would be remiss of us not to feature an American company in this list seeing as they have such a rich history of tuning and modifying cars and Callaway Cars Inc. is renowned for developing performance packages for GM vehicles, mainly specialising in Corvettes. However, it all started with a BMW in 1973 when performance driving instructor Reeves Callaway took one of the 320i saloons he was teaching in at the time and set about trying to make it faster, resulting in the creation of a successful prototype turbocharger. This quickly developed into additional kits for other renowned car makers such as VW and Mercedes and Callaway all of a sudden found himself at the helm of a successful business, but it was the twin-turbo kit developed for the Corvette in 1987 that really put the company on the map.

The now famous Callaway Corvette was an instant hit and became a regular production option for Chevrolet. Quite the honour. Callaway continue to produce insane versions of the Corvette to this day with the SC757 Z06 producing a ludicrous 757bhp and 777lb-ft of torque propelling the supercharged beast to 60mph in a staggering 2.8 seconds – all for a fraction of the price of similarly performing exotics.

Ruf

Porsche are widely revered for producing some of the best and most coveted sports cars ever made so you’d think that attempting to improve upon one of them would be an exercise in futility. But you’d be wrong. Even a Porsche 911 can be massaged to be more powerful and more drive-able and even though Ruf Automobile GmbH is technically a division of Porsche (much like Alpina and BMW above) they do also produce their own vehicles using unmarked Porsche chassis combined with brand new RUF parts. Established in 1939 by Alois Ruf Senior the Porsche connection didn’t begin until 1974 when Alois Ruf Junior took up the reins, focussing the company’s efforts on his passion for restoring and enhancing Porsche cars with the first of its upgraded efforts debuting in 1975 followed by a complete 911-based build arriving two years later.

Ruf have continued to produce powerful and unique Porsche-based models with the Ruf CTR particularly gaining worldwide recognition (as well as production car speed records) in the late 80s. The CTR was based on the Porsche 911 and featured, among other things, a highly-tuned version of the original 3.2-litre, flat-six engine and a light weight body, along with upgraded suspension and braking components. Yes, it was fast. Ridiculously so.

In-house tuning arms are another story entirely and one that we will cover in a future article but for now we’ll just say long may these after market modifiers continue to flourish and allow individuals to express themselves through the vehicles they choose to drive and cherish. Besides, the world would be a mighty boring place if we all drove the same car now wouldn’t it?