1,308bhp Monster Truck with Scooter Firing Air Canon to Star at Top Gear Live Event

One of the stars of this year's edition of the Top Gear Live show that takes place at the NEC Birmingham from November 11 to 13, and at the ExCel London from November 24 to 27, will be the Red Dragon monster truck.

Hand-built by former European Monster Truck Champion, Rob Williams, this beast made its stage debut at the Top Gear Live event in South Africa last year.

The Red Dragon is based on the Ford F-350 Super Duty but power come courtesy of a bespoke 9.5-liter supercharged V8 engine from Chevrolet that delivers 1,308bhp and 1,040 lb-ft while burning through a gallon of methanol fuel every 50-60 yards (!).

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German Tuner Breathes New Colors to Ford Mustang 5.0 GT

While the Mustang has many fans in Europe, Ford's pony car never really caught up with buyers across the Atlantic for a great number of reasons, one being that it is available only with large displacement engines that negatively affect pricing as well as other costs associated with ownership.

Nevertheless, Europe's tuning industry does offer owners some options for customization. This here package is for the latest Mustang 5.0 GT and it comes from a German company called Design World.

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New Alpina B6 Bi-Turbo with 507HP to Bow in Frankfurt

For more than four decades now, German tuning house Alpina has been modifying BMWs cars. The Bavarian luxury carmaker has a tight relationship with the tuner going as far distributing the high-performance models through its official network.

Alpina's newest creation is the B6 Bi-Turbo Cabrio based on the latest 6-Series Convertible, which will make its world premiere at the rapidly approaching Frankfurt auto show on September 13.

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ABT's New Audi RS3 Sportback Packs up to 470 Horses

German tuning firm ABT Sportsline has decided that the latest Audi RS3 Sportback requires a bit more punch and has prepared a new power package for the hot hatch from Ingolstadt.

In factory outfit, the four-wheel-drive model is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged 5-cylinder engine generating 340-ponies and 450 Nm (331 lb-ft) of torque, good enough for a 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) acceleration time of 4.6 seconds.

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APP Europe Turns up the Wick on BMW 1 M Coupe with 410HP Tune

The new BMW 1 M Coupe is by no means a slow car but for those looking to push themselves into new arenas of performance European tuning house APP has assembled a new package comprising of mechanical and styling mods.

To improve performance, APP Europe turned to MR Car Design that developed a new kit for the 3.0-liter turbocharged straight six, which includes a larger intercooler, ECU upgrade and a lightweight, titanium sport exhaust system boosting output from 340-horses to 410-horses.

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VÄTH Drops More Power to the Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG

There are plenty of reasons to leave the latest Mercedes-Benz CL 63 AMG untouched, but some folks out there are always open to improvements. Enter the world of German tuning firm Väth that has unleashed a new performance package for the Mercedes' facelifted coupe.

Väth starts with the V63S tuning kit that includes a software upgrade for the ECU bumping the bi-turbocharged V8's output from 536HP 590 lb-ft to a monstrous 630-horsepower and 686lb-ft (930Nm) of peak torque.

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DMC Presents Molto Veloce Tuning Package for Lamborghini Murcielago

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 may be the new kid on the block, but Duesseldorf-based tuning house DMC has set its eyes on the Murcielago with the presentation of the Molto Veloce styling and performance package.

As the name suggests, the kit is inspired by the Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce or SV for short. On the outside, the package adds a new front bumper, a large and somewhat awkwardly looking rear wing and a restyled rear bumper that houses a diffuser, with all parts made in carbon fibre.

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Call of Duty Inspires Hummer H1 Wrap

It’s not only the big screen that motivates individual owners and automakers alike to build a model that either replicates or is inspired in one way or another by a famous vehicle. Lately, we're seeing the same thing happening with popular video games. Read more »

Video: Cadillac CTS-V and Corvette ZR1 Lingenfelter Play Around on the Track

Where better to burn some steam and have a little fun behind the steering wheel than on the track? More so when the cars in question are a Cadillac CTS-V and a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 that has received some tuning love from Lingenfelter.

The guys from the M5Board tell us that the man driving the CTS-V is four-time Swedish Touring Car Champion (STCC) winner Richard Göransson. In stock form, the Cadillac sports n Eaton-supercharged V8 engine with 551 lb.-ft. of torque and 556-horsepower for a 0-60mph sprint time of 3.9 seconds.

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Novitec Makes the Alfa Romeo Giulietta a Little More Interesting

Novitec is a German tuning company known for wheedling more ponies from anything that rolls on four wheels and is produced in Italy. This time, the tuner has set its eyes on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback with the release of a comprehensive styling and performance package.

On the outside, Novitec's goods include a subtle but attractive ground effects kit (perhaps with the exception of the somewhat over-the-top rear diffuser, which in our opinion, would have probably looked better in a matte black finish).

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TRD Introduces Lexus IS F Circuit Club Sports Package Inspired by Last Year's Concept

It's been over a year since Lexus unveiled the conceptual IS F Circuit Club Sport (CCS for short) at the 2010 edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon, but Toyota's TRD division has not forgotten about the prototype model.

TRD has just made available to the public an assortment of performance and styling accessories for the latest IS-F sports saloon, all inspired by the CCS concept .

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2011 IAA: Techart's Fresh Take on the New Porsche Cayenne

Next month's 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany will stage the world premiere of Techart's second batch of styling and performance modifications for the new generation of the Cayenne.

Following the introduction of the excessive Cayenne Magnum in Geneva earlier this year, the renowned Porsche tuning firm has developed a more subtle design suite named Aerodynamic Kit I as well as new performance kit for the Turbo version called TA 058/T2.

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Vilner Poshes Up Classic Land Rover Defenders for "Russian Oligarch"

Land Rover's timeless Defender is a rugged, durable and extremely capable off roader, and as such, it falls behind when it comes to luxury. But where there's a will (and plenty of cash to go around…) there's a way.

Vilner, which is a Bulgarian design studio, said it was approached by a "Russian oligarch" (a.k.a. a business magnate) who wanted to turn the wick up on a short- and long-wheelbase Land Rover Defender by customizing their interiors.

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ABT Sportsline Customizes New Audi A6 Avant

The latest generation of Audi's A6 Avant has received some aftermarket love from VW Group tuning specialist, ABT Sportsline, with the release of the AS6 package that includes both performance and styling upgrades.

The power gains are similar to those of the sedan model. The base 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel with 204HP gets a jump to 240HP, while the more potent version of the TDI with 245 factory ponies now makes 300-horsepower.

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In the Spotlight: How to Overkill a Ferrari 458 Italia

Electric lamps are so passé these days. The way of the future is LEDs or Light-emitting diodes that can be found just about everywhere. Lately, LEDs have taken the automotive industry by storm with carmakers offering them either optionally or standard on most of their models.

But it’s not only regular carmakers that have adopted the new lighting technology; so has the tuning industry which discovered a new toy to attract consumers. The results, as you can see from this example of a Ferrari 458 Italia slathered in LEDs, aren’t always graceful. Video follows after the break.

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Kahn Reaches to the Ferrari California

Those looking to give a more personal touch to their Ferrari California without…killing it, UK-based tuner Kahn has announced a new program for the Italian roadster.

On the styling front, Kahn's California wears a set of forged Monza wheels in matt black measuring 21-inches up front and 22-inches at the back. Inside, new accessories and equipment include seats, steering wheel, instrument panel and infotainment system.

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Dutch Facepalm: Mutant Opel Astra Station Wagon

Of all the excessive custom creations that we've shown you through these pages over the years, this 1999 Opel Astra Station Wagon from Holland must be one of the most bizarre –and that's an understatement- ever.

While keeping the standard model's…82HP-strong 2.0-liter diesel engine, the owner modified the late 1990s Astra estate with anything he could find including an Audi front end, a wide body kit with excessive wheel arches and more vents than a cheese grater.

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NCE Converts New Jaguar XJ into a Four-Door Convertible Oddity

One of the latest models to fall into the hands of California-based company Newport Convertible Engineering (NCE) is the new Jaguar XJ.

NCE is known for chopping off the roofs of just about anything it can, be that a Toyota Prius hybrid or a luxury Range Rover SUV.

And while we respect the work that went into developing and applying the convertible treatment to Jaguar's flagship limousine, the end result is not what we would call elegant or stylish, especially with the soft top in normal position. Check out the rest of the pictures for yourself in our gallery after the break.

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2011 SEMA: What is this Oddball Chevy Creation?

This year's edition of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas is a still long way off but some tuners have already begun teasing their custom creations.

This strange photo of an unnamed project car appeared on a dedicated SEMA show page on Facebook. There are no details about the build other than it will appear at the show in first week of November.

While it's evident that the five-door hatchback model sports the face of the Chevrolet Cruze, we're not sure about the body (and no, it's not the Cruze hatch). If you have any ideas or thoughts, skip the jump and head over to our comments section to share.

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Car Spotting: Mini-Brabus Smart with SLR-Like Nose

For a great number of reasons and after the initial enthusiasm wore off, the Smart Fortwo never really picked up momentum in North America. Nevertheless, the Lilliputian model that began life as the brainchild of the co-founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Swatch Group, the late Nicolas George Hayek who passed away last year, continues to draw attention on the road. Read more »