Aside from a certain favoritism going on towards BMW, I do love a set of tuning companies that really know what they are doing when it comes to this kind of cars.

Since it was the Germans that brought us fast business and luxury saloons it only seems fitting that they fulfill our modifying needs.

In the case of German specialist Hartge, they’ve shown their work on numerous occasions.

With the F10 BMW M5 they didn’t come up with anything remarkably new or innovative. Nobody saw any major changes in what they had planned and that’s just great.

When it comes to buying stuff like this you don’t want surprises, you really want something distinctive and special without looking like a clown version.

That’s why Hartge fitted a new front spoiler, a rear silencer, carbon fibre mirror casings, 21 inch multi-spoke alloys with Michelin or Continental tires.

Inside you can have a few similar tweaks such as custom aluminium pedal sets and branded floor mats made from velour.

There is one thing that’s considerably special about the Hartge F10 BMW M5. It has had a bit of tweaking under the bonnet.

It seems that under the business suit, this pretty lady is wearing some really sexy underwear as the 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 engine develops more grunt.

Pinch it, and you’ll see a reaction worth 642 horsepower and 597 lb-ft of torque. That’s borderline porn excitement levels.

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The range is quite wide and it’s loaded with all sorts of vehicles trying on these new custom tailored alloy shoes. The one that really caught my eye is an F10 BMW M5.

It did so because it’s riding on some nice wheels but also because of the chosen paint scheme and a few interesting tweaks to be found in the details.

Let’s start with the original temptation of the vehicle, the new alloys. These are 20 inch B18 wheels with a matte black finish.

All that magnificent craftsmanship is beautifully protected from the nasty tarmac by a set of Michelin PS2 tires, as the M5 gets when it leaves the factory.

If the wheels are striking, they’re nothing compared to the candy red paint covering the body of this car. That’s not a BMW color and surely lots of people will hate it but I can’t understand how.

This version of the M5 was clearly customized by an owner with a passion for cars, as well as the Bavarian brand and not some yobbo.

He also chose to get some performance upgrades. We don’t have a complete file on the car but there’s a really nice shot in there.

It includes the Akrapovic exhaust package that has made so many race cars fast and so many road cars sound brilliant. That should more than make up for the silence of the standard car anyway.

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It’s coming from Prior Design and it’s about making your E82 BMW 1 Series look that little bit cooler and faster by virtue of a body kit.

With this one, your run of the mill 1 Series Coupe can look like the sort of thing the M division produces to some of the best acclaim they got in history.

A new package is called PDM1, it is compatible with both E82 Coupe and E88 Convertible versions of the previous versions of the 1 Series.

We’ve seen bits of this conversion used by Prior Design for varying other projects but now it’s up on stage all on its own.

Well maybe the awesome new alloy wheels get some sexy attention as well, but genuinely, the body kit is the big deal.

It’s now easily on offer. It’s made out of DURA-FLEX and PU-RIM almost entirely which keeps the good looking bits away from costing too much.

The whole thing costs no more than 3000 euros in Germany. In case you feel like spending a bit more, there’s an optional trunk spoiler which costs 300 €.

Those amounts include the mounting material costs and fitting charges that are normally hidden from view with lots of tuning companies.

If I had one of these cars, I’d definitely not resist spending that money on getting the BMW 1 Series M Coupe. I would wish Prior Design would ban people with diesel engines from getting one.

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Not chosen by Hogwarts or Sauron, but chosen by you, the customer who wants his BMW’s life to be improved. If you have a Bavarian product that has lost its way, this is where it goes to a weight watcher program.

Actually, that’s not the most comprehensive part of the discussion. There is some weight loss, but it’s more of a makeover and gym schedule.

There’s some carbon fiber bits here and there and something in there that has Race Prep Weight Reduction package written on it but we get to find out later about that.

Starting off with the 335i’s twin-turbocharged 3.0 liter straight six engine, a massive amount of modifications is swung at it.

Its N55 stock power gets ramped up with a Signature exhaust system, an A+ ECU Management system and a Stage 2 Flash chip, an upgraded downpipe and finally, a custom charge pipe.

A new body kit comes fitted from Active Autowerke, featuring some carbon fiber, extended side skirts, replaced rear view mirrors and extended lips.

Finally, the list of changes comes with forged alloy R10 wheels. They are from the Strasse Forged collection, feature polished step lips and gloss black inner barrels.

These are borderline touching the fenders now that they’re riding on a set of Eibach R2 Coilovers instead of the standard suspension.

All I wish is I knew exactly what power gains we can expect from this.

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This company is called Japan Skipper and it’s starting to get pretty hard to figure out where it’s based at or where it’s originating from.

All jokes aside, the Japanese tuner came up with a pretty acceptable package for one of our favorite cars. There really is nothing to give it away.

It’s not really a riced up, overly exaggerated-trinket-loaded machine that would actually create the perfect scenario for some bad jokes.

It’s also not a completely murdered out vehicle that would be of any use to, erm, associations such as the Yakuza and whoever their rivals competitors might be.

In fact, this particular 5 Series Japan Skipper tuned wouldn’t be fitting for any criminal organization. While it comes with the M Sport package, the engine isn’t the biggest one around.

Being based of the F10 BMW 523i, it comes with power from a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine which burns gasoline to the tune of 185 horsepower.

Given the new enormous, forged alloy wheels and the Nitto tires it was fitted with, we’d assume this Bavarian blooded sedan was actually developed for going very slow.

Going fast is a cliche and the Japanese don’t really bill themselves as major fans of high speed runs. That is unless of course you own a tuned car.

Which isn’t what a 5 Series from Japan Skipper is, it’s more of a tweaked machine, really.

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Now that we’ve brought this question to attention why not go for a V10? Like the one Dinan or Hamann fit in there, but maybe one that’s a little more interesting.

In this case, the E60 BMW M5s S85 5.0 liter V10 was chosen. Trust me on this, it actually gets better since that engine got a few tweaks.

It got bored or stroked or maybe both and it was now pumped up to 5.8 liters in order to produce “over 610” horsepower from a naturally aspirated engine.

The chassis and suspension have been worked over in order to compensate for the new mass distribution and for the increased width.

Speaking of which, the new widebody kit is a well thought out package which looks great, helps the stance of the car and is made entirely out of carbon fiber.

The alloys, though larger than stock, still provide enough tire thread for a high performance setup. The owner promises great road holding from a car with a top speed of 215 mph.

Really, really hard to find something unpleasant about this car but there’s always time to make fun of the interior. I’m afraid that’s not the case.

It’s not the most desirable color in there but the entire upholstery has been redone to Rolls Royce levels. Damn, could this be the perfect car?

It might, if it were mine, as it is listed for 199.000 things stop looking flawless.

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This is how and where the tuning companies and enthusiasts come into play and they begin to open yet more ideas of enchantment.

Velos Designwerks have a special treat for us in the form of a special tuning package that really brings the 650i Gran Coupe closer to the streets.

Let’s face it, even though it’s an expensive BMW sedan, it’s had more to do with the Fast and Furious franchise than it has with the Wall Street movies.

Now that a tuning company finally got round to modifying it, the street presence is much more up to spec. It’s not like the young go getting guy was fired.

It’s like he quit his job and he found his college hoodie to jog around in as he figures things out. There’s a lot of expectation and some pressure, but he’s just the kind of guy who can wing it.

Oh yeah, we were talking about a BMW. It got a new bonnet design, a set of lowering springs, lightweight SOLO X forged wheels and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

Add a very cool looking silver paint and some extra performance courtesy of an ECU remap and you’ve got yourself quite the treat.

All these changes have given our “boy” a bit of a rakish look and perhaps a more threatening presence than any PR people would encourage. Which makes it even more interesting.

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A German tuner called Versus Performance went on and did a bunch of tuning thingamajigs to one of the most interesting BMW models available right now.

The F20 BMW M135i was tweaked by these ambitious Germans and they tweaked quite a lot of aspects about it. The engine, the suspension, the wheels and tires all got upgrades.

For the engine an ECU remap and the fitting of a Bastuck exhaust system means you no longer get 320/332 but 390 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque.

That force fed 3.0 liter straight six cylinder engine is really getting worked up and getting its power down requires more than putting your foot down.

The suspension the car rides on is a KW Clubsport setup and it’s hooked up to 18 inch ATS Motorsport alloys wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires.

All of these changes are bound to make a really big difference which is why Sport Auto’s Christian Gebhardt took it for a proper test.

Forget the back road calm driving and chit-chat about the interior trim quality and value for money factor. The whole thing went down at the Hockenheim track.

As you can see, there was no messing about. He managed to get round the track in 1:13.5, which is 2.2 second quicker than the standard M135i.

The new time is also comparable to what the E46 BMW M3 CSL managed. Now that is seriously impressive a figure.

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It gets its own commercial video and an exterior vinyl wrap which speaks a bit about the company and their knowledge of historic BMW models.

The exterior look is inspired by Frank Stella’s 1976 BMW 3.0 CSL Art Car, except we see a highlight on the tuner’s logo back on the rear fenders.

The new 20 inch forged alloy wheels, help build the look immensely. The thin dark lines seem to be similar to the thin dark “line” the tires draw around them.

All these exterior tweaks don’t speak too much about the way the E92 BMW M3 is called the Blitzkrieg by Active Autowerke. Those who don’t know history need to know two things about that term.

That there is what the definition of fast and deadly is. As far as we know, this particular M3 hasn’t killed anybody yet but there’s a lot of potential.

This is because under the bonnet there’s a Generation 7 Level 3 intercooled supercharger kit a complete Signature Exhaust setup and something called Meth-Injection system.

Hopefully that’s not the drug we’re talking about, but the end result might give you the same amount of shock. The 4.0 liter V8 engine pushes out 700 horsepower.

Not only is that a massive boost over the standard setup, it’s also as smooth as the original powerplant since there’s no question of lag.

Horsepower and torque are always welcome. The tires might not appreciate it but we love it so who cares about tires.

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The motivation behind building it is roughly the same. Some impressive tuning is capable of changing my mind however. Just like what’s going on in this case.

Supreme Power, an American tuner with a long running collaboration alongside Vorsteiner, has come up with a new package called Evil Knight.

The name sounds cheesy enough to make a bad Batman sequel but it’s actually worth going past the irony. The product underneath leaves no room for such ideas.

This is one badass machine we’re looking at. From heightened coupe with a bit of a lacking direction, the X6 M became a performance monster that looks as if it can hide it.

Now that’s a special trait that is very significant not only for the X6 M, but also for every BMW product. In this form, something is hidden.

The shapes look less aggressive, even though there’s Vorsteiner stamped carbon fiber everywhere. In this form it looks like a cruiser.

Its KW V3 coilovers keep the 21 inch alloys in check and the entire stance effect is further accentuated by the black paint used to cover its new body.

I liked the collaboration Supreme Power had with Vorsteiner in order to come up with the E70 BMW X5 M but this one I simply love.

The working together project is so much better than anything that came before that I didn’t even feel the need to mention the pumped up exhaust system.

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