In case you can’t tell, all you have to do is take an exotic (or luxury) car, wrap it in matte black and the internet will immediately go nuts about it. There’s just something so sinister and so menacing when you go and take a car like the Audi R8 and rewrap the entire car in a matte black finish, pair it up with matte black wheels and sprinkle in some carbon fiber body pieces.

As much as we like to think one day we’ll get sick and tired of this matte black craze, we wholeheartedly believe it’s here to stay and is part of the style and culture in car customization. And honestly, there’s just no denying what a nice matte-colored wrap does to a car’s aesthetics. But enough about the flat black style, this R8 from SR Auto Group has been dubbed Project Pur R8 Phantom and sports some subtle, yet sleek mods.

Breaking up the dark exterior is a set of bright red brake calipers that contrasts the matte black 20-inch wheels. Carbon fiber goods are in the form of front lip and rear spoiler, both from Hofele. PPI contributes with their carbon fiber rear vents and front grill.

As for performance, SR Auto Group is offering H&R lowering springs (pretty run-of-the-mill) and ECU tuning. No horsepower figures on the ECU retune though.

GALLERY: SR Auto Group Project Pur R8 Phantom

[Source: Top Speed]

ABT Sportsline has been tinkering around with Audi‘s newest TT-RS for a while now, debuting a power package back in September 2009 that helped put down 420-hp from the roadster. An 80-hp increase from the factory 340-hp, most would think that would be enough to keep everyone happy. But ABT Sportsline wouldn’t be ABT Sportsline if they didn’t find a way to break the 500-hp mark.

The Power S Package is now available to the public and includes an ECU retune, upgraded intercooler and upgraded ABT turbocharger. Details are a little scarce on what size turbo ABT is using, but they did disclose that 501-hp is the mark that they’ve achieved with the package. No pricing has been revealed either, but we’re guessing if you want it bad enough, you’ll get it anyways.

GALLERY: ABT Sportsline Audi TT-RS

Oh Audi A1, where art thou? While we Americans sit around and wait for the second generation A1 to launch, the fortunate ones in Europe are already getting their hands quite dirty with the MINI competitor. Senner Tuning has been fast out of the gate with their version and we’re just fuming with jealousy that we can’t get our hands on one ourselves.

The 1.6-liter TDI engine produces a pedestrian 104-hp and 184 ft-lbs of torque from the factory, but with Senner Tuning’s ECU retune one can expect 138-hp and 220 ft-lbs of torque. It may not seem like much, but we’re guessing in this tiny little 3-door package it packs quite the punch. The ECU retune is available for $1,140.

For their demo car, Senner Tuning opted for a set of KW coilovers to lower the vehicle while bolting on a set of 18×8-inch Barracuda Voltec T6 wheels with 225/35/18 Hankook S1 Evo tires. Senner Tuning states that the wheel and tire package starts at around $2,025 depending on what sort of rubber you want on the wheels. Lastly, an exhaust system is available for the same price as the ECU retune, $1,140. No power gains are disclosed from the exhaust, but we’re guessing it a few horses.

It looks as if Senner Tuning is prepared to sell completely built Audi A1s to the market much like their demo car. From what we can gather, you can get an A1 identical to the one seen in the photos for around $34,400. Probably a little spendy for a vehicle that’s supposed to be a MINI competitor, but you are getting some goods with it.

GALLERY: Senner Tuning Audi A1

Official press release available after the break.

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While we’re still anxiously awaiting the release of Audi‘s RS5 in America, tuners in Germany have already gotten their hands dirty with the car and finding gobs of horsepower with very little effort. While the stock 450-hp figure already seems potent enough, especially given how beautiful the RS5′s styling is, SKN has already taken the 4.2-liter V8 past 500-hp with a simple ECU re-tune and Milltek Hockenheim Edition exhaust system.

Actual horsepower figures and pricing hasn’t been released by SKN yet, just that they’re already finding the real potential of the RS5. Suspension wise they lowered the car on a set of Bilstein PSS10 coilovers and mated a set of 20-inch BBS CH-R wheels onto each corner. The 20×10.5-inch wheels are wrapped with Pirelli P-Zero rubber in a 285/30/20 size.

It’ll be a little bit longer until we’ll see the RS5 in America, and with the price tag it comes with it’ll be interesting to see how popular it’ll become. But there’s no question that we should be seeing plenty more from the aftermarket for Audi’s new player in the sports coupe segment.

GALLERY: SKN-Tuned Audi RS5

[Source: Automarket.ro]

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Apparently the factory 525-hp from Audi‘s R8 V10 Spyder isn’t enough for the fine folks at Sport Wheels. They have released a pair of tuning packages to up horsepower depending on the owner’s needs and wants. Their stage one will dial it up to 565-hp and 413 ft-lbs of torque while the second stage pumps out 600-hp and 428 ft-lbs of torque.

The stage 1 upgrade consists of a remapped ECU for the 40-hp bump for a cost of around $1,935. Given the cost of the R8 Spyder, this is actually quite affordable for the performance gains. And if that’s not enough, the stage 2 includes an “ironman muffler,” which we’re just going to guess is a fancy name for a nice sporty exhaust. To reach that famed 600-hp mark you’ll have to dish out $7,570.

Sport Wheels’ Galactic Audi R8 Spyder also sports a set of 20×8.5- and 20×11-inch OZ Ultraleggara HTL wheels with Continental Sport Contact tires. Those run a pretty $5,675. And lastly, a Model 3 HLS 4 coilover kit can be had for $9,450.

Gallery: SPORT WHEELS Galactic Audi R8 Spyder

Official press release available after the break.

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What’s that you say? You’re tired of news about modified versions of the BMW X6? Well we have a treat in store for you! JE Design has transformed the Audi Q7 to a menacing SUV that could possibly rival BMW’s X6 in the looks department. But even with a 20 percent increase in horsepower (from 233-hp to 285-hp), JE Design’s Audi Q7 can’t keep up with a stock X6.

But let’s focus on the widebody exterior with a custom body kit from JE Design. It isn’t reserved for just the S-Line model, but will fit any Q7 body, except for the W12 TDI. The 12-piece wheel arches are $3,500 and the rear bumper extension is $2,335 while front spoilers can be sold separately for widebody or non-widebody applications for $900. For accessories there are eyelids (headlight covers) for $130 and a rear spoiler for $1,425.

The horsepower upgrade comes from the new ECU that’s available for $1,945 and includes a one-year warranty on the motor, turbocharger, gearbox and drivetrain. This warranty can be extended an additional year for just $260.

To round everything off, there is an electronic lowering kit for $1,850 offering a 1.4-inch drop. To fill the wider and larger wheel wells are 22×10-inch wheels with 295/30/22 tires for a hefty $6,740. Interestingly enough though, JE Design simply uses spacers to push the wheels out instead of doing a wider, more aggressive offset applications. Those spacers cost more too – a little lame in our book.

But hey, if you’re looking to beef up your Q7 to keep up with the looks of newer models from other automakers, perhaps this is an option for you!

GALLERY: JE Design Widebody Audi Q7 S-Line

Official press release available after the break.

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Even though the current generation Audi RS6 is being discontinued, Cargraphic has decided that now is an opportune time to give those owners something to look forward to. Tuned wagons are some of our favorite vehicles, especially since no one ever expects it and they look absolutely killer when done right. Having 656-hp to back it all up helps too.

Cargraphic takes the twin-turbo Audi V10 to a whole new level bumping it from 572-hp to 656-hp, with very little details on how it’s achieved. We’re going to safely assume it’s an ECU upgrade of some sort since they do take the liberty to mention an exhaust bolt-on option. The exhaust is so aggressively tuned in fact that it’s not legal for use in German and only available for export use only.

Along with their exhaust options are a set of 21×10.5-inch Cargraphic GT-R wheels wrapped with 285/30/21 rubber. It’s a good thing this wagon pumps out over 650-hp to help spin those bad boys.

Official press release available after the break.

GALLERY: Cargraphic Audi RS6

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Heffner Performance is all about tuning luxury and exotic vehicles to maximize their performance. Recently they had the opportunity to team up with Roger Miller and TDC Motorsports to install their coveted twin turbo kit on an Audi R8 at Miller Motorsports Park. While Heffner Performance was working on twin turbocharging the R8 beast, PPI North America helped overhaul the R8′s suspension, brakes and body kit, but mainly focused on installing their own carbon fiber components to the Audi R8. The entire build took place at Miller Motorsports Park and as soon as the vehicle was done, it was taken straight out onto the track by Roger Miller himself.

And apparently Jason Heffner joined in on the fun by having his own R8 sent out to Miller Motorsports Park. Together both R8s hit the track for plenty of fun. So much fun in fact that Heffner has just chosen to leave his R8 out at Miller Motorsports Park and plans on returning soon.

Check out the video after the break and check out photos of the entire build here.

[Source: Automotive Addicts and TeamSpeed]

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You have to love a country where you’re legally allowed to drive 280 km/h (174 mph) on the street. And that’s just what German tuner MTM has done with its new Audi RS6 Clubsport model. Plus, they videotaped the experience to share it with the world. And we’re thankful they did.

Hitting a speed of around 280 km/h is by all accounts not the most difficult task for the RS6 Clubsport to do, thanks to 730-hp from it’s tuned 5.0-liter Biturbo V10 engine. When MTM released stats on the car earlier this year it claimed a 0-60 mph time of 4.1 seconds and a quarter mile time of 12.6 @ 124 mph. In true German fashion, however, this beast is tuned for the autobahn with plenty of top-end grunt

But enough of our yapping, check out the video after the jump:

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Audi has been doing a fantastic job pushing rival competitor BMW’s buttons. Their newest generation A4/A5 is a perfect contender to BMW’s 3-series and arguably has much more attractive body lines. Both the A4 and A5 as much more aggressive in nature than the subdued BMW E90/E92/E93. But one thing Audi definitely doesn’t have yet is the overwhelming aftermarket support and fans that BMW has. Just a look at the tens of thousands of enthusiasts that show up to Bimmerfest proves that BMW customizing still has a few steps on Audi.

The A4 and A5 however is helping change that. With its more aggressive profile, the aftermarket has embraced it with fantastic support. Rieger Tuning is not a new entrant to the game. For years they have developed stylish body options for all major European vehicles but at most well known for their Volkswagen offerings. They were actually one of the first on the block with a kit for the new Audi A4 / A5.

So let’s take a look at this Rieger Tuning A4 and what all has been done. Starting with a sedan platform is obviously a more difficult task in making it look sportier and more aggressive. But Rieger Tuning’s subtle and simple add-ons do the job perfectly. The entire kit is constructed from ABS with a front lip spoiler and splitter, side skirts, roof spoiler, trunk spoiler and rear diffuser. Oddly enough though, Rieger’s body kit for the Audi A4 utilizes faux carbon fiber rather than real carbon fiber. We guess in this economy even some companies need to penny pinch to attract the public.

This A4 also sports Rieger’s rear muffler, a set of 20-inch Hyper Forged HF27S wheels and a big brake upgrade from Brembo. What’s best of this entire project is the fact that it’s out in Japan and it’s right hand drive. We’re suckers for the Japanese tuning Euros – there’s a nice clean style that they add to it all.

GALLERY: Rieger Tuning Audi B8 A4

[Source: Jon Sibal]