Is it a crime or just a really good idea? One thing is for sure, this SEMA Show car is an excellently executed project.

On display at the Heatshield Products booth and built by Kevin Byrd, this E30 BMW M3 has its hood off for a reason. Rather than the 2.3-liter 4-cylinder that it came with from the factory, filling up ever inch of the engine bay is a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 from General Motors. With custom headers and a Magnaflow exhaust it delivers a claimed dyno number of 480-hp.

As a complete project the car features a 2-inch widebody and plenty of added bracing. And let’s not forget a lowered suspension and some perfectly suitable 18-inch BBS CH wheels. The total curb weight is pegged at 2900 lbs.

GALLERY: LS3 Powered BMW E30 M3

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show coverage here.

When building and customizing a car, owners often find inspiration from a race car or another higher-performance version. Other times inspiration can come from an existing, but very different vehicle, which is the case in this awesome BMW M5 build.

After seeing the carbon fiber/orange-themed Bugatti Veyron Supersport World Record Edition the owner of this M5 was convinced and decided to mirror his own car after the world’s fastest. As a result the M5 now sports a carbon fiber wrap on the entire body while the front splitters, side skirts, kidney grilles, side grilles, mirrors, wheels, antenna and rear skirt gets a coat of full-out bright orange paint. Though the car sports a conservative set of BBS wheels, the owner does intend to make it more aggressive with wider wheel spacers than what’s already being used.

While perhaps not the most tasteful built, the end result works much better than expected. And who knows, maybe if it ripped by at top speed, you might think a Veyron had just passed you by.

GALLERY: Bugatti Veyron-Inspired BMW M5 Build

[Source: M5Board]

One of the most impressive vehicles at the SEMA Show is a widebody BMW M3. Built by the carbon fiber experts at Vorsteiner, the kit is actually called the GTRS3 M3 and adds significant width to the body of the Bimmer.

Located in the Wraptivo booth, it’s been given a full wrap job since the last time we spotted it, now being coated in a soft matte-bronze that looks so real people just can’t help but touch it (see above).

There’s little to say about the ultra aggressive kit that can do it justice, but we are compelled to mention the massive concave forged wheels.. yum, yum.

GALLERY: Vorsteiner GTRS3 M3

This is most certainly a surprise from Mansory. After making huge splashes with their customized Aston Martin DB9, Bugatti and Maserati Gran Turismo, the last thing we expected to see from the wild German exotic car tuner was a BMW X5 M. Even more shocking is that it’s not a 9-inch widebody with 24-inch gold wheels, matte-orange paint and more carbon fiber than an Airbus A350.

Instead it’s quite tame, perhaps an acknowledgment that folks will actually use their X5 M as a daily driver.

Possibly even more remarkable is how toned-down the interior is. We’ve spotted an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and a refreshed two-tone interior. But of course, Mansory would be more than happy to indulge any owner with any sort of interior modifications they want, no matter how gaudy or tasteless they are.

The X5 M wouldn’t be considered customized if it didn’t include a heavy horsepower gain. Mansory does that too, offering several levels of performance with the top gains sitting at a hefty 670-hp and 700 ft-lbs of torque. That’s quite the increase from the factory 555-hp and 500 ft-lbs of torque.

In the press release, Mansory notes that they are working on a big brake upgrade though it didn’t find its way on the demo car. The SUV is lowered 1.6-inches and sports massive 23-inch wheels all around with Michelin tires.

Interestingly enough, Mansory stated that this is just one of a few BMW endeavors with the X6 and 7-Series on their radar. We’re guessing they’ve realized more people own BMWs than Bugattis. We’re more curious to see if these tuning packages’ price range is more in line with BMW owner’s budget than Bugatti and Rolls-Royce owners’ budget.

GALLERY: Mansory BMW X5 M

Official press release available after the jump:

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A while back, G-Power released their original BMW X5 that also featured a widebody and sported 525-hp. But gosh, who wants only 525-hp? Just a little over a year and a half later, G-Power has unleashed an all new BMW X5 Typhoon, this time in M-series with a neck-snapping 725-hp.

And along with that 725-hp is an astonishing 656 ft-lbs of torque, an increase of close to 155 ft-lbs from factory spec. The aerodynamic package is similar to what we’ve seen before, widening the stance of BMW’s X5 M even more and is available for $16,300. And you’ll need a widebody if you’re going to go and sport massive 23×11-inch wheels in the front with a staggered 23×12-inch pair in the rear. Pack those babies up with 315/25/23 rubber and you’ve got more than enough at your disposal to handle 725-hp. The SUV also sports a mild drop of 1.1-inch.

G-Power states that cooling has been enhanced by 15% thanks to the large air intakes in the front skirt and the vents in the hood. But the real power comes from an upgraded ECU that also removes the speed limiter. A stainless steel exhaust sporting high-flow catalytic converters and new exhaust manifolds help flow the X5 M’s turbochargers. That folks is all it takes to bump horsepower by 170 ponies.

For those interested in the wheels and Michelin tires, be prepared to shell out $11,275. And as for the 170-hp gain? Get about $22,900 ready.

GALLERY: G-Power BMW X5 M Typhoon

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 BMW X5 M Review by Clicking Here

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Oh AC Schnitzer, you’re actually late to the party this time around! BMW‘s new 2011 5-Series has already been overhauled by quite a few tuners including 3D Design and Lumma Design and now the brand synonymous with BMW customization over the last few decades has embraced BMW’s new sedan.

Apparently this is just one of several tuning packages AC Schnitzer has in the works, which makes sense considering this is just a conservative lip kit. We’re going to guess that they’ll come out with a full front and rear bumper replacement in the near future. But as always, AC Schnitzer outfits the 5-Series with an add-on front lip and add-on rear diffuser (to the OE bumpers) along with a set of side skirt extensions sporting a classy chrome blade. Both roof and trunk spoilers are also available with the trunk spoiler carrying a much more conservative design than we’re used to seeing from AC Schnitzer.

An ECU upgrade is available for the 530d bumping horsepower up from 245-hp to 286-hp. And of course an exhaust system is available for all the various 5-Series models. AC Schnitzer did want to express that they’re currently working on ECU remaps for the other BMW powerplants.

Suspension and brakes are also handled by AC Schnitzer, offering a very mild 1-inch drop along with a massive 8-piston caliper brake setup with cross-drilled rotors. (We’re assuming that the upgrade is for the front, while nothing was mentioned for the rear. We can’t imagine having 8-piston calipers in the rear on a 5-Series, but we guess it’s possible.)

AC Schnitzer also has a large assortment of wheels available for the 5-Series from 19-inch to 20-inch variety.

GALLERY: AC Schnitzer BMW 5-Series F10

Little-known but well-respected BMW-tuner Hartge has done a surprisingly good job at styling up BMW‘s X1 and has even thrown some horsepower gains to the mix.

The X1 18d motor can receive a 36-hp boost (to 179-hp) with 258 ft-lbs of torque to play with. The xDrive20d will get a 32-hp boost with 306 ft-lbs of torque. And available for all X1 models is a new exhaust to improve the sporty sound of the smallest BMW crossover.

Now for the styling goods, Hartge offers a conservative 1.2-inch drop for the X1, which makes outfitting the SUV with a set of wheels that much more appealing. On this particular demo car, Hartge opted for their Classic 2 wheel in a 20×9/20×10 setup. The wheels are wrapped with 245/30/20 tires in the front and 295/25/20 tires in the rear with Hartge recommending rubber from Pirelli or Michelin.

And of course you can get your run-of-the-mill interior upgrades from steering wheel to pedals to hand-brake.

The only pricing they announced is $2,400 for the 20d power kit – but that U.S. pricing is pretty much irrelevant as you can be sure BMW won’t offer a diesel X1 when the car finally does go on sale here.

GALLERY: Hartge BMW X1

Official press release available after the break.

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Back in May, we discovered Onyx Concept based out of Dublin, Ireland. They had done an interesting package for the Land Rover that we had mixed opinions about. But we noticed on their website that they also tinker with a plethora of other makes and manufacturers, but for the most part preferred to stick with SUVs. Whether SUVs are just too boring, or Onyx Concept realized there’s some money to be had with sporty coupes, the tuning house has decided to release a package for BMW‘s ever-popular E92 M3.

And much like the kit that they produced for the Land Rover, we’re a little unsure about the total package. We’re digging the modified front bumper with carbon fiber front lip that makes the M3 extra aggressive, but the rear of the car just looks way too bulky and busy, especially with the funky trunk lid going on. We have to credit them for using high quality carbon fiber and somewhat stepping outside the box in terms of design, but yet again we have a love/hate relationship with Onyx.

We don’t see any photos of the interior or engine bay, but Onyx has reupholstered the interior with buffalo hide and carbon fiber trim. The 4.0L V8 gets a big boost to 621-hp from the factory 414-hp, so we’re guessing that it’s a complete blast to drive. They didn’t specify how they got to that point, but we’re going to safely assume it involves forced induction (probably a supercharger) with your typical ECU reflash, intake and exhaust. The package will be available on October 31st, so we’ll keep our eyes out for pricing and performance specs.

Official press release available after the break.

GALLERY: Onyx BMW E92 M3

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Lumma Design is slowly becoming one of our favorite new tuners, having checked out their 760Li project and Top Car built X6 M. Once again, Lumma has teamed up with their Russian tuner Top Car to show off what the new BMW 5-Series is fully capable of.

With a tongue twister of a name, the CLR 500 RS2 is Lumma Design’s new styling package for the BMW F10 5-Series. And by anyone’s standards, this is one aggressive kit for a luxury sedan. The front bumper is ultra-sporty while the wider front and rear fenders (in the form of an add-on) clearly hint that Lumma wasn’t looking towards making the 5-Series conservative.

In the rear, the aggressive rear bumper sports a wildly-styled diffuser that houses a quad-tipped exhaust system. Best of all, the body components are constructed out of high quality vacuum-formed Kevlar and carbon fiber. One thing we weren’t a huge fan of though were the M-style R20 and R19 Lumma Design wheels that are on the car. While the style is OK, the wheels look way too small on the widened body.

It’s also worth mentioning that Top Car redid the interior with Nappa leather and carbon fiber trim inserts. At the end of the day though, we feel that this kit might be a little over-the-top for 5-Series owners. But those looking to convert their luxury sedan to something sporty and aggressive, you have an option!

GALLERY: Top Car Lumma Design BMW CLR 500 RS2

[Source: WorldCarFans]

We don’t have our hands on the official press release from Hamann yet, but it looks like they’ve released a fine collection of goods for the BMW 7-Series. And as with all Hamann tuning packages, we see no big surprises other than a variation of front ends available to complement the rest of their standard body upgrades.

Given that BMW 7-Series owners are normally of an older demographic, having a variety of options from Hamann comes as no surprise. For those looking to customize but keep it simple, there’s a front spoiler option to go with the side skirts and rear diffuser insert. In the rear are traditional Hamann-styled trunk and roof spoilers. It looks like they also offer a set of vented fenders that seem out of place (to us) on the luxury sedan.

Now those looking for a sportier look can opt for a front bumper which is surprisingly mild and fits the style of the 7-Series body quite well. In fact it lends a little bit of the 3-Series look to the front end which is subtle and clean.

And those looking for the ultimate in customization is the Evo front bumper which is definitely more aggressive than the standard front bumper with the addition of a lower profile design. It reminds us of the difference between a standard E90 front and the M-Tech E90 front bumper. The front bumpers look to come with optional LEDs.

As always, Hamann has a collection of wheels to choose from to outfit the car and a quad-tipped exhaust system. We’ll be sure to update this post when we get the official press release.

GALLERY: Hamann BMW 7-Series