RENNTech Wins Mercedes SEMA Tuner Build-Off With Rally-Inspired GLK [Sema]

The Booth Professionals and 42" Chrome Rims may have rolled home weeks ago, but the voting for the Mercedes SEMA has just ended. What über tuner swayed the most SEMA fans to their tuned hybrid?

The winner is the Pikes Peak Rally-inspired RENNtech GLK350 SPEC.R Hybrid. This is yet another salvo in the Tuner Wars, pitting BRABUS against RENNtech and giving another notch in the Florida-based, Pizza-break wielding tuner's belt. We think voters locked onto the GLK's wing, which actually came off of a helicopter. Now that's a junkyard find. Press release below.

RENNtech Wins Mercedes SEMA Tuner Build-Off
After an intense, 45-day build and grueling 30 days of campaigning for votes from friends, family, and total strangers, Mercedes-Benz announced that RENNTECH has won the MBUSA GLK tuner build-off!

The competition wasn't easy, with BLVD Customs' strong GLK "Urban Whip" roadster and Brabus' slick "Widestar" each swapping positions with RENNTECH for the lead throughout. At the end of the day, however, Mercedes acknowledged that RENNTECH's sweeping program of upgrades - which included extensive engine mods, software development, aerodynamic bodywork, suspension and brake upgrades, as well as converting the GLK to hybrid drive - pushed RENNTECH's GLK 350 Spec.R Pike's Peak rally racer "over the edge".

RENNTECH would like to thank all our friends and sponsors (listed, below), this build would not have been possible without you.

[Source: RENNtech]

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VW Debuts R GTI Concept at SEMA

Last year, Volkswagen unveiled some very cool, very high-powered in-house performance variants of their Jetta, Passat and Touareg with a simple R badge. These were some cool-looking concepts that led many to think that VW would offer them in limited numbers. Alas, it never happened. So we’re a bit dismayed to be teased once again this year by a great looking, amped up VW, this time called the R GTI.

The new GTI by itself is a great performer. Add on a more powerful turbocharger to the stock car and somehow VW and partner APR wrangle 375 hp out of the hot hatchback. There are much larger tires and wheels — 19-inch at that — and a limited slip-differential to get all the power to the road, while Brembo brakes help stop the sucker. A much larger intercooler is needed for the turbo and that led to a change in the grille design that makes the GTI look pretty mean. 

The GTI will probably never see these treatments at the factory but because VW used major aftermarket manufacturers and parts a few VW fanatics could probably replicate this in their own garage. We expect VW to develop an R version of the GTI as either a R32 or R36. Those are likely to feature a V-6 and not a turbo four-cylinder, but we’re hoping for the R GTI’s front end to make the transition regardless. 

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Chevy-Sponsored Camaro Black Heading For SEMA Show Floor [Sema]

Chevy has released a single teaser-style image of their 2008 SEMA show-bound Camaro Black, described only as "a dark and mysterious interpreta." We're pretty sure they meant "interpretation" but ran into character limitations in their imaging software. Regardless, the Camaro Black show car actually looks to be a gunmetal gray based on the photo and appears decked out with a sinister-looking body kit and the requisite SEMA monster alloy wheels shod in low-profile rubber. The red glow from the headlights may also indicate some sort of LED illumination kit, but what you see is all we know at this point; we'll either get a constant dribble of teasers a-la 2010 Mustang or just bring you the goods from the Vegas show floor in two weeks.

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