Ferrari and other luxury sports car makers aren't the only ones to offer race-spec variants of their series production models. Joining the club is Nissan with its newly revealed 370Z NISMO RC that is now available for customer orders.

The Japanese firm's track-ready racer is based on the street-legal 370Z NISMO but has undergone an extreme diet dropping the production model's luxury amenities. As a result, Nissan Motorsport engineers managed to shave more than 1,000 pounds off the 370Z NISMO RC, which tips the scales at just 2,954 lbs (1,339kg).[...]

The Lexus CT 200h was developed as a means to get greater fuel efficiency without too much thought put into the sportiness of the vehicle. That’s the typical thought process involved in producing a hybrid, but Five Axis has a different way of thinking. They have developed a new tuning package for the hybrid hatchback just in time for one of the greatest tuning events in the world: the 2011 SEMA Auto Show. Their package shows that even hybrids can look great combining an aggressive exterior look with a sporty interior and that same tremendous fuel economy of the CT 200h.

The look begins with a custom widebody conversion and a mysterious JDSU "Dark Passage" paint combined with custom black accents. The interior gets a touch more spunk with bright orange accents, uniquely appointed seats with laser etched Ultrasuede EcoDesign inserts, custom illuminated headliner with Ultrasuede EcoDesign Upholstery, and upholstery by Turinmodel, Inc., and 3M Crystalline window film by The Tint Factory. The technological factor was also boosted with a custom Touchscreen Interface center console. A set of 19" forged wheels complete the vehicle’s overall look, while a new Stop Tech high performance big brake kit and a TEIN Flex Coilover suspension system provide a better stability.[...]

Mac Audio, a manufacturer of amplifiers and loudspeakers, has tapped German tuning specialist Wimmer RS to create a showcar version of the Mini Clubman John Cooper Works [JCW].

And no, the highlight of the hot hatch is not the blonde model seen in the pictures but the extreme audio system found in the heavily modified interior, which was customized by Mac Audio's own Professional Installation Team headed by Nic König.[...]

What if we had the money to customize our very own Ford Mustang? That question has lead to countless hours of daydreaming about the perfect combination of tricks and accessories, with no real hope of getting the resources to actually do it. But while we were dreaming, some guys over at CoolFords.com ended up designing their dream vehicle into this cool 3D model that will be displayed next week at the SEMA Show. The goal is to get someone excited enough about their project to dish out the cash needed for the conversion.

Their project is based on the most impressive Mustang: the Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca and has been developed in RPM-3D, a leader in 3D Motorsports Graphics.

"The BOSS 302 is a well known brand so we did not want to "Re-Invent" the car or the base scheme, but we wanted to provide a custom look specifically for CoolFords.com. We also took into account that some day CoolFords.com may build this actual car, so we designed it in a way that would allow that to easily take place without too much extra expense or work on their end."

The Fiat 500 is a relative newbie in the US market so Chrysler is trying to give the little Italian hatchback the proper introduction to American consumers. What better way to do that than to showcase a couple of modified 500s at the SEMA Auto Show?

The first of the two programs is called the Fiat 500 Titanium, one that comes with aggressive styling and premium sport-luxury details. The car was dressed up with a Matte Titanium finish that highlights the car’s sculpted front fascia. There’s also a satin black fascia insert that has integrated LED fog lamps while the circular projector headlamps are finished in gloss black to complement the titanium finish. Mopar also added lowering springs on the car, as well as new side skirts, a large liftgate spoiler that adds downforce for improved stability, a new diffuser, and a set of 16" Matte Titanium wheels with front-and rear-brake calipers. Other elements of the 500 Titanium that are worth noting are the Matte Titanium exterior door handles, mirror caps, a license plate brow, and to make sure the car packs improved performance, a Mopar cold-air intake and Mopar cat-back exhaust.[...]

Dubbed the Mer-Nazz, the crossover features an aerodynamic body kit with new bumpers, a ventilated hood and revised side skirts.[...]

If weren't overly impressed with the factory 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport we showed you earlier today, then perhaps you may want to take a look at what Five Axis has prepared for the SEMA Show next week.

Troy Sumitomo's tuning company has taken the new GS 350 with the F Sport package to the next level with a custom wide bodykit that beefs up the wheel arches and adds several new components such as the side skirts and wraparound rear spoiler.[...]

Not one to be left out of the 2011 SEMA Auto Show extravaganza, Chrysler, together with its resident tuning house, Mopar Underground, recently unveiled a bevy of vehicles that will be in attendance in Las Vegas.

One of their offerings is the Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR, a track focused, yet street-legal machine that drew its inspiration from both the Challenger SRT8 392 and the Viper SRT10 ACR. Coming with plenty of aesthetic and performance upgrades, the SRT8 ACR will be headed to SEMA to steal the show. And really, who are we to argue?

On the outside, the SR8 ACR was given a white body that comes with a charcoal painted roof and a flame red stripe running the length of the car, a design that pays homage to its departed Viper SR10 ACR counterpart. The paint finish is then complimented by a carbon fiber hood, a rear deck lid, a rear spoiler and tail lamp surrounds, red painted mirror caps, a red "ACR" fender badge, and a set of 20" black five-spoke alloy wheels with matching brake calipers.

Inside, Mopar continued the modifications on the Dodge muscle car by taking out the rear seat bench and replacing them with a roll bar and a fire extinguisher. To make the car lighter, Mopar added carbon fiber door panels to go with a new pair of bucket sport seats with openings for a racing harness, an SRT three-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel, an SRT gauge cluster, a custom bright pedal kit, Mopar Drag Pack center stack, and a carbon fiber center console finish to round out the interior modifications.[...]

Hennessey has a way of doing business that makes you want to throw money at them, especially when it deals with automotive tuning. These guys know what they’re doing and if you have a car like a Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon and you’re not satisfied with its standard specs, the right thing to do is pick up the phone and have Hennessey give it the boost you’ve always wanted.

The American tuning company’s V700 program is a good choice for that. Not only does it have a few styling tweaks to make the car a little more eye-friendly, but more importantly, it has the perfect performance improvements that can turn your CTS-V wagon from a mild-mannered family ride into a snorting piece of action-packed mayhem.[...]

The 2011 SEMA Auto Show isn’t all about fancy new performance set-ups for the much sexier sports cars; it also welcomes aftermarket programs done on some hulking machines like the Ford F-150.

Take for example the work done by Skyjacker Suspensions on the 2011 F-150 EcoBoost. For a pick-up that already packs plenty of the qualities of a powerful road-going beast, the people from Skyjacker Suspensions managed to improve the abilities of the class-leading pick-up even more.

The title of their project is called "Project No Compromise" and as the name suggests, they certainly left nothing to chance with their F-150 program. Featuring a 4" suspension lift to go with monotube shocks and larger off-road tires, Skyjacker Suspensions was able to make what is already a promising handling set-up for the F-150 into something that would make even the Ford engineers blush.[...]