RENNTECH E55 | 11.21

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I just received this great video from one of our customers driving his RENNTECH E55 AMG to a very quick 11.21 second quarter-mile.

The timeslip is posted on Dragtimes. Enjoy!

SNEAK PEEK - MERCEDES GULLWING

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Not content to sit on the sidelines while the world watches Ferrari, RUF, and others debut their new supercars, Mercedes-Benz release a full, 35 picture gallery of hi-res "spy" photos of their upcoming SLC/SLS "gullwing" supercar. The SLR McLaren successor promises to be just as fast as the outgoing SLR, addressing that car's weight issues and being more "true" to Mercedes' heritage.

RENNTECH will have tuning upgrades available at the time of launch. Contact RENNTECH for more information.

CLICK HERE for the original article.

RENNTECH | PLATUNE DIESEL G CONCEPT

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2009 marks two special birthdays: it is RENNTECH's 20th year in business and the G wagen's 30th year of production! As previously mentioned HERE, RENNTECH is celebrating its 20 years of tuning excellence with a series of extremely limited-production specials that set new industry standards for Mercedes-Benz performance tuning.

The concept shown makes use of a RENNTECH-tuned Mercedes-Benz CDI Diesel, which makes almost 400 lb-ft of torque in production tune. Final output TDB.

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As with RENNTECH's GLK hybrid rally-racer and 777 SLR renderings, these were done by Platune Design.

RENNTECH C63 | 11.654

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Last week, some of our RENNTECH customers spent some time running a pair of RENNTECH-tuned AMGs down Palm Beach International's new 1/4 mile drag strip - and the results were impressive: an 11.654 time at over 120.70 mph on Nitto Invo street tires!

Watch for the timeslip below to get posted on to Dragtimes in the coming days, as well as slips from the E55 AMG that came along, and was kind enough to take some pics for us.

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MORE SPY PICS - SLC GULLWING

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The recently mis-named Autoweek website recently posted new spy photos of Mercedes-Benz' upcoming SLC gullwing revival, which is set to become the company's successor to the SLR McLaren.

We are big fans of the SLR, and these latest images show some very SLR-like taillamps and rear fenders ... all good things.

CLICK HERE for the original gallery, and expect to see the finished car at Geneva in March.

RENNTECH FOR SLK350 V6

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RENNTECH's new $3995 performance PKG1 for the 05-08 SLK 350 boosts the output of the 268 hp V6 to over 300 hp. That's 40 horsepower for under $4000!

This level of performance and torque comes from new RENNTECH headers and a RENNTECH ECU upgrade, which also raises the car's top speed from the factory-limited 155 mph to over 170 mph. As the copy above states: this package will change the way you look at Mercedes' 350 series cars.

Currently available for 05-08 SLK350 and GLK350.

PINE SCHOOL | 09

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RENNTECH was once again a part of the Pine School's "100 years of cars" auto show, where we displayed our 2008 SEMA award-winning GLK hybrid rally-racer.

The GLK (above) was in good company, with several unique exotics and historic automobiles also in attendance, including Enzo Ferrari's own Alfa Romeo road car (below) as well as an authentic Berger F1 Ferrari and the first Alfa Romeo 8C to land in Florida.

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There are 30 colorful photos in our Flickr gallery - CLICK HERE to see them all.

Enjoy!

RENNTECH GLK MAKES HEADLINES

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The RENNTECH GLK 350 Spec.R hybrid rally-racer we built for SEMA just came back from the LA Auto show. Fresh from the tuner build-off win, RENNTECH's rally-racer has been making a big splash here in the US ... now it looks like the European press is getting behind the RENNTECH GLK!

Mercedes will show the GLK again at the Chicago show this February, and it will be on display at select Mercedes-Benz dealers across the US through this spring.

CLK63 AMG CABRIO | EXHAUST

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RENNTECH has just put the finishing touches on a new exhaust system for the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Cabrio. The single-out exhaust for this car (and the previous CLK55 AMG) was never a fan-favorite, but with RENNTECH's new sound-pipe and deep, muscle-car growl, it soon will be!

Click the link, turn up the speakers, and enjoy.

SUPERCAR WEEKEND | 09 | PART ii

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Last weekend (24 Jan) Privilege invited RENNTECH to be a part of the 4th annual Palm Beach Supercar Weekend - and RENNTECH was be there in force, with our award-winning GLK 350 Spec.R hybrid rally racer, 20th Anniversary C63 program car (580 hp), and a customer SL600 (shown) and S550.

We had a great time, and enjoyed walking through the crowds and admiring the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Moslers, and other exotics (the Moslers and Rossions were our favorites ... after the RENNTECH Mercedes, of course!).

CLICK HERE to see our full photo gallery (40 hi-res images). Enjoy!

SUPERCAR WEEKEND | 09

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This Saturday (24 Jan) Privilege will be hosting the 4th annual Palm Beach Supercar Weekend - and RENNTECH will be there with our award-winning GLK 350 Spec.R hybrid rally racer and a number of private customer cars.

The event takes place in downtown West Palm Beach all along the Flagler Drive waterfront, and will be open to the public from 11am - 5pm. CLICK HERE for the Privilege website and more information.

20TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY AT HARD ROCK

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RENNTECH will be celebrating 20 years of performance without compromise next Saturday night, January 31st at the Hard Rock hotel and casino's Pangaea Lounge in Hollywood, Florida. There will be drinks, music, models, and - of course! - RENNTECH Mercedes, including the award-winning RENNTECH GLK 350 SPEC.R Hybrid rally racer.

We'll issue a formal press release soon - click the image above to RSVP or for more information.

RENNTECH 777 | HORSEPOWER WAR NOT OVER

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Earlier this week, AMG boss Volker Mornhinweg announced “the horsepower war is over." If this sounds familiar, it's because AMG issued a similar press release LAST JANUARY.

"Last year, it was a coincidence that we were releasing a new, 695 hp performance package for the 65 series AMG cars at around the same time. We sent out a press release that said 'War Not Over'," recalls Hartmut Feyhl, president of RENNTECH and four-star General of the horsepower wars. "This year it is the same timing again, and we have something much more extreme to announce for our 20th Anniversary."

Feyhl founded RENNTECH in 1989, and the company has since established itself as one of the world's premier tuning firms and the foremost authority on Mercedes-Benz performance tuning. 2009 marks the company's 20th year in business, and the company intends to celebrate by releasing a small number of extreme, limited edition performance vehicles, beginning with the 777 hp, RENNTECH 777 shown here.

"This 777 concept is really an all-new car that makes use of the advanced carbon fiber chassis of the SLR McLaren. It can be described as a street-legal track car, or something closer to what the enthusiasts were hoping for from the SLR, originally - which is more a successor to the McLaren F1."

RENNTECH heavily revised the SLR McLaren bodywork and aero package using some of the same technology the company used to develop the the GLK Hybrid Rally Racer for Mercedes-Benz, including advanced CFD software to develop the aerodynamics for improved downforce. Even with the big wing, splitters, and skirts, a top speed in excess of 210 mph is well within reach for the 777.

The 777 is much more than lightweight bodywork, however. The 5.5 L supercharged "Kompressor" v8 engine is heavily revised, with internal and external performance upgrades and a significantly upgraded cooling system.

Getting that power to the ground is the job of a fully redesigned suspension and driveline, with a heavily reinforced transmission sending power to RENNTECH's revolutionary new limited-slip differential. Built for RENNTECH by Japanese supplier OS Giken, the recently-released differential allows for 100% locking between the drive wheels for unsurpassed mid-corner traction. Aggressive Nitto NT-05 ultra-high performance tires wrapped around extremely lightweight, 1 pc. center-locking wheels round out the street -legal handling package.

"The 777 will be a very special car," explains Hartmut. "The first example is being built now, and will be ready this Spring. We intend to build a few different extreme vehicles like this for our 20th anniversary, with each one being strictly limited to 20 units. They are all very exciting projects, and we will be announcing them throughout the year, as they approach completion."

Contact RENNTECH for information and RENNTECH 777 SLR McLaren package pricing.

750 HP SLR - ON THE DYNO

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The video above shows a fantastic Switzer-prepared SLR McLaren coupe putting out 600 hp at the wheels - that's almost 750 hp at the crank!

This SLR makes use of RENNTECH's SLR PKG1 performance upgrades and the latest version of the RENNTECH's SLR McLaren software. Each SLR engine is assembled by hand at AMG, of course, and there are sometimes slight variances, but this is still a STRONG build - Switzer (our primary Ohio dealer) did a fantastic job getting the most out of this McLaren on pump gas (RENNTECH advertises 722 hp, or just under 580 hp at the wheels).

Dyno sheet (below) provided by SPI.

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NEW E COUPE | CLK REVEALED

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Global Motors' photographers have snapped the clearest pictures yet of the upcoming CLK successor from Mercedes-Benz. Called the E coupe, the car take styling cues from the future-classic CLS class, which launched the current wave of 4-door coupes from Audi, Volkswagen, Aston Martin, and BMW.

Expect some new chassis and brake innovations from the AMG model, as well as a Bluetec diesel version. CLICK HERE for the original article and hi-res photo gallery.

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11.069

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I was browsing some the RENNTECH customer cars that have posted timeslips on Dragtimes (for those of you not "in the know", Dragtimes is THE resource for real-world performance numbers, with visitors from all over the world posting timeslips, videos, and photos of real cars, putting down real numbers) and stumbled across this fantastic picture of a RENNTECH-tuned S65 (w220) AMG Mercedes barreling through the 1/4 mile speed traps at almost 130 mph!

While we've been discussing this run for some time (the big S' timeslip shows that this epic run took place in late 2006) this is the first time I've seen this photo.

CLICK HERE to see RENNTECH's available w220 S class tuning products ... and if you can beat that 11.0, add it to Dragtimes!

RENNTECH TURNS 20 | PART 1

AMG Hammer, c. 1989

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RENNTECH E63 AMG, c. 2009

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Welcome to 2009, everyone! I've been on vacation this past week, so this is the first official RENNTECH blog post of 2009.

We had a very successful 2008, winning the Mercedes-Benz GLK tuner build-off at SEMA, introducing a new website in July, welcoming new dealers to the fold, and more! All the same, 2009 is going to be EVEN BETTER ...

2009 marks RENNTECH's 20th year in business - and we'll be hosting a few events and launching a few new models in the coming months to celebrate the last 20 years, and also to take a look back at some of the projects that have established RENNTECH as the world's premier Mercedes-Benz performance tuner.

Thank you for visiting our site and - from everyone at RENNTECH - have a happy new year!

SLR SPEEDSTER | OFFICIAL VIDEO

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Mercedes' recently unveiled SLR McLaren "Sterling Moss" Speedster certainly delivers on the hype (visually, at least), and the car's performance stats promise to deliver on the road as well, with 650 hp powering the lightest, most extreme road-going SLR model to date.

As soon as we have one on our dyno, you can bet we'll post the results. Enjoy the video!

NEW LSD FROM RENNTECH

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For the Mercedes /AMG-enthusiast who has it all, RENNtech has announced a new line of limited-slip differentials just in time for the holidays.

Founded by ex-AMG technical director Hartmut Feyhl, RENNtech has built a solid reputation by delivering useable, real-world performance since 1989, and these new diffs (a RENNtech-only component produced by OS Giken) continue RENNtech's nearly 20-year tradition of tuning excellence.

"This new differential is very unique, and different from anything that has been available up to now," explains Feyhl. "First, the OS Giken diff. is a true 100% locking differential, and because it uses significantly more friction surfaces internally, there is a very smooth transmission of power to the inside wheel at the track with virtually no noise and chatter on the road."

RENNtech's new rear differentials are based on OS Giken's line of Super-Lock LSD, which functions as a traditional open diff. in low and normal-load situations, transforming smoothly into a 100% fully locking diff. as loads rise. Hartmut raves about the new unit, calling it "the smoothest and quietest limited-slip I have ever driven - very much like factory. This diff. makes my AMG feel much more sportscar-like and responsive."

Prices range from $4995 for V8 AMG models to $7995 for SLR and tuned 65 series AMGs.

CLICK HERE for specific model availability.

JEREMY v. THE 722GT

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That is Jeremy Clarkson (of Top Gear fame) driving the SLR McLaren 722GT in anger around a UK test track - all in good fun and part of the Jezzer's exotic-car DVD, "Thriller".

As you know, this video is especially relevant to RENNTECH fans since RENNTECH is the official US sales and support center for the SLR.Club and the SLR 722GT. You can read more about that HERE and HERE. You can also CLICK HERE to find Clarkson's Thriller DVD on Amazon.co.uk

Enjoy!