Gallery: the weirdest modified cars of Frankfurt 2015

With Porsche showcasing a 600bhp, all-electric sportscar, Mercedes quite literally changing the shape of the aerodynamics, and even Hyundai throwing a PHD’s worth of chemistry textbooks at a hydrogen-super-capacitor drivetrain, efficiency seemed to be the buzzword at this week’s Frankfurt show.

However, there was a pocket of plucky fabricators from Planet Tuning at Frankfurt doing the absolute opposite, modifiers giving two fingers to efficiency by indulging in old-school excess.

And for your dubious viewing pleasure, Top Gear spent the last couple of days wandering the show floor to see what these artistic fabricators of the automotive world have been up to. And giving ourselves a headache in the process.

From high-horsepower wonders to carbon fibre jet skis and Kermit the Frog-lined interiors, we’ve rounded up the good, bad and the ugly for of the tuning crowd for your judgment.

So click forth and let us know you thoughts in the comments below.

Things must be going well for Mansory. At this year’s Frankfurt show, the Euro-tuner had expanded its patch by not having one, but two stands displaying its wares.

And in a relentless mission to deplete the world’s reserves of carbon fibre, this is its latest take on Lamborghini’s Huracan. 

Called the Torofeo (that’s not a typo, probably more of a trademark infringement loophole), this Huracan has had every single panel skinned off it and replaced with new matte carbon ones.

The littlest Lambo has been re-worked from bumper-to-bumper and – how can we say this? – now has a lot more going on. 

Between slats, creases, diverts and dangerously sharp edges, the Huracan looks pretty sinister inside and out.

But as you’ve probably learned, Kourosh Mansory doesn’t just stop with the aesthetics.

Oh no, this Huracan has been spannered, its 5.2-litre V10 to pump out a staggering 1,250bhp. That’s more than double the output of the standard car.

Torque, meanwhile, has been electronically limited to 737lb ft. We presume this is to stop the Torofeo tearing the planet off its hinges.

The Range Rover’s raison d'etre is to bring a veneer of luxury to the grubby world of off-roading. It’s a multi-tasker if there ever was one.

However, such diversity isn’t not enough for Brabus subsidiary Startech, which wants to make the Rangey a bit more… utilitarian.

How? By adding a carbon fibre-lined pickup bed.

Startech took a big hacksaw to the back of the Rangey, crafting a bespoke rear end out of aluminium, carbon fibre and steel to improve RR’s load-lugging capabilities.

You’d think for all this effort you’d get stacks of space, maybe enough to take a double bed to the tip or something. After all, that’s what pickups are for, right?

Unfortunately not. Startech’s pick-up boasts a loading length of just 110cm: far too short for that king-size mattress. However, if you filled it with ice, it’d make a proper snazzy drinks cooler.  

Underneath that Alderly Edge Orange paint job still lies a supercharged, 5.0-litre V8 Range Rover with 526bhp. So at least you can get away quickly when people start sniggering at the size of your payload. 

We had to travel far and wide for this beauty. The Alligator’s presence was clearly deemed too much for the bright lights and show stands of the main halls, so was banished to the most distant basement located on the very fringe of Frankfurt. The city, not the motor show.

But, if we do say so ourselves, it was worth the effort to hunt it down because as you can see, this is quite the motorcar.

Starting with a BMW X6 – a car not known for being a shrinking violet – AG Excalibur ripped both front and rear bumpers off, replacing them with gaping efforts complete with fully-functional faux vents and lots of chicken wire.

It’s been christened the ‘Alligator’ and bucks the trend of slamming by being lifted by 10cm and widened at both ends before the fitment of monster 26-inch wheels.

Then there’s that unique grille, which looks more like a muzzle and makes the whole car resemble a character from Mortal Kombat.

The humble Mercedes Geländewagen is a staple base for the tuning scene. Its boxy proportions and easy access to the bolts that put it together make it a hit with tuners the world over.

But instead of working on a boggo G500 for the Frankfurt Show, horsepower heroes Brabus went for the G-Class 4x4² – the jacked up two-axle friend of the 690bhp 6x6 Brabus B63S.

Considering Brabus is famed for squeezing every possible horsepower under the bonnet of any unwilling Mercedes, the Squared is positively, um, square. In terms of power, you’re looking at nothing more than an engine remap to bring output to a nice round 500bhp.

But we’re sure if you ask them nicely, Brabus could give the 6x6’s engine same treatment as its 850 6.0 Biturbo Widestar. That G-Wagen has had its 5.5-litre V8 bored out to reach 5.9 litres, 850bhp and a monstrous 1069lb ft of torque.

To give it those steroidal looks, Brabus’s Squared retains the portal axles and wider track from the awesome 6x6. But Brabus has blinged it up with lots of leather and carbon, a hood scoop, xenon headlamps, roof-mounted DRLs and carbon covers on the roof. Oh, and a spoiler of course.

But unless your name is Paul Bunyan, you’ll never see the modifications because they’re about four storeys in the air.

When it emerges from the Goodwood factory, the Rolls Royce Wraith is a sporting-yet-stately thing. Once it’s been through the hands of Mansory, it isn’t.

Inside, Mansory has stripped the gorgeous wood, and thrown in some crazy bright blue texturing, plus lots and lots of carbon, all offset with gothic black diamond-stitched leather.

Chrome blue is the colour of choice for the outside. In stark contrast, the long, sleek elegance of the Wraith’s normally aluminium-alloy hood has been replaced with – you guessed it – carbon fibre.

Carbon is also the flavor of the day for the additional front splitter, wing mirrors, side skirts, roof and rear diffuser and deck lid.

The Rolls’ ticker has also been tinkered with, to bring the 6.6-litre V12 up from 632bhp to 740bhp. That sees the Wraith’s 0-62mph time drop to 4.4 seconds, while the top speed climbs to over 180mph.

Frankfurt traditionally sees a variety of tuning companies competing to pimp out what look to be plumber-spec Mercedes Vitos into the ultimate party palace on wheels.

But last year Mercedes released a new, very good-looking Vito, which has sent these companies into a new pimping spree.

One of which is Dizayn VIP, which has thrown out the builders’ tools and put a wedding-list-worth of electronics and niceties into the back.

There’s private jet-style seating with re-covered, ergonomically adapted and air-conditioned seats, all within easy reach of the bar and refreshments centre.

There's also full connectivity so you can order in pizza to your van, before settling in to a night of 3D gaming or films on the 32-inch LCD TV…

When Startech isn’t making tax-deductable Range Rover pickups, it’s busy modding Bentleys.

This is one. The Conti doesn’t have any new mechanicals but does gain a new carbon front splitter, air intake surrounds and 22-inch wheels wrapped in super low profile 295/30 rubber.

But what piqued our interest was the interior. Look at that boot lining, an amazing feat of craftsmanship that took over four Kermit the Frogs and 15 man-hours to make. Apparently.

Ah, another G-Wagen. But this one is very different. And very heavy.

Not just because it’s had its wheelbase extended by 50cm, but because it’s fully armored to comply with ‘B6’ levels of ballistic hassle. That means it can stop bullets from big, scary machine guns.

Typically purchased by governments in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Trasco offers this conversion for both the G63 and G65.

Its engineers fit glass as thick as a Gideons Bible, reinforced axles uprated with sway bars, heavy duty dampers and springs, plus a run-flat system to make sure you can flee from a bomb-blast at 30mph even if all four tyres have been punctured.

Inside, the passengers are tucked in a high-security safety bunker complete with flat screen tellies. Perfect if you need to catch up on House of Cards while making your way through a warzone, or simply somewhere to hide if the in-laws are down for the weekend.

Ha! You thought Mansory just modified cars, right? Wrong. Don’t forget this is an innovative and fluid company that, um, penetrates many sectors.

Want a carbon fibre and gold ostrich skin office chair? They’ve got it. Matte black modified golf buggy? No problem. How about a carbon fibre chess set? They’ll put it in the post tomorrow.

But this is the first watercraft we’ve seen from Mansory – indeed from any tuner. Marketed, presumably, at the most monied mid-life crisis sufferers, it’s a jet ski. Covered in carbon fibre. Because tuner.