Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last few years or pay little to no attention to the show scene, TWCompetition should be in your vocabulary. One of the largest, if not the largest, car clubs in America, TWCompetition specializes in building some of the finest cars the world has to offer. Mike Chou has been a member of TWCompetition with several different project vehicles including his former IS300 and his current CLS 55 AMG. When we heard that we would have the opportunity to shoot Mike’s car for the site we were overly excited and wanted to make sure we went above and beyond a normal feature. Mike Chou’s feature is the first of hopefully many Tunerzine.com features that will incorporate a short video clip highlighting the car. We hope you, the readers, enjoy it as much as we did making it.
Tunerzine.com Presents Mike Chou’s TWCompetition Mercedes Benz CLS55 AMG from Tunerzine dotCom on Vimeo.
But back to the more important topic at hand here – that is, Mike Chou’s CLS 55 AMG built by Carnutz Customz. Getting the itch of building a luxury European much like his TWCompetition brethren, Mike departed from his IS300 to cruise the streets in this menacing CLS. We’ll be the first to admit that most European tuned vehicles are content with suspension, wheels/tires and a simple kit – but Mike’s CLS goes way beyond that. In fact, the outside’s combination of Brabus and carbon fiber styling really sets the tone for the rest of the build. Many of these carbon fiber pieces, especially those seen on the front bumper, were the first ever built on a CLS, incorporating and accenting the Brabus Rocket front bumper. A Brabus Rocket vented hood along with hood grills flow into the carbon fiber three-slat grill. The side of the vehicle is unmistakably Brabus’ Rocket side skirts along with carbon fiber B-pillars and carbon fiber mirrors. The rear sports a carbon fiber CLS55 AMG diffuser along with custom rear diffuser puddle lights. The rear deck lid spoiler has been kept clean and simple with a piece from AMG. What really sets this CLS off however is the full carbon fiber roof. First ever on a CLS and we have to say it really makes this CLS one-of-a-kind.
A first glance at the engine bay reveals that it means business. The custom Carnutz plaque hides a plethora of EvoSport Evolution power goods. EvoSport’s Evolution 1 and Evolution 2 power packages have been thrown onto Mike’s CLS55 bringing horsepower from a tame cruiser to a real street bruiser. The Evolution 1 power package comprises of a series of lightened pullies, and ECU software. The Evolution 2 power package is what makes this CLS55 breathe freely: “shorty” performance headers along with 8mm spark plug wires and more aggressive ECU tuning. Their cooling package along with their 80mm throttle body upgrade gives a ton of extra flow for this supercharged V8 beast.
Completing the rest of the exterior is a beautiful and pristine set of 21-inch HRE 890R wheels. Massive 21×9.5-inch wheels are bolted on in the front while the rear sports 21×10.5-inch with Falken’s FK452 in a 295/25/21 sizing. The HRE wheels were dipped in a solid gloss black while the lip was left brilliantly shining. Sneaking behind the multispoke HRE wheels is a set of Brembo big brakes. 6-piston calipers are seen in the front sporting a yellow hue while the rear is 4-piston calipers. Custom lowering links along with a custom STAR Diagnostic lowering program gives Mike the stance he requires out of his CLS.
The extensive modifications don’t stop there as we take a look inside the car. Additional carbon fiber goods along with Brabus amenities can be seen throughout the cockpit. Brabus’ brushed aluminum pedal set and chrome door pins accent the custom Alcantara-wrapped double diamond stitched interior. The Alcantara theme continues throughout the interior with the door panels, pillars, rear deck and door pockets receiving the same treatment. In car entertainment doesn’t lack one bit either. A quick pop of the trunk and a sneak peek reveals not only some of the most beautiful work we’ve ever set our eyes on, but a beautifully sounding system full of entertainment. A pair of Image Dynamics IDQ subwoofers is housed in a custom ported enclosure that has been wrapped with suede and sports a frosted glass port with LED illumination. Car shows are a little more entertaining with a Wii system installed along with a trio of monitors. A pair of Zapco digital amplifiers powers the Image Dynamics component speakers, tweeters, Coaxials and subwoofers.
Keep your eyes wide open on Tunerzine.com as we get our hands on more exclusive shoots of TWcompetition vehicles throughout this season. Mike Chou would like to send a special thanks to the sponsors of his CLS55 AMG: TWCompetition http://www.twcompetition.com/, CarNutz Customz http://www.carnutzcustomz.com/, EvoSport http://www.evosport.com/, Wheel Experts http://www.wheelexperts.com/, Falken Tires http://www.falkentire.com/, Shell V-Power http://www.shellvzine.com/Vzine_email_issue10/index.html, Amsoil http://www.amsoil.com/, Meguiars http://www.meguiars.com/, Brembo – Race Technologies http://www.racetechnologies.com/, Image Dynamics http://www.imagedynamicsusa.com/, Impex Motorsports http://www.impexmotorsports.com/
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