Automobiles Review

Tag: KBR

The Super Bug or How KBR Motorsport and SEK-Carhifi Made the Most Inspiring Volkswagen Beetle

KBR Motorsport and SEK-Carhifi has gathered together to create the most inspiring Volkswagen Beetle we have seen so far. It is not coincidental that they also call it the ‘Super Bug’. A lot of modifications have been happening here and we can’t wait to tell you all about them. What you have to know in the beginning is that the KBR Motorsport took care of the classic tuning of the Beetle, while the SEK Carhifi team installed a custom high-end sound system using Ground Zero and Pioneer components.

KBR Motorsport’s Classic Tuning

The first thing that the experts had to do was to install big round wheel arches with huge wheels to fill them out. Therefore they chose 9.5J x 20-inch Oxigin 14 Oxrock multi-spoke alloy wheels in black finish with white foil, and then they have shod them with 235/30ZR20 Hankook Ventus S1 Evo tyres.

SEE ALSO: KBR Motorsport and the Fierce BMW M3 Clubsport

Furthermore, the Beetle also received better red front brakes and four-pot alloy brake calipers that clamp vented discs with surface grooves. The rear brakes are standard. They have been only painted in red to match the front ones. H&R coil-over suspension kit lowered the car further.

Under the hood of the VW, sits the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It was fitted with a turbo-back three-inch diameter stainless steel sports exhaust to reduce back-pressure, before remapping the ECU. Thanks to the engine dyno, it now shows 265 hp (195 kW) and 415 Nm (306 lb-ft) of torque.

KBR Motorsport did also another thing, this time regarding the interior. They have replaced the factory front seats with figure-hugging Recaro Sportster CS sports seats whose backs are color-coded white to match the car’s bodywork and interior trim panels.

SEK Carhifi and the Custom Audio Installation

The sound system delivered and installed by the experts at SEK Carhifi is more than spectacular. The 1,700 W sound system is actually Pioneer’s dashboard mounted flagship AVIC-F77DAB Navigation/AV head-unit, which feeds its audio signals to the three power amplifiers via a Ground Zero GZCS 6-8DSP eight-channel DSP unit housed in the passenger footwell.

The 6.5-inch mid-bass units replace the OE speakers in the door panels. Alubutyl dampening has been applied to the latter in order to eliminate any spurious resonances. Moreover, opening the rear hatch reveals that the luggage compartment which now houses 10-inch diameter Ground Zero GZPW 10SPL subwoofer. Its power comes from a single 600 W GNZA 1.2250XII monoblock amplifier mounted under the boot floor.

And this is how you create a Super Bug! Want to improve anything?

Source: KBR Motorsport

October 27, 2015
KBR Motorsport and the Fierce BMW M3 Clubsport

KBR Motorsport is a name we do not hear very often. This time the tuner is related with BMW and specifically with the M3 Clubsport model. The car was subject to a total transformation: starting with the interior, continuing to the external appearance and ending with the engine boost. As a result, KBR made an entirely sports car, full of thirst for motorsport experiences.

Weight Loss?

The interior of the 2013 M3 Coupe was entirely stripped down. And therefore the most logical thing to do was to remove all unnecessary parts like the seats, trim and cladding and sound insulation, which were all taken from both the cabin and the boot.

SEE ALSO: Volkswagen Passat CC by KBR Motorsport

But to make things look pretty, KBR then painted the interior in body colour and bolted in a full white roll cage. The doors and rear trim panels are also new and are made from carbon-fibre. The removed seats were substituted with Recaro Profi SPG motorsport ones by 4-point Schroth race harnesses.

Visually, the M3 looks fairly close to the production variant. However, there are some additional elements like the carbon-fibre parts front splitter, mirrors and Clubsport rear wing.

Suspension, Brakes, Wheels & Tires

KW delivered the Clubsport coil-over suspension system for this unique project. By the way, the suspension features adjustable top mounts. BBS Competition wheels were the next logical choice of the tuner. The alloys come in size of 9.5×19-inches and they were shod with 265/30ZR19 Pirelli Trofeo rubbers. Behind the wheels there is an uprated brake system, which uses Endless discs and brake pads.

Engine Boost

The consequence of the weight loss is the higher speed and better acceleration. But KBR also increased the output of the M3’s 4.0-litre V8 engine. They have done this via re-mapping the unit’s ECU. The result is 450 hp (331 kW) with 440 Nm (325 lb-ft) of torque.

The transmission software was also updated, thus improving the shifting with the customized engine. They also installed a device, which enhances e-gas throttle response. A GT4-spec oil cooler system and additional reservoir were added, too.

The backpressure of the exhaust system was lowered due to the removal of the primary catalytic converters and the modified rear silencer. In addition, the exhaust uses an in-house developed X-Pipe. But there is more to come, although KBR Motorsport didn’t announce what they will add to the M3.

Source: KBR

September 25, 2015