Many a motoring fan will swoon at the looks of a Porsche 911 Turbo, Bentley Continental GT or Ferrari F430 which come with performance figures closely matching those of a Formula 1 racing car.

For some owners of such cars, however, a top speed of 300 km/h is still not enough with some tuning firms specialising in souping-up such super sports cars.
The TechArt tuning firm, based near Stuttgart, for instance presented their version of a Porsche 911 Turbo with a modified 3.6 litre boxer motor with an output of 427 kW/580 hp at the recent Essen Motor Show in Germany.
This is 74 kW/100 hp more than the factory version. The top speed has been increased from 310 km/h to 339 km/h with the sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 3.4 instead of 3.9 seconds.
TechArt lists the price of such a Porsche at anything from $239,000 upward.
A team describing itself as Motortuning RS Tuning is working on an even more powerful Porsche version under the project name “Mission 400 Plus Concept”. The target is a performance figure of 775 kW/1054 hp and a top speed of more than 400 km/h. The plan is to boost the six cylinder motor from 3.6 to 3.8 litres and to fit it with new cylinder heads and high performance camshafts. A lowered roof and angled A-pillars are to provide more aerodynamics.
The project target is to achieve a new top speed world record for road sports car. Currently the record is being held by the Brabus Rocket which is based on the Mercedes CLS. The CLS is driven by a V12 engine with a top speed of 366 km/h and an output boosted from 380 kW/517 hp to 537 kW/730 hp. The asking price for the vehicle starts at $450,000.
Not quite as fast is the souped-up Bentley Continental GT. The top speed of 330 km/h is only hampered by the aerodynamics of the car, according to Tuner Mansory. Modifications to the six-litre engine boosts performance to 478 kW/650 hp. From the exterior the Le Mansory differs only slightly from the works Bentley Coupe. It is painted in racy black and orange livery and black 22-inch alloys.
A more individual exterior including an aerodynamics package and performance boost is offered by the Tuners Novitec Rosso for the Ferrari F430. Front and rear wings are designed to boost more grip to the front and rear axles. A bi-compressor raises the output of the V8 engine from 360 kW/490 hp to 468 kW/636 hp and the top speed from 315 km/h to 348 km/h.
But what makes buyers of such vehicles want to boost performance to such dizzying speeds?
“It is all linked to self-esteem and representation,” says Nick Margetts from the market research company Jato Dynamics.
“Drivers of such super sports cars want to own something unique that nobody else possesses, irrespective of the price. It gives them a good feeling,” he says.
Most of the customers buying such cars come from countries with strict speed limits and traffic congestion, such as now experienced at peak times in Bahrain, prevent drivers from going over 300 km/h.
Such souped-up sports cars are often constructed for image reasons by tuning firms, according to Koeninger with the companies making most of their money by selling spoilers, alloys or other sporty additions for standard models.

Felix Rehwald