I love a good restomod, and the SanRemo RR is just that.
Assoluto Infinito 850++
Not many people could look at an Assoluto and think that it needs improvement, especially when it comes to their most powerful GT, the Infinito 815. Boasting a massive 6.6 liter v12, producing 815hp the car managed to scare even the most seasoned car reviewers. This however did not stop Kraft Haus from taking a look, especialy since KHT CEO Gerhard Wagner owned one of the first cars produced. The very delicate car demanded regular maintenance, and taking it to the dealership proved a hassle, since the closest dealership was over 250km away. By the time the car reached 15,000km and requested itâs third oil and filter change as well as a brake change it was decided to keep the maintenance strictly in house, even though it would lose the warranty.
Stock infinito 815 is more car than most can handle
By the mid 2017 Kraft Haus team knew the car inside and out, and at one of the regular check ups the ECU specialist asked Gerhard if heâd want to try and re-map the car for more power. Reluctantly he agreed. A lot of tinkering during the summer commenced, slowly incorporating more engineers to perform minor changes to the car. The AFR was left unchanged, limiting the tuners to tweak the ignition settings and electronically controlled VVL. Eventually A thinner custom head gasket was introduced to increase compression ratio, and a lighter, free flowing exhaust was fitted to compliment the OEM race grade exhaust manifolds. These minor changes saw the power increase to 850.
Sporting classy looks the 815 received a lot of praise in the motoring community
The suspension department got rid of the active suspension, since it was proving too much of a reliability issue, like most active suspensions, and installed a new thicker rear ARB. The wheels were changed to custom carbon fibre ones, wrapped in wider rubber, which also was changed to road legal semi-slick tires by Michelin, new carbon ceramic brakes were also installed. The interior saw no changes. The end result was a good improvement over the stock, feeling more dedicated and more driver focused, while not losing itâs GT edge. At that point Gerhard Wagner has commissioned a visual re-style and production of the performance kit.
Infinito 850++ had serious visual modifications without taking away form the classy look of the original
The new visuals changed the look of the Assoluto while retaining itâs original vision, while the aerodynamics department went with a lot less downforce, to improve upon the high speed dynamics. Still providing for 30 kilograms of pressure at 200kph, the car did not experience any lift.
The end result was called the Ininito 850++, and cost $35,000 over the base $320,000.
The best use of an Infinito 850++ in words of Gerhard Wagner is âhigh speed cruisingâ
One of the Assoluto Infinitosâ brought into the KHT tuner shop was badly damaged in a high speed race on the autobahn, and received many modifications similar to the 850++ during the rebuild. Unlike the regular treatment, the car had itâs interior stripped to the bare minimum covered in alcantara, lost all ICE, and saw a transmission swap to a 6 speed manual. Instead of the regular engine treatment had twin turbochargers installed, running just over 830hp at 0.3 bar. The car also had a tumbler switch on the steering wheel which closed the wastegate shut on demand and started the overfuelling cycle. The real number has not been revealed, but tuner magazines rumour mill has it anywhere from 1050 to 1100hp at 1 bar. The car also had an alarm system that warns the driver of overheat, since the air cooling was left unchanged from the regular 850++, and is insufficient at 1 bar of boost. The car is known in tuner circles as âRogue Elementâ, and was able to reach recorded speeds of over 380 kph on unrestricted parts of the autobahn.
Rogue Element was differing visually only by his matte paint and piping going over the hood, which required extra vents to be cut out.
#Stats
##0-100kph
Before - 3.8 s / After - 3.7
##Top Speed
Before - 340.1 kph/ After - 362.7
##Weight
Before - 1659.6 / After - 1585.4
##Max G
Before - 1.43 / After - 1.36
#Engine
##Max power
Before - 815hp / After - 850hp
##Max torque
Before - 739nm / After - 746
##Responsiveness
Before - 74.1 / After - 73.8
##Loudness
Before - 33.4 / After - 55.4
##Smoothness
Before - 91.5 / After - 88.5
##Reliability
Before - 66.5 / After - 70.2
#Misc
##Comfort
Before - 51.2 / After - 45.0
##Driveability
Before - 59.4 / After - 48.5
##Sportiness
Before - 77.6 / After - 73.2
##Economy
Before - 11.9l 100km / After - 13.2l 100km
##Top Gear lap time
Before - 01:11.8 / After - 01:11.69
Note : every tab that saw me change anything that had quality points lost them. Meaning that I swapped out +6 sports tires to +0 semi slicks. This is why the results are not that impressive. Original car provided by @Deskyx
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It seems incredible that anyone can improve on the mind-blowing Infinito, yet that is exactly what you have done, especially with Rogue Element!
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Damn son, the infinito got hella pimped.
Edit: Then I saw the 71 Sam, that shit dope.
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I think this might be one of the first cars on this forum that Iâd genuinely call sexy. Itâs got me smitten!
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Im super thankful you made a PS of the stock car⌠Your edits always make them prettier than the game could ever do.
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that said you did do a bang up job on the design of the Ass(hehe)oluto lineup. They look sharp as.
#KHT Tsukuba MT Edition
The Tsukuba has proven itself time and again as a potent sportscar, both on tight budget and on serious investment routes. So much so that when the time came for KHTâs ex employee Martin Todd to chose his next track day toy, he walked right past most of the options, and got himself a first generation Tsukuba. Martin worked as KHT service mechanic from 2007 up to his move to Japan in 2015, and was very familiar with most models and this one was no exception. Repairing the car was not a cheap undertaking, and it was in an âOKâ shape at best, so without much hesitation, the repairs were to be combined with the tuning. As a track day toy, the car quickly lost most comforts, including the ICE and all the plastic in the interior, replaced with carbon fiber panels. The exterior saw aftermarket widebodykit, and custom 17" wheels, while the taillights were replaced with DIY LED strips. All of this got covered in a coat of blue paint.
The work on the mechanical parts of the car was similar, with simple bolt on kits, and easy to source replacement parts from Saminda and Saminda specialised tuner companies. The HE22 engine saw extreme camshafts, race grade intake and individual throttle bodies, up top, an aftermarket ECU with new settings, lightweight forged pistons which increased compression and a race grade exhaust which only featured a 3 way catalytic converter. It allowed the power to rise from 144 to 301hp while revving way past 9k. An aftermarket clutch by KHT and a Tsukuba S differential lock with a much shorter final gearing made sure the power got to the ground reliably, and the car would always be in the powerband. The brakes were sourced from Endless performance, and an aftermarket spoiler by Voltex provided for the downforce needs.
Nobody really knows the extent of speed of aftermarket tuned cars, until they are ran with a racelogic box or a data logger, but sadly MT edition never got such a treatment. The rumour mill has this carâs acceleration anywhere from 3.4 up to 4.5 seconds to 100kph, and while the car was seen close to topping out at suzuka, nobody was sure what that top speed was except for Martin himself, the crowd estimated this anywhere between 180 and 250 kph, so no reliable data is available. This car saw multiple track days and sometimes touge runs, up to the point when in 2017 Martin joined a touge oriented club, and forfeited the ever more expensive track days alltogether.
Created for the Automation D challenge. - Click
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#1997 SMG CK100 - KHT Eivissa
In 1997 KHT was doing well and so was their tuner program. Having demonstrated their abilities a few years prior in the world Time Attack challenge the influx of new customers allowed to open workshops in numerous countries, including Japan, USA and Spain. The Spanish division mostly did tune ups and upgrades for existing KHT models, until they saw the influx of extremely cheap and very popular 1997 SMG CK100. The 3 cylinder fwd dull box was popular due to itâs pricetag, not for itâs flair, so after a quick talk with the headquarters 10 of the CK100 were bought and sent to Germany, where the engineering team would develop the performance kit for the car.
The engine department took apart the 3 cylinder power (???) plant, and started working on it. As engineers later commented this felt more like a job for a motorcycle upgrade, so motorcycle outputs were first in mind, but sadly a lot of the parts in the original design did not agree with revving to 14,000 rpm. A few solutions did, however arise, as the car got an extremely thin head gasket to up the compression ratio, and a custom tubular exhaust manifold was created. The fuelling and ignition timing were changed drastically, and custom spacers for VVL were introduced to allow the car to rev higher, which was complimented by a raised redline, with a sporty intake finishing the job on the engine itself. The team finished it off with a custom sports exhaust system allowing the power to rise to 100hp.
The gearbox turned out to be a problem, since the car only came with an automatic slushbox, which was left intact, since it was quite expensive to do a complete transmission swap. The self locking mechanism for the differential was introduced to help with wheelspin and torque steer. The suspension received new springs, dampers, antiroll bars and complete setup overhaul, as well as wider and lighter wheels were installed along with 215mm tires, now riding on 16" instead of stock 15.
The body received new bumpers and new quarterpanels made of cheap to produce plastic, this allowed for new taillights, which made the design more memorable. The interior saw a change from 5 seat basic interior to 4 seat sporty one, by using seats similar to ones found in the KHT Tsukuba in the front and differently profiled lower part of the rear seat, along with a sportier steering wheel. The whole conversion cost $3,200 and was only available for installation at a KHT certified workshop after a detailed inspection of the car to be worked on. This was done to make sure that the car could take the extra power without being terminally damaged very soon and coming back for warranty repairs.
Interestingly enough, of all cars receiving this treatment only 24 had less than 50,000km on the odometer, and only 13 of those were brand new. Most of the cars were second hand bought for cheap by responsible parents for their child as their first car. This called for another marketing ploy to get brand loyalty, with some of the cars receiving the free option of âMy first KHTâ edition, which included a list of checkable options of black painted wheels, black tinted windows, 3 spoke black aluminium steering wheel, and seatbelts to match the colour of the exterior. The youngsters felt like they were custom ordering their build from Kraft Haus Technik, while it did not cost KHT any extra to install a different kind of wheel or paint the seatbelts a different colour. This worked to an extent, as many KHT forum users state that they eventually bought a KHT car after owning the CK100 Eivissa, most of which went with second hand Tsukubas, while some managing more rare examples like the Keimola/Imola or Parabolica.
There are rumours of a special version of the Eivissa, most likely one of the original 10 car batch that underwent the initial experiements. They are all painted different colours but sport wings on the roof and semi-slick tires. They were sometimes seen cruising at high speeds through the city streets at night, spitting flames from the exhaust and sounding a lot more like a superbike, rather than a car. The local cafe racer crowd called them the âjokersâ, but sadly nobody ever could find out more, since they never visited any meets or races. In 2014 during an AMA session at Car Throttle the topic was brought up and the reply was finally given. These were the early prototypes pushing the very max out of the car and the engine, of 6 cars 4 were converted to manual gearboxes, and 2 were completely stripped out. 1 was turbocharged, 1 was swapped to a tsukuba spec 2.2 liter engine and the 4 of the rest were in N/A trim. The turbo car burned the engine within a week, however, and 1 of the NA cars suffered a crash. It was also confirmed that the NA cars are still hidden somewhere in the KHT garage, producing from 135 to 155hp depending on select car, with the tsukuba version pushing nearly 200 from itâs 2.2 liter i4.
##Stats (Old / New)
0-100kph
16.5s / 10.3
Top Speed
145km / 177.7
Weight
900kg / 915kg
Max G
0.85 / 1.13
##Engine
Max power
60hp / 100hp
Max torque
81.0nm / 100nm
Responsiveness
34.3 / 43.1
Loudness
27 / 42
Smoothness
50.5 / 50.5
Reliability
61.9 / 38.3
##Misc
Comfort
34.8 / 24
Driveability
68.8 / 62.3
Sportiness
0 / 13.9
Economy
6l 100km / 7l 100km
TG track time
1:53.63 / 1:38.21
8 Likes
Weirdest KHT to date. Reminds me of unused Mercedes-Benz A38 AMG.
I like it!
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Just the result I was hoping for⌠I would like you to give the Hyrix roadster similar treatment! Iâve provided a download link for that one as well.
So if the Eivissa turned out to be a giant-killer, surely a Hyrix-based project can also spring several surprises?
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#1966 Brooklands BRC
(This is more of a KHT History post, rather than a new car or anything, sorry)
While Kraft Haus Technik entered the world of car manufacturing with the goal of building a racing team, their racing debut did not happen until 11 years after their first car saw light. The venue for the teamsâ racing debut was the BRC British championship, and with none of the cars KHT produced being a viable racing car a new chassis was designed - a steel spaceframe covered in aluminium body panels, first KHT ever to sport an MR body. While the car eventually got civilized and saw production, the original racing chassis still lives today, and is an example of the dangerous races of times long past.
KHT wanted Steve McQueen to pilot their car, but the star refused that opportunity after the test runs of the first prototype
Unlike the regular Brooklands that you could buy, the BRC spec, known in the KHT racing division as âChassis 1â had little in terms of comfort or safety, that paired by lack of any aerodynamic fixtures and skinny tires mandated by the rules of the competition made it a deathtrap on wheels. Luckily only one serious crash occured during the season, and the car still was able to continue racing, even though it ruined itâs chances at a podium finish or perhaps even a win (I remember this, Pyrlix!!! YOU TOOK THE WIN FROM ME!!! Actually not mad, racing was awesome). While the street car weighed in at 1050 kilos and sported 250hp, the racing version did not only wear slicks, but was almost 100 kilograms lighter and 30hp more powerful.
One of the restored road going Brooklands, clearly seen with aerodynamic elements on itâs rear
The heart of the car was the KHT favourite v8, displacing in 5 liters and created out of 2 Communitasia 2.5 liter i4âs, modified and connected with a custom crankcase. The straight piped, carbed cast iron collosus shined in itâs low rev pushrod glory, propelling the tiny car to unbelievable speeds, with the first 100kph being dealt with within 4 and a bit seconds. Many of the decissions tested in the racing version later transformed into the road cars by KHT, one of which was the Mulsanne, the next MR chassis by KHT.
BRC spec Brooklands makes rare appearances at classic car shows, such as Goodwood Festival of Speed
The car has had a rich history over the years, and scored well in the championship, even appearing on the podium, and taking part in a few other races after the season was over. The most memorable moment for the team and the companyâs founder / racing driver Kaspar Becker, however was the final season of the race at Donnington. Team KHT was tied in the battle for 10th overall with 3 other teams (By Conan, iRacing and NormanVauxhall), and were battling, exchanging positions in the 8th-10th region. Two laps before the end of the race, with KHT trailing behind itâs direct opponents the rain has started, quickly covering the track in puddles of water. At this moment Kaspar went for a heroic drive in the wet wearing slick tires, the handling of the car allowing him to catch up and pass both of his opponents within the last lap, securing the 8th position at the finish line, and 10th position in the championship which had to be shared in points with one of the opponents. Brooklands, however did see one podium finish in the championship, and based on that rule of (the best finish of the season is a tie breaker) secured the top 10 of 70 cars that entered that year. (true story, actually, BRC 66 was damn close racing)
Chassis 1 driven by a motoring show host for the piece on racing history
At this moment, the car resides in KHTâs museum, in the same building as KHT headquarters, but it regularly was loaned to multiple motor racing museums, and performed at historic races across Europe.
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#1972 Dominator one off.
(Note - thereâs precisely 0 quality points on the whole car now. Also weâre basing ourself off this - Click and weâre gunning for this - click . The years are identical, so itâs fair game too, so donât tell me âgoing into the future by 6 years equals +3 points of quality into all categoriesâ. Also yes, @Cncharger 's cars have +15 on everything if youâre wondering, so thatâs a 2002 car weâre competing with 
)
By 1970s KHT has started making a name for themselves, in great deal helped by the success of the Communitasia tuning packages and their moderate success at the racetrack, so in 1970 a client came up to the main office, requesting a repair of a Calvinator Model C from 1966. The car was in a very bad wreck. The owner managed to rack up impressive 600 kilometers in the car before crashing it off the road at 75 mph at a drag strip, while visiting an amateur drag racing event. The damage was extensive. The reason the owner did not wish to go to the Calvinator dealership was to avoid all the accusations of being drunk, and being sent to jail for 20 years for not having a special Calvinator permit (Since he bought the car second hand from the first owner, who drove it once and sold it immediately, before claiming âNothing has been as great as Calvinator over the years. Now please take it away and PLEASE return my wife and kids. Last part wasnât used in advert quotes for some reasonâ), which he found to be the most idiotic idea ever. The fact that rebuilding one could take years and cost millions didnât sit well with the owner aswell. Whether he was drunk or not, we will never know, but knowing the Calvinator history, a driving God could pile the car into a wall while parking it, so it could all be a legitimate accident.
Sadly, as the work began and KHT has got in contact with Calvinator to order replacement parts, the reply was a cease and desist letter, with a demand of sending both the car and itâs owner to Calva city for interrogation and inspection. Deciding to do precisely none of this, KHT has offered a rebuild using KHT parts and custom fabrications. The owner agreed, which in turn resulted in Calvinator instantly suing KHT for trying to steal trade secrets of speed and performance. The lawsuit was dismissed once KHT ran the 300hp Mulsanne through the same track Calvinator ran their racing version of the Model C, the Lauriville, proving that they have nothing to gain in terms of speed, and that their stock car is already 2.5 seconds per lap faster than the legendary Lauriville.
The owner of the crashed Model C however took interest in the Lauriville results, the car that was so fast it got banned from the single make IARO-SCAR (because nobody else wanted to join the series invented by madmen) series. The main idea now was, that the rebuilt Model C should be as fast as the Lauriville around the track, while being easily repairable and modifiable.
First to go was the old front and rear bodywork, smashed to bits, replaced by some custom metalwork, finished off with a quad Monte Carlo left over headlights. The rear array was borrowed from yet not in production Parabolica and finished off with Adenauer taillights, and the six exhaust pipes (two on the left, two on the right and two in the back on the left of the car) got replaced by a brand new custom system. The whole car got stripped out, and all the unnecessary heavyweight materials got thrown in the bin to save weight. The same fate went with the archaic overengineered safety system, which got replaced by a simple modern one which allowed for the same results anyway. The wheels now were 1 inch bigger and about twice as wide, as well as being racing slicks, necessary for the track, the brakes were used from the Mulsanne supercar, and proper ventilation of the engine bay was arranged, to not allow the engine to blow up every time the driver decides to go fast for over 5 seconds.
On the engine, the KHT engineers realized that the 6 liter colossus just destroys itself at high RPM, so a new crankshaft, pistons and conrods were used, de-stroking the car to 5.1 liters. Complimented by new camshafts, carburetor setup, intake with an actual filter, custom exhaust manifolds and a tune to go with it all. A more civil and less deafening exhaust system was introduced, on the request of the client, so the car could do short stints through the city, where it would be deemed illegal, without drawing too much attention.
The less powerful (460 hp vs 540 hp stock), but now also lighter and better setup for speed car lost some of itâs top end (Now only 270 kph instead of 330+), but also lost 0.2 seconds of itâs 0-100 kph time (now 5.5 seconds), and managed to perform a 2.22:05 Automation track laptime, which was just a bit quicker than the ultimate Lauriville version of the Model C. The owner soon took the car to Gasmea with him, and was evading Calvinator employees for the rest of his life. His antics at car shows and track got a lot of attention from other enthusiasts, who could not figure out he make and model of the car since it no longer resembled itâs original Calvinator form, and none of the KHT badges were present. The crowd christened it âThe Dominatorâ, which soon became the carâs official name in the KHT log books. The car survives to this day as the only true muscle car KHT has ever built.
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You have turned an overengineered white elephant into a truly effective muscle car with the work youâve done - it now achieves a level of performance most of its rivals could only dream of attaining in stock form!
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Youâve done the impossible!
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Holy moly⌠Thatâs great!
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