Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Shooting Brake

Red Hot RS4 Avant on HREs

The B7 RS4 Avant is one of the greatest sport wagons of all time. Packing Audi's venerable 4.2L V8 tuned to 420 horsepower and a 6-speed manual, the all-wheel drive hauler is among the best combinations of brawn, beauty, and svelte style. Yet, no near-perfect creation is immune from further refinement and tuning. Case and point: this JDM-spec Red Hot RS4 Avant on HREs.

By adding a set of Satin Black HRE P40S wheels to an already stunning RS4 Avant, someone has created an incredibly clean but still aggressive Avant. A gloss-black front spoiler compliments the wheels well and adds to the wagon's clubsport look. In many ways, this RS4 embodies the ideal sport wagon: refined, powerful, capable, but ultimately captivating.

Nissan GT-R Wagon

Has Nissan given us the ultimate birthday present, or are we just dreaming? Unfortunately, this image isn’t what is appears to be: there is no R35 GT-R Wagon. 

Seen here (above) at the Nagoya Auto Trend show, this is actually a converted Nissan M35 series Stagea wagon. That being said, this “GT-R Wagon” is an incredibly clean conversion and gives an excellent idea of what a production version could look like. While the Stagea is a JDM vehicle, this creation has been imported to Europe, bears GB plates, and is right-hand drive.

The greatest mystery about this creation is what lies under the bonnet. While no one knows for sure, the Nissan fanatics over at GTRblog speculate there may be a twin-turbo VQ series 3.5L V6 powering the insane creation. More likely, there is a tuned 2.5L V6 engine pushing out over 300 bhp.

It is very likely that this power is put to all four wheels via a four-wheel drive system that was an option for the Stagea wagon (if not, then it is rear-wheel drive). Transmission is unknown, although a 6-speed manual is highly likely.

Stand Virtual is the creator of this aesthetically beautiful but mechanically limited creation. It was on sale several years ago for $45,000 in Portugal.

Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first attempt to create a GT-R Wagon. The Nissan Autech Steagea RS260 was the nearest production model to an R34 GT-R. Furthermore, there was at least one R33 GT-R converted to be a wagon (although the roll cage took up nearly the whole boot). If a tuner ever did decide to create an authentic (ie, start with an actual GT-R) R35 Wagon, it would be as insane as the Ferrari and Lamborghini sport wagon creations and would bring a prompt us to wonder: time for a super-wagon showdown? 

AC Schnitzer BMW E91 Touring

German tuner AC Schnitzer has recently unveiled its kit for the BMW E91 3-Series Touring. The 33-year old tuner offers a range of styling options, with an aggressive all-around aero package, and wheel options ranging from 17 inches to 20 inches.

Especially impressive is the tuners engine upgrade for BMW’s 3.0L Twin-Turbo Inline-Six (from the 335iT) which is tweaked to produce 360hp and 383lb-ft of torque. Other performance options include a limited slip differential, sports antiroll bar, strut brace kit (front and rear), suspension spring kit (lowers 25-30mm), and sports and racing suspension. 

If you are looking to make your E91 more aggressive, or just make it a faster 5-door, AC Schnitzer has some options for you! 

Turbocharged E34 Touring Shreds Tires, Exudes Style

Growing up in his father’s professional automotive garage, Chris Castro is no stranger to both “clean” cars and terribly-tuned projects. After taking on the family business, which he helped rename “Castro Motorsports,” Chris grew the garage into one of the premier BMW tuners in the country. They have a reputation for robust tuning, wide-body builds, and clean conversions. So when he went to build his own BMW, Chris had the knowledge, tools, and most importantly, the requisite refined taste to create a legend.

Enter the 480-horsepower turbocharged BMW E34 Touring. As readers of the sport wagon enthusiast are keenly aware, few things exude class more than a built-to-the-hilt seamless five door. Chris has accomplished this and more with his E34. Beginning with a standard 525iT, he added M-Tech front a rear bumpers, M5 side skirts, and flared custom wheel arches to accommodate a staggered set of deep-dish gunmetal and silver AC Schnitzer Type 1 wheels (17x9 front and 17x11 rear). Power comes from a custom-built M52 six-cylinder with a Garret GT3582R dual-ball-bearing turbo. 

The visual results speak for themselves, and we'll let your imagination contemplate the endless rush of nearly five-hundred horses. Chris, we applaud you for building one hell of a “family” car. One imagines that there would be a lot more "family time" with wagons as fun as this. 

November 21st, 2014 (Source: Stanceworks) 

For more photos and details, check out Stanceworks write-up and photo-shoot here.

   

Lexus RFC Shooting Brake

M Coupe, Reincarnate

The designer and photoshop-master X-Tomi may have just produced the next M Couple (Z3 M Coupe, of course). This concept of a Lexus RC-F Shooting Brake is quite frankly a masterpiece. Integrating the aggressive styling of the standard Lexus with a rakish profile and flared rear fenders, this concept is more than believable-- its downright professional. While Lexus is no fan of wagons (except for their cool but flawed IS300 Sportcross), producing a concept as bold and radical as this could bring a whole new range of active-lifestyle enthusiasts to the brand. 

X-Tomi's design presumably retains all the standard kit of the RF-C, most importantly a front-mounted 5.0L V8 that cranks out 467 horses and 389 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a competent 8-speed automatic. Weight would certainly be an issue for this as Shooting Brake, as the standard coupe begins at a portly two tons. Even with all that mass, the RF-C Shooting Brake would be able to hit sixty in 4.5 seconds and run the quarter mile in about 13 seconds. 

All in all, an RF-C Shooting Brake could be one hell of a gentleman's hot hatch. Let'r Live!

November 23rd, 2014 (Source: X-Tomi)