Black and White and Red all Over: HS Motorsport Tunes Audi S5 to 375HP

Was Senner's velvety A5 Cabrio not powerful enough for you? HS Motorsport, located near BMW's home turf of Munich, has decided to help out consumers by amping-up the S5 Cabrio into a 375-horsepower 'vert. Power output aside, this white cabrio looks like a dog on the side of the road next to Senner's metallic brown goodness.

Though the S5 is a naturally handsome beast, HS Motorsport unfortunately decided to pass on any external modifications and concentrate on computer-tuning the car's supercharged 333-horspower V6. Wearing a Cargraphic exhaust setup and probably a new air filter, the car now puts down that aforementioned 375-horsepower and 525 Nm / 387 lb-ft of torque (stock: 440 Nm / 324 lb-ft).

Underneath the car is a Bilstein coilover kit, and a Brembo 380-mm, 6-piston front brake system is also available.

Other than a boosted top speed - now 290 km/h - and the higher output, there isn't much happening here. A poppin' red top, white car, and black 21-inch Cargraphic rims do not a show car make.

Besides, how and when did "tuning" (meaning a professional tuner, not your neighbor with a tuning hobby) become a process of just collecting a bunch of random name-brand off-the-shelf parts and putting them on a car? If that's the case, everyone should just go down to the chamber of commerce, register a company name, and call themselves tuners.

If a tuner is putting out a show car, I want it to be memorable. I don't need transparent hoods and Lamborghini doors, but at least do something a little different. Show me a show car with show.

By Phil Alex

Count Chocula, your ride is here: Senner's A5 Cabrio gets the RS look and 275HP 2.0 TSI

Senner Tuning, which recently tuned Audi's little diesel A1, has opted to showcase some of their A5 products in this gorgeous, 'chocolate' A5 Cabrio.

The car receives some new intake and ECU tuning to bring the turbocharged 2.0-liter's output to 275 horsepower and 430 Nm / 317 lb-ft of torque, while a Senner stainless steel exhaust system is there for aural pleasure and to get rid of those exhaust fumes. The car rides on KW's Inox coilovers, which slam it down hard on those 20-inch Varianza TIS alloys.

As you can see, the body gets an RS-style nose, tail, and mirrors, which only make a great-looking car even greater. Personally, I'd love to see the rear bumper insert in carbon fiber, but that would add to the already exorbitant price.

All told, the package seen here can be had for a hair under €20,000. While I'd pass on spending that much on such run-of-the-mill modifications, that shade of chocolaty goodness is definitely something to consider if picking a custom color for an Audi.

By Phil Alex

APS Sportec Builds 425HP Audi S5, as fast as RS5 in 0-62mph sprint

Last time we checked (as in a few minutes ago on the UK, US and German sites), the S5 Coupe continues to use Audi's venerable 4.2-liter V8 with 354HP, while the S5 Convertible comes with a 333HP 3.0-liter supercharged V6. Nevertheless, APS, the UK-based importer of the Swiss tuning brand Sportec, has released a performance upgrade for the S5 Coupe and Convertible with the... 3.0 TSI V6.

In any case, labeled "Stage One", the Swiss tuner's performance package for Audi's 3.0 TSI V6 consists of a free flowing air filter element and an ECU remap. While it doesn't sound like much, it manages to squeeze another 97-horsepower out of the S5's (convertible) 3.0-liter V6 unit, boosting total output from 328 bhp and 440 Nm (325 lb.ft) to an RS5-rivaling 425 bhp at 6,640 rpm and 520 Nm (379 lb.ft) at 4,250 rpm.

Sportec says the upgrade trims 0-62mph (100km/h) acceleration by 0.5 seconds to 4.6 seconds (same as RS5 Coupe) while top speed is electronically limited at 155 mph (250km/h).

The Stage One upgrade is available now in the UK from APS Sportec priced at £1,950 fitted including VAT.

ABT Powers Up and Stylizes New Audi A5 Sportback

ABT Sporstline has built its reputation on modifying just about anything on four wheels that comes out of the VW Group's plants. Their newest proposal concerns the Audi A5 Sportback which has been modified with a variety of aesthetic and performance goodies.

The tuner jazzes up the five door coupe's appearance with numerous aero add-ons, including a new front bumper, ABT's trademark grille, front fender air-vents and a rear apron with a diffuser shrouding chrome exhaust tips.

Customers can choose between 18-inch and 20-inch alloy rims which are available in two different designs.

For the time being, ABT offers power kits only for the A5 Sportback with the 2.0 TSI petrol and the 3.0 TDI diesel engines.

After the tuner gets its way with the powerplants, the entry-level 2.0 TSI's output is boosted from 180HP to a hardy 275HP while the 3.0-liter V6 diesel can be lifted from 240HP to either 282HP or 310HP. The most powerful version of the V6 diesel hits the 100km/h (62mph) mark in 5.8 seconds.

The tuner finishes off the package with a sport suspension and a high-performance braking system with either 345 mm or 380 mm disks and eight piston calipers.

Hofele Design's R8-Inspired Aero Kits for Audi A5 Coupe, Cabrio and Sportback

Ever since the R8 broke cover, Audi tuners have been churning out numerous aero kits that try to imitate the styling of the mid-engined sports car for the German firm's more mainstream models. The latest package of the sort to capture our attention comes from Germany's Hofele Design and it's available for the A5 Coupe, Convertible and even for the new Sportback.

The common denominator for all three A5 models is the R8-look front bumper with the characteristic air vents underneath the headlamps.

Fortunately or unfortunately - we'll let you decide, that's about all the R8-love that Hofele Design has to offer the A5 Sportback.

However, for the full R8 effect, A5 Coupe and Convertible owners can match the new front bumper with a pair of R8-style side blades and a new rear bumper with faux air-outlets and an integrated diffuser that inspired from the V10-powered version of Audi's supercar.

Hofele Design rounds off the package with a boot lid spoiler (A5 Coupe only), air-intakes for the front fenders, side skirts and a wide choice of alloy wheel designs.