Amazing leap into the past at Autoworld with German tuning

The Brussels automobile museum Autoworld is stepping out of its comfort zone with a unique exhibition. German Tuners is certainly a gathering of cars over 25 years old. But they're tuned.

Fifteen unique models from the workshops of German tuners are on display at Autoworld until December 14, 2025. German Tuners, on the ground floor podium, also immerses the hall in an 80s and 90s atmosphere. The Brussels Automobile Museum, in the Parc du Cinquantenaire, thus recalls the glory days of German tuning specialists at the end of the 20th century. And their favourite models were generally from local automobile production. But not only that.

Ferrari Testarossa Lotec TT1000

Among the models on display is a Ferrari Testarossa transformed by Lotec. The TT1000 features twin turbos boosting the flat-plane V12 to 1,000 hp and 1,100 Nm. A monster that accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds and raises the top speed to around 370 km/h on 17-inch wheels. Staggering figures for the time. And without ESP or ABS. Even though the chassis, brakes, gearbox, and tires were reinforced, the Italian car's bodywork was wrapped in carbon fiber, along with a spoiler and air intakes. This work more than tripled the price of the F40, so much so that only three examples were built.

Porsche 930 Rainbow Buchman & Buchmann

Back across the Rhine with the colourful Porsche Rainbow from Buchmann & Buchmann. It's not just a rainbow-coloured Targa. It's a 911/930 Turbo Targa. A combination Porsche hadn't dared at the time. This is before the 1980s, in 1976. So proud of his work, this 550 hp 911 was the personal car of CEO Rainer Buchmann. The BB GmbH headquarters were located a few steps from Polaroid's in Germany. And this car, reminiscent of the American camera brand's colours, was requested for Polaroid events...

Opel Manta Manta Mattig

Mattig was a car tuner who had his eye on Opels. He transformed family cars and popular Blitz cars into extravagant vehicles. One of his stars is the Manta Manta. It was the heroine of a German film centered around a fight between two characters competing in street races. A German Fast & Furious (Schnell und Wütend, as it were). This brightly coloured Manta B has a power output of 236 hp and weighs 1,150kg. Even in the movies, they insist on having a reserve for the gas!

Audi Treser Quattro Roadster

Formerly an Audi employee, Walter Treser remained loyal to the models with the rings. The man who led the development of the Quattro all-wheel drive system founded his own company as a tuner. His main client ended up being his former employer. Among his creations was the Quattro Roadster. As you might have guessed, it's a hardtop convertible with all-wheel drive. A 2.1-liter, five-cylinder turbocharged engine with 200 horsepower powered the four-wheel drive.

Useful Information

These are some of the iconic cars of German tuning from Generation X, on display at Autoworld until December 14th. The exhibition is included with the museum admission ticket. More information on the Autoworld website. The museum is open daily.

(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Source et photos : © Autoworld)