Performance Products, based in Van Nuys, the heart of the San Fernando Valley, has long been associated with Porsche cars, going back all the way to 1964 when Dick Lovell scoured the world in search of the best racing parts for his Porsche. Soon he was selling these parts to other racers, and Performance Products was born.
Two decades later, Dick sold the company to Mel Kay and Rich Vizvary, who continued that time-honored tradition of selling Porsche stuff that works. Later, Ron Rowen, a friend of Mel's, became a partner after the tragic passing of Vizvary. The company continued to grow over the years and silently expand its line with Toyota, Ford and GM truck products.
On the European front, the company would launch into a new line when it purchased Impco, a Mercedes-Benz aftermarket parts company, bringing the same level of business savvy and know-how to a market sorely lacking in capable participants.
To announce its presence with authority in the Mercedes-Benz aftermarket, the company recently built a C-Class, using a whole host of the products it sells through its catalog and online store. Tom Davis, a company spokesperson, had this to say about the selection.
"We always liked the styling of the new C-Class Mercedes; some of us thought the car looked better proportionally than the new S-Class. However, with the stock 16-in. wheels, the new C-Class stood too tall, and the handling, while praised in comparison to its predecessor, could be improved upon."
Thus, a 2001 Mercedes C-Class dipped in Obsidian black with Java leather interior was ordered. The car was sent to Ron's Custom Paint and Styling, also in Van Nuys, Calif., where the company outsources its body kit spray and fitment work. The body of this C-Class features a Schatz trunk-mounted spoiler, which incorporates stealth mounting, showing no fasteners with the trunk lid open. The aft end is treated to a Lorinser rear bumper add-on piece with a cutout to accommodate the Lorinser stainless-steel muffler (installed in-house at Performance Products) with dual, chrome oval tips.
With the bodywork under control, attention could then be turned to the stance and some nice accoutrements.
The C-Class was noticeably lowered via an H&R Cup Kit Suspension, featuring shortened custom-valved shocks mated with H&R progressive-rate springs, lowering the car more than 2 in. To fill out the wheelwells, a set of 8.5x18-in. Brabus Monobloc V one-piece light alloy wheels was selected and wrapped with 225/40 Dunlop SP9000 tires. Even with the lowered suspension and wider wheels, Performance Products reported that no modification to the bodywork was required.
Finally, Performance Products installed its exclusive German-manufactured steering wheel with Laurel wood and Java-colored leather. A solid Laurel wood shift knob completes the look.
While not an over-the-top rolling testbed, Performance Products' C-Class is a nice rendition of a car that is making quiet inroads into the aftermarket tuning territory most recently dominated by offerings from BMW. Because of its relative affordability, we should be seeing other C-Class cars inspired by this fine example.
Jetta "E" by EibachIt must be good to be young. A full head of hair, 20/20 vision and 3 inches less of waistline girth aside, the youth of today are treated-rather spoiled-by the quantity of quality offerings by Volkswagen.
Its cars boast a unique formula featuring a price point, build quality, level of refinement and performance that is the envy of all volume car makers. For example, the Jetta VR6 is a world-class small sedan, and Eibach is here to remind everyone of that fact.
For a European company based in Germany and operating in the USA, what better way is there to demonstrate its capabilities than to build a German car with German know-how and some good old-fashioned elbow grease? For last year's SEMA event, the company dipped into its parts bins to showcase its Pro-System Plus.
Pro-System Plus, for those who didn't read ec's extensive technical analysis (08-01), is an integrated suspension system developed by Eibach to provide superior road control and improved ride quality. It features Eibach's Pro-Kit progressive-rate springs, Pro-Dampers (valved to work in conjunction with the springs) and Anti-Roll kit. Having driven a few MkIV-chassis cars featuring this kit, in addition to my New Beetle, I have yet to be disappointed with the results. This outing was no exception.
A suspension system does not a show car make, so Eibach called upon a number of industry leaders to offer their wares. On the performance side, ABD provided its Quick Flow kit, which eliminates the factory airbox. To ignite the air/fuel mixture, Nology kicked down with its HotWires and Silverstone spark plugs. Exhaust gases exit via a CEC/Remus cat-back system, and faster gear selection is offered by way of a B&M short-shift kit.