International House Of Style

Have you ever gone to one of those shops that specialize in just one item? Places like Belt World or Bubba’s House of Beef Jerky usually come to our minds. When we stroll through a store that offers 725 different varieties of beef jerky, we can’t help but wonder how Bubba acquired such a wide variety of dehydrated meat products. In most cases, these retailers stock too much of a bad thing. Why don’t we ever see stores carrying products we need and want? Why aren’t there any Beer Barns or Power Tool Shacks? Fortunately for MAX fans, there is one man who filled one of these niches by offering a wide array of wares from some of the most prestigious names in the tuning industry.

That man is Claus Ettensberger (His name sounds like it should belong to an international spy.—MAX). The Claus Ettensberger Corporation was founded in 1990 with the goal of bringing the finest automobile accessories to North America. Fast forward 10 years and we find CEC to be recognized as the place to go for enthusiasts who demand the very best.

CEC is the North American importer for some of Europe’s most exclusive tuners such as AC Schnitzer, A!AvanteGarde, Lorinser, Oettinger, TechArt, and Toyota Team Europe. CEC also offers products from such respected companies as Dunlop, Eibach, Pirelli, Recaro, Remus, and Yokohama. In addition to the application-specific wheels from the aforementioned tuners, other wheels are offered from Antera, Azev, Valbrem, and even CEC’s own in-house wheel line.

If you ever happen to be near West Los Angeles, we highly recommend a visit to CEC’s showroom. Nestled right at the outskirts of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the showroom was designed by Pierluigi Bonvincini, apparently a prominent architect. Of course, we’ve never heard of him, but we like his name, and we really admire his work. The high-tech 13,000 sq-ft facility boasts three service bays outfitted with state-of-the-art installation equipment. But the nicest feature is the actual showroom, which, through a great use of materials and design, showcases each car the way a museum does its masterpieces.

The MAX staff likes to peek into the CEC showroom every now and again. Sometimes we mooch food and drink from the espresso bar, and sometimes we just go to stare at any one of CEC’s celebrity clientele. On one of our more recent visits, we managed to borrow Mr. Ettensberger’s 2000 Toyota Team Europe Lexus IS 200, 2000 Oettinger Jetta, and 2000 Lorinser 300M. The cars had just returned from the 1999 SEMA show in Las Vegas, and each one showcases some of CEC’s many wheels with different models on the right and left side.

If you love the finer things in life, CEC can personalize your car in a manner that you’re accustomed to. And the stunning modifications to these three cars are just a sample of what CEC is capable of.

Toyota Team Europe 2000 IS 200
TTE is well recognized in racing circles as the successful European arm of Toyota Motorsports. TTE’s Corolla has been dominant in the WRC series, and in only its second year in the FIA-GT series, the team’s GT-One car finished Second at Le Mans.

Last year, TTE developed a Lexus tuning program with applications available for the GS 300 and 400 models. For 2000, TTE expanded its scope to include the new IS. Badged as a Toyota Altezza in the Japanese domestic market, this car has been receiving rave reviews. The MAX staff had an opportunity to drive a Lexus-badged IS 200 in Germany, and we loved the design, ergonomics, and rear-drive layout, but we loathed the power of the 2.0L six. Take heart, Yankee Lexus lovers, when the IS 300 (named for the larger engine) arrives here later this year, it should have no less than a 215hp VVT-i 3.0L six-cylinder powerplant.

There is much talk about this new car in the enthusiast community, and CEC anticipated this by securing one of these new Lexus models (albeit with the tepid European engine) to showcase some of the new TTE hardware.

The exterior enhancements on the IS consist of a TTE front bumper spoiler with integrated grille, rear deck lid spoiler, and rear spoiler. We like the look of these pieces, as they offer a subtle departure from the original look while still preserving that Lexus elegance. TTE’s motorsport heritage remains evident with the addition of a low-restriction stainless steel exhaust and a sport suspension kit consisting of both tuned dampers and springs. Rolling stock is improved with TTE’s Type I on the left and a pair of Azev Type Hs on the right with Pirelli P7000 rubber all the way around.

Now that we know that Lexus will be bringing this car to our shores with a more powerful engine, all you have to do is allow CEC to handle everything else.

Lorinser
2000 300M
We knew it would only be a matter of time before some good would come from one of these mega-mergers, and our happiness is not a result of anything done by DaimlerChrysler itself. No, our joy comes from the fact that an exclusive Mercedes-Benz tuner has begun to turn its eye toward the U.S. side of this immense international product line. One of the most delightful reverberations from this global merger has to be Lorinser’s new upgrades for Chrysler’s 300M.

Lorinser is one of the world’s leading independent M-B tuners, and CEC has always offered its complete line of products for virtually every Mercedes model. And now, Chrysler’s 300M can be added to that exclusive list.

The 300M is a pretty potent car powered by a 3.5L SOHC V-6 engine that churns out 253 hp with 255 lb-ft of torque. Impressive numbers, but they still cannot make up for what could best be described as a lackluster design.

Somehow the Lorinser design team was able to inject some inspiration into the rather dull looking 300M. A Lorinser front bumper spoiler with integrated fog lights, hood wing, side skirts, rear bumper spoiler, rear wing, and a roof wing were all added in an attempt to spice up the rather mundane M. The Lorinser pieces may provide an incredible aesthetic improvement to the 300, but the final brushstrokes on this work come from the addition of the Remus Sport exhaust, Lorinser sport lowering springs, and the massive 20-inch rollers. On the left is CEC’s Type 169, and the right side is shod with Lorinser’s D93 wheels. The combination of the ride-height reducing suspension and gigantic wheels helps to minimize the 300’s considerable girth while accentuating the look of the Lorinser body pieces.

If you want to give your 300M a makeover to match its muscle, then we suggest you contact CEC. Because Lorinser is not only one of a handful of tuners currently offering these upgrades for your Chrysler, but you can only get these goods from CEC as it is the exclusive North American Lorinser importer.

Oettinger 2000 Jetta
Oettinger has been one of the most heralded names in Volkswagen tuning for decades. But this legendary line of tuning products has always been hard to get here in the states, making it that much more desirable. The 2000 Jetta also ranks high on many wish lists, but there is something missing from this new Volkswagen.

The new Jetta IV platform, first released as a ’99 model, is a vast improvement over the boxy looking Jetta III. But while this new design is more pleasing to the eye than the previous iteration, the new Jetta looks more like a reduced version of its more sedate sibling, the Passat. The Passat is a great car, but one of our favorite aspects of the Jetta has been its more youthful demeanor, which gets diluted in this new design.

Enter the mad stylists at Oettinger. While the German tuning firm has always been known for its work on the performance end, its body kit and wheel designs are also of the highest quality and style. For the Jetta IV, Oettinger offers a more aggressively ventilated front bumper spoiler, grille, side skirts, M3-style sport mirrors, roof wing, rear bumper spoiler, and a rear wing with a brake light. On this particular example, five-spoke Oettinger REs adorn the left side, while the passengers are treated to CEC’s 149 model. Performance is not forgotten with the addition of an Oettinger sport suspension kit, stainless-steel sport exhaust, and a performance kit (basically a chip upgrade).

Since it was appointed the exclusive North American importer, CEC has made it that much easier to add Oettinger performance and style to your Volkswagen.