New car news

23 February 2010 - 10:00

Hamann Tycoon: ruthless

In the current economic climate, we're not sure we'd christen a car 'The Tycoon'. It's a bit, well... conspicuous, isn't it?

Then again, we are not Hamann, the German tuner responsible for some of the most conspicuous automotive creations of recent years. This is Hamann's take on the BMW X6 M, dubbed the Tycoon Evo M, and it is aptly named.

Treating BMW's 4.4-litre, twin-turbo V8 to a high-flow exhaust and a reprogrammed ECU, the Tycoon packs an upsetting 500kW and 780Nm of torque - 86kW and 100Nm more than the standard car.

Which means it'll obliterate 100km/h in 4.2 seconds before running on to a top speed of 300km/h. Four point two! In an SUV-thing! Why? For the love of Manilow, why?

Fattened by a diet of foie gras, truffles and sticky toffee pudding, the Tycoon is a full 12cm wider than the stock X6 M. It sits on 23-inch wheels and fecklessly trades shares in pyramid schemes. It defies financial regulators. It would raid your pension fund as soon as look at you.

Be afraid.