Today's best supertuners and their machines

From BMW and Mitsubishi models to Porsche sports cars and the company's mighty Nissan GT-R efforts, there are few corners of the serious performance market in which AMS Performance hasn't dabbled. Those efforts have netted the company a stack of wins in Sports Car Club of America races all over the country.

There's fast, and then there's the 2.3 seconds it takes to launch the AMS Alpha Omega Nissan GT-R to 60 mph from a standstill. Designed and built as the research test bed for many AMS products, the Alpha Omega packs around 1,700 horsepower, thanks to a complete AMS 4.0-liter engine and an upgraded AMS turbo kit.

2013 Nissan GT-R

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John Hennessey put himself on the map by tuning one of the first Dodge Vipers to enter competition. That machine was featured in publications from Car and Driver to Hot Rod, and Hennessey Performance quickly grew into a go-fast powerhouse. With a 30,000-square-foot facility and an all-wheel-drive dyno, these guys can make just about anything quicker than it was before.

Of Hennessey's supertuners, we're partial to the VR1200 Twin-Turbo Coupe. A Cadillac CTS-V Coupe that features a de-tuned version of the same twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V8 engine found in the company's famed Venom GT, this 2-door puts 1,226 horsepower to the rear wheels, good enough to bolt to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds.

2013 Cadillac CTS

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Founded in 1939 as a general-service garage, RUF Automobile has blossomed under the guidance of Alois Ruf Jr. The younger Ruf pointed the company toward building Porsche performance models, and from the first RUF 911 in 1975, critics knew this company was something special.

While RUF is best known for its take on the Porsche 911, the CTR 3 is a different machine entirely. A midengine creation with 750 horsepower, the vehicle uses plenty of carbon fiber to keep weight as low as possible. The result is a vehicle that can launch to 125 mph in 9.2 seconds as it travels to a top speed of 236 mph.

2013 Porsche 911

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John Lingenfelter made a name for himself mopping up 13 National Hot Rod Association drag-racing titles. Lingenfelter Performance Engineering was founded 32 years ago and now specializes in making Corvette, Camaro and Cadillac models quicker than they ever were from General Motors. The business is now operated by Ken Lingenfelter.

As a GM purist, Lingenfelter Performance was eager to apply its engineering knowledge to the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The result was three performance packages for the machine, the most potent of which delivers 730 horsepower — enough to help the big American bruiser sail past the 200-mph barrier.

2013 Chevrolet Camaro

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If you have a Subaru and want to make it faster, there's only one name you need to know: Crawford. Founded by Quirt Crawford in 2002, the company has established itself as an aftermarket powerhouse selling everything from license-plate frames to rally-prepared race engines. These are the guys responsible for building the machines behind Ken Block's early gymkhana efforts.

Crawford is hard at work putting together a bolt-on kit that will give the brand-new BRZ's 4-cylinder engine some much-needed pep while still running on 91-octane gasoline. So far the company has only released a few photos and a video of the car on the dyno. We can't wait to see the performance figures.

2013 Subaru BRZ

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From the lowly VW Golf to the mighty Porsche 911 and everything in between, APR has established itself as an authority on the Volkswagen family and has constructed concept vehicles for companies such as Panasonic and Michelin. The company operates out of a sprawling, 36,000-square-foot facility in Opelika, Ala.

The APR Motorsport Audi R8 Grand-Am is effectively a sharpened version of the already lethal R8 GT. Though a mandated restrictor keeps the Grand-Am to 480 horsepower, the vehicle weighs 565 pounds less than the standard road-going R8. The change was enough to clip six seconds off of the R8 GT lap time set during a Road & Track comparison.

2012 Audi R8

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Back in 1989, Wolfgang Hagedorn began building turbocharged engines for Alfa Romeo vehicles. Those humble beginnings eventually led both Hagedorn and his company, Novitec Rosso, to Ferrari modification. As the first manufacturer of a twin-turbo kit for the Ferrari 360 Modena, Novitec Rosso quickly established itself as the leading name in faster Ferrari vehicles.

Novitec Rosso wasted no time in squeezing an additional 42 horsepower from the 6.3-liter V12 engine of the Ferrari FF. That nudges total output to 702 horsepower. With a revised suspension, new wheels and a complete carbon-fiber aerodynamic kit, the Novitec Rosso FF is unlike anything else rolling around Ferrari's hometown of Maranello, Italy.

2012 Ferrari FF

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Motoren Technik Mayer was founded in 1990 by Audi enthusiast Roland Mayer, and by 1992 the company was squeezing 400 horsepower from Audi inline 5-cylinder engines. Today, MTM continues its tradition of turning Audi vehicles into on-road terrors capable of embarrassing much more expensive machinery.

While MTM specializes in Audi performance, the team occasionally strays outside of its comfort zone. Such is the case with the MTM KTM X-Bow R. At just 1,700 pounds, it wouldn't take much to make this machine quick, but MTM managed to squeeze 400 horsepower from the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. Monaco liked the machine well enough to adopt it for police duty.

Dinan made its mark by building some of the fastest BMW models on the planet, all while offering buyers a factory-matching warranty. Founded in 1979, Dinan now works closely with BMW to engineer and manufacture performance parts.

By definition, the BMW M3 is the most pure interpretation of the 3-Series. In 2010, Dinan took that machine and gave it a thorough once-over to create the S3-R M3. At more than $108,000, the creation isn't for common folk, but it does offer 527 horsepower from a completely revised 4.6-liter V8 engine. With reworked brakes, suspension and wheels, the S3-R M3 is a rare bird.

2012 BMW M3

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For many Mustang owners, there is only one name in factory-equivalent performance: Roush. Founded in 1976 by Jack Roush of NASCAR fame, the company began as an aftermarket parts company before refining its focus to the Ford Mustang in 1995.

Roush offers a number of variations on the Mustang, but the Stage 3 Roush 2013 Ford Mustang sits at the top of the deck. With a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine good for 565 horsepower and 505 lb-ft of torque, the machine is the most powerful Mustang that Roush has ever offered. The company also throws in an aggressive body kit, full suspension and upgraded brakes to keep the machine under control.

2013 Ford Mustang

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For more information on the vehicles in this slideshow, click the links below:

-Nissan GT-R
-Cadillac CTS-V
-Porsche 911
-Chevrolet Camaro
-Subaru BRZ
-Audi R8
-Ferrari FF
-BMW M3
-Ford Mustang

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James Tate cut his teeth in the business as a race team crew member before moving to the editorial side as Senior Editor of Sport Compact Car, and his work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Automobile, Motor Trend and European Car. When not writing, Tate is usually fantasizing about a vintage Porsche 911.