There used to be a time when tuning a production engine to over 700 horsepower was the stuff of dreams and you would gasp when you saw one in action. Now that everybody’s kinda figured out how to do it, the thing has lost its specialness. Look at this IMSA Mercedes G63 AMG, for instance. It’s impressive for sure, but nothing we haven’t seen before.

So the V8 bi-turbo engine in the Mercedes G63 AMG has been heavily modified with software, exhaust, and new turbos, and now instead of 570 horsepower it makes 730 horsepower and 1,035 Nm of torque. But these are just numbers. The only way you can now if this car’s better than what Mansory or Brabus or countless other tuners offer is to put it in a performance test with them.

The same thing applies to the way IMSA Mercedes G63 AMG looks. There is only so much you can do with a boxy car like the G63, and IMSA has done all they could which includes adding even larger air intakes, larger grille, more massive fenders, and some ginormous wheels. They have also wrapped the whole thing in black to make it look scarier; something all tuners do when they get hold of a G-Wagen.

We are not suggesting that IMSA Mercedes G63 AMG is not a great achievement or that it’s dull and boring. But it does lack imagination. Maybe that’s the car’s fault for limiting the tuner’s options.