An extra power boost? Meet the best in-house performance divisions

Many car brands have had an in-house performance division practically since their beginnings. These departments usually enjoy considerable freedom to create some of the most incredible cars in history. BMW M, AMG or Abarth are just some of the best known.

Abarth

Abarth is one of the best-known in-house performance divisions, but it was founded by Carlo Abarth in 1949. The Fiat were quite common cars in Italy, and Abarth began giving them an extra shot of power, which turned out to be a real success. Fiat acquired Abarth in 1971, and they began producing models such as the Abarth 124 Spider and the Abarth 131.

Audi Sport

Audi Sport has two main activities: on the one hand it runs motorsport programmes, and on the other it develops high-performance road cars. For the latter, Audi Sport is responsible for engineering the engine and dynamic tuning for all the S and RS versions of the company’s models. It was also in charge of developing the Audi R8, although it was under the division’s previous name, Quattro.

BMW M

BMW M began its history in competition. It was founded in 1972 and its influence was enormously surprising: in 1978 it presented the legendary BMW M1, which had a mid-mounted six-cylinder inline engine and 277 CV of power. From that moment on, it developed models as impressive as the BMW M3 E30. It has also developed the BMW 850 CSi which, although it does not carry the coveted ///M badge, is part of the family with its 5.6-litre V12 engine.

Ford Performance

The brand with the oval has had several in-house performance divisions over the years, such as Advanced Vehicle Operations, RS or ST, but it is now called Ford Performance. Unlike other divisions, Ford Performance offers a catalogue of parts for its models that are out of production. This means you can buy guaranteed parts for your Fiesta ST, Focus RS or even the Mustang.

Hyundai N

No, the N in Hyundai N does not refer to the legendary Nürburgring circuit; it stands for Namyang, the site of the company’s global research and development headquarters. Albert Biermann, former BMW M, has managed to revolutionise the division, and the Hyundai i30 N was its first child within the brand.

Mercedes-AMG

AMG, which now forms part of the high-performance range of Mercedes-Benz, began with two men based in Groβaspach, northeast of Stuttgart. Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher worked for Daimler-Benz developing racing engines, but in their spare time they were building the most tuned version of the 300 SE engine. They managed to win the 1965 German Touring Car Championship and in 1966 they formed Aufrecht, Melcher Groβaspach or AMG.

MINI JCW

John Cooper was already a prominent racing driver and car constructor when the first Mini was launched, and he saw the potential of the small car for motorsport. He sold the idea of building 1000 cars prepared under the name Mini-Cooper, and from there an icon was born.

Nissan Nismo

The name derives from Nissan Motorsport, so you know Nismo’s goal from the start. It is a performance division that is still heavily involved in racing, running Formula E and GT3 programmes for its parent company. Nismo is a name applied to production models that have been improved by a small dedicated team of engineers and test drivers. Most Nismo models end up with more power, but the team is equally focused on improving the dynamic performance of the cars.

Renault Sport

The origins of Renault Sport lie in the merger of the Alpine and Gordini racing departments, both owned by Renault. This happened in 1976, and the first car they created was the RS0.1, which was the first turbocharged Formula 1 car. The first road car to carry the Renault Sport name was the Spider launched in 1995, although the 1993 Clio Williams was also developed by RS, even if it did not bear its name.

Toyota Gazoo Racing

The GR badge has gained prominence with the GR Yaris, but the performance division behind this groundbreaking car dates its history back to 1979. That is when Toyota Motorsport GmbH was created to run the company’s European and world racing efforts, and it was itself formed from the Toyota Team Europe. Gazoo Racing made its entrance in 2016 with the TS050 Hybrid, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The team also won the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship, providing the perfect launch platform for the GR Yaris.