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Over the past few days, we learned that two Cadillac CTS-V Coupes headed to the ultimate showcase of automotive excess, the SEMA Auto Show, will serve notice to the aftermarket industry that these bad boys are not be messed with. We already covered the V1000 Martin a few days ago so now it’s time for us to introduce the ’Le Monstre.’

As the work of the "D3 Group," the CTS-V Le Monstre takes its name from the 1950 Cadillac Coupe Series 61, a car that competed in the 24 Hours of LeMans way back when in the 50’s. Fast forward six decades later and the namesake will surely make its predecessor proud.

This Cadillac sports coupe was named ’Le Monstre’ for a reason, and that reason takes shape through a heavily modified 6.2-liter LSA V8 engine that was turned into 7.0-liter engine with matching upgraded internals. The result is a powertrain that packs a walloping 1,001 horsepower and 1,000 lb/ft of torque. Ay, caramba!

To allow the car to look and handle as well as it should given the significant spike in output, the D3 Group also gave the CTS-V Coupe a a stealthy Matte Black wrap courtesy of Wraptivo, a custom wide-body kit, an upgraded chassis and suspension system, and a new set of 20" wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes T1R UHP tires.

Talk about living up to your ’Le Monstre’ monicker.

We often associate the quality of a tuning build by the amount of work done by an aftermarket company on a certain car. Using that logic, the boys over at Hess Motorsports did a hell of a job on a Camaro considering that they apparently spent close to $400,000 in research and development just for this car alone.

Some people will call that ridiculous. We call it genius mixed with very, very deep pockets.

Nothing was apparently off limit for this one-off muscle car. We found out that Hess Motorsports left no stones unturned in turning this Camaro into a rollicking piece of madness on four wheels. The exterior was painted with a custom Jet Black finish that was custom brushed with 1st generation strips and cleat coated four times over with high-end clear coat. Hess Motorsports also added a new front bumper, grills, side gills, and shaved doors, to name a few of the body modifications done. Even the interior was spent on lavishly, complete with CTS-V Recaro seats, interior Porsche leather, their custom one-off Double Din that was crated from the Cadillac DTS, and HVAC controls with a Pioneer Navigation system.

Then there’s the matter of the engine, it was treated to a hybrid LS9/LS7 7.2-liter powertrain that literally leaves us dumbfounded as to how they managed to accomplish it. The output for the Chevrolet Camaro is being kept under wraps, but considering that what we’ve described is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the full-scale of modifications are concerned, we’re going to hold our breaths until its debut at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show to find out where the full $400,000 went.

The armada of Ford Focus models headed to SEMA is nothing short of overwhelming. A total of seven Focus models - you read that right: seven! - are set to be unveiled, offering a wide variety of choices and options for the Blue Oval’s sports hatchback.

One company that worked on their own tuned-up version of the Focus is Steeda. As a veteran of Ford tuning since 1979, Steeda knows a thing or two about working on Ford performance vehicles and they’re bringing all that experience and expertise on the new Focus with comprehensive aerodynamic and performance modifications.

Among the modifications the Ford tuner gave to the Focus include a new Steeda cold-air intake with Cool Tube technology, a new rear swaybar, a front tower brace, and new lowering springs that improves the Focus’ overall performance capabilities. On top of that, the Focus also received a 3dCarbon body kit, a G-Track front end brace, underhood billet aluminum-appearance items, and a new set of 19" HRE P43S Monoblock wheels wrapped in Nitto NT05 performance tires.

For a tuning firm that can boast of having over two decades of Ford tuning experience, Steeda’s work on the Ford Focus certainly does their reputation justice.