No matter how amazing the manufacturer’s offering is, sometimes you want something a little more special. Like handing that off-the-peg suit over to an expert, with the right tweaks, something that’s already amazing can become sublime. In the automotive world, that’s courtesy of a whole range of tuners, coachbuilders and other specialists, just waiting to offer you something the manufacturers themselves won’t. So now you can satisfy that urge for a limo that masquerades as a rocket. Or a supercar that doubles as a submarine.

Overfinch

If a Range Rover is Armani, an Overfinch Range Rover is like Giorgio measuring you up himself. The company takes automotive bespoke to a whole new level. Piano wood veneers? Check. Diamond-turned alloys? You got it. A tweak to the already punchy engine to squeeze out even more power? Not a problem. The difficulty lies in knowing where to stop – you could easily spend over £200k on one of Overfinch’s creations, if you opt for things like the automatic, sliding boot floor (so you don’t grubby up your suit reaching in to grab your polo gear). Luckily, that’s not a problem most people will face, since production is limited to just 100 Range Rovers per year. overfinch.com

Brabus

Mercedes has its own tuning arm, Mercedes-AMG, which specialises in taking the comparative kittens that roll off its production line, then adding teeth and claws – well, more horsepower and road-hugging bodies – to turn them into leopards. But German company Brabus offers tweaks that are turn kitty into the offspring of a lion and a cheetah: fast as hell and just as aggressive. The firm offers tuning packages for pretty much any Mercedes model going, from the dinky Smart Fortwo to the somewhat bigger G-Wagen, adding everything from new engines to bespoke brake and exhaust kits, along with the kind of interior kit-outs that make your car more comfortable than your house. Our favourite of its current crop is the appropriately named Rocket 900, a super-tuned S-Class limo (its all-new engine even features gold heat reflectors) that sits on 22-inch rims and will fly to over 217mph. At least the paparazzi won’t get near you. brabus.com