What does a normal day at Heinz Performance actually look like? We opened the doors of our Latem workshop for a full-day video tour. Walk along through the showroom, the workshop floor and the dyno room, and see everything from a Stage 2 Ford Raptor to a V12 Jaguar, Active Sound for the electric BMW i5 and an Audi RS3 with a fully reworked exhaust. The video is in Dutch; the highlights are right here on this page.
A showroom with racing history
For those who do not know us yet: welcome. In our showroom stands a very special piece of motorsport history: a 1992 Formula 1 car of which only four were built worldwide, and one of them is with us. Alongside it we display a wide range of forged aluminium wheels, from Vossen to Techart and Brabus.
Our years in racing taught us exactly what a car needs: better handling, better brakes and honest advice. The proof? In 2007 we won the GT3 class in the 24 Hours of Zolder, and in 2008 we took the overall win with a works Porsche, a car of which only 15 were built worldwide.
A workshop built around our customers
Our customers are spoiled while they wait: free wifi and fresh coffee, so they can keep working while we work on their car. The workshop has three lifts, and they are always full. And the pleasure of Heinz Performance: there are always great machines on them.
The heart of the workshop: our dyno
At the heart of Heinz Performance is our dyno, an American Mustang dynamometer that is truly unique. The car sits on rollers, so we measure torque far more precisely, and this bench can even run launch control, something no other brand can do.
Stage 2 for the Ford F-150 Raptor
Jan shows what a big intercooler does for the Raptor: a major difference compared to the original, with intake temperatures about 20 degrees lower. With that colder air and extra power, this becomes a proper Stage 2. The truck left our workshop with 435 hp and torque up from 509 Nm to 737 Nm, more than 200 Nm extra. The customer will be delighted.
More soul for a 1989 Jaguar XJS V12
Also in the workshop today: a beautiful, very well-preserved 1989 Jaguar XJS with a V12 that was simply too quiet. The owner asked us to give the car more character, so Angelo reworked the mufflers for better flow, more sound and more emotion, letting the V12 come into its own. You can hear the difference before and after: roughly 30% more than standard, without ever becoming exaggerated.
Active Sound for the electric BMW i5
Not everything we do involves combustion engines. Following the system we developed for the Taycan, we now also offer Active Sound for the BMW i5: two speakers, a large one for the bass and a small one for the higher tones, connected to a module on the car's CAN bus, so you can switch sound profiles from the car's own controls. Everything is configured with an app.
In the standard profile the sound builds as you accelerate; in sport mode it is permanently present and a little heavier. Keep a steady speed and the car stays quiet, because that calm is exactly what electric driving is about. Active sound systems on electric cars are somewhat controversial, but many people are pushed into an electric car by legislation and genuinely miss the experience of an engine. We offer a subtle answer: never as loud as a sports car with an open exhaust, but a real plus for the driver.
Giving the Audi RS3 its five-cylinder voice
Another treat: an Audi RS3 in for exhaust work and a valve control module. We dismantle the exhaust system, take its internals apart and reshape them to size, so comfort mode keeps a discreet sound while sport mode delivers a proper brutish five-cylinder soundtrack. The module keeps the valves fully open in sport and closed in comfort, instead of closing them between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm as standard. Listen to the before and after: now it sounds like a car with a five-cylinder in it, the way it should.
No day is the same
That is a completely normal day at Heinz Performance. Everyone does their own thing, but at the end of the day it all comes together. Sometimes it is about the horsepower, sometimes about the sound or the way the car looks, but it always comes down to the experience: that you get back into your car with a smile. Want something for your car? One address: Heinz Performance.
