Miss Tuning World Bodensee – calendar girl for Europe’s lesser known SEMA

Mention after market tuning shows, SEMA is usually the first to come to mind, and then maybe Tokyo Auto Salon. Of late however, SEMA seems to be hogging all the limelight. SEMA has grown so big that even Tier-1 manufacturers including GM, Toyota and Ford make an annual appearance. Gone are the days when manufacturers scoff at the tuning scene. Toyota for example, uses SEMA as its primary platform to promote its youth oriented Scion brand. Part of the unique appeal of Scion is the wide range of customization options with factory approved parts. By now, you would’ve seen numerous concepts by these manufacturers.

Traditionally, SEMA takes place at the end of the year, around November, while Tokyo Auto Salon takes place around January. There is however one more after market tuning show that everyone seems to forget – Germany’s Tuning World Bondensee, which usually takes place around May at the city of Friedrichshafen at the southern side of Germany. The nature of European tuning philosophy means that the cars on display are less outrageous, and they exercise a lot of restraint, compared to their counterparts. Thus explains why Tuning World Bondensee gets less publicity than their counterparts across the Atlantic at USA’s SEMA in Las Vegas, and across the Pacific at Japan’s Tokyo Auto Salon.

There is however one unique thing that sets Tuning World Bondensee apart from SEMA and Tokyo Auto Salon – Miss Tuning World calendar.

Each year’s Tuning World Bondensee’s event also plays host to the Miss Tuning competition, where 200 girls will vie for the title Miss Tuning World. The winning model will get a car (last year’s winner got a Skoda Fabia RS), exclusive appearance for the following year’s annual Tuning World calendar as well as playing the role of an “ambassadress” for the tuning industry. Presumably, this appeals to girls looking for a major break into the modelling scene.

This year’s Miss Tuning is Mandy Lange, a 23-year old business assistant in the sports and fitness industry from Wandlitz, Germany. Below is a video on the behind the scenes shooting of the 2012 MISS TUNING calendar, featuring Mandy Lange.