Auto For Speed

One of the benefits of having an F1 team at your disposal is that, in the off season at least, you’ve got some of the world’s best professional drivers on call for test driving duties. And promotional detail, too.

In this case, we’re talking about Mercedes-Benz – specifically its upcoming 2012 SLK and star driver Nico Rosberg. Vehicle engineer Michael Scheer shot some footage riding shotgun in the new roadster around Monte Carlo as Rosberg gave us a glimpse of what to expect from the new SLK, demonstrating as well that trick Magic Sky Control tinting roof. Check it out in the video after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

I recently had the pleasure of batting and booting the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG with the uncorked Performance Package option around the Hudson River Valley in Upstate New York. The twin-turbo, direct-injected 5.5-liter V-8 brawler of a motor serves up a spine-compressing 563 horsepower and an astonishing 664 pound-feet of torque. The car is so powerful it’s silly. Remember, the Cadillac CTS-V makes just 556 horsepower and more than 100 pound-feet less torque (551 lb-ft). But there’s something…missing from the new AMG twin-turbo engine. Something…lacking. Something…something that’s really hard to place your finger upon. And I think I know what it is, or at least what it might be.

What it is, is what it isn’t. Namely, the new hand-built M157 is not the (also) hand-built M156. To refresh your synapses, M156 is the internal code for AMG’s 6.2-liter V-8. It’s a naturally aspirated natural wonder of an internal combustion engine that’s about to ride off into the sunset. The reasons are many, but essentially, the horror-scare of $5-per-gallon gasoline combined with rising federal mileage standards and a corporate mandate to increase efficiency (remember when Mercedes-Benz said it’d be off petroleum by 2015?) all point to one certainty: Large-displacement, race-derived V-8s are not long for this world.

Read the rest of this entry »

According to a recent report, Mercedes is developing an eco-minded supercar to battle BMW’s Vision EfficientDynamics.

Details are limited, but AutoCar is reporting the coupe will be launched around 2015 and feature styling inspired by the radical BIOME concept.

As you may recall, the BIOME was created for the Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge and measured 4040mm long, 2500mm wide, and 1200mm tall. More importantly, the concept was envisioned to weigh less than 1,000 pounds (454 kg).

Read the rest of this entry »

German tuners Brabus released their version of the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class last month at the Dubai Motor Show. The Brabus GL 63 Biturbo has been fitted with the Mercedes eight cylinder engine from the ML 63 AMG, tuned to deliver 650 horsepower and up to 850 Nm of torque.

If that number sounds familiar for Brabus, it is because the company used the same engine and tuning package on their ML 63 Biturbo. That SUV debuted in Geneva a year ago with a top speed of 310 km/h (192.6 mph).

The GL 63 is a bit slower, with a top speed of 300 km/h (186.4 mph), and a 0-100 km/h sprint of 4.7 seconds. The engine is mated to a modified version of the Speedshift 7G-Tronic automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel drive. It includes a customized, and more responsive twin turbo system, large water-to-air intercooler, with other upgrades to the intake and exhaust, brakes, suspension, and tires. The vehicle now rides on forged 23-inch wheels. 21- and 22-inch wheels are also offered.

Read the rest of this entry »

Take that you devilish Acura-grille haters; with or without knowing it, famous Mercedes-Benz tuner, Lorinser, has followed in the footsteps of Honda’s luxury arm crafting a beak-like grille on the 2010 E-Class Coupe. The new radiator grille is part of Lorinser’s most recent package for the two-door German model.

Acura beak aside, body changes include a redesigned front bumper with integrated LED daytime running lights, new side skirts, a trunk lid spoiler, a rear bumper with a diffuser and a four pipe exhaust system.

Read the rest of this entry »