Mercedes set to race with AMG banner from 2012

Mercedes have announced they intend to compete under the full name of ‘Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team' from 2012 onwards. AMG is the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz, and has been involved with Formula One for 15 years, supplying the official F1 safety and medical cars since 1996.

Mercedes have also confirmed that their 2012 F1 car, currently under development at the team’s UK factory in Brackley and code-named the F1 W03, will make its track debut at the New Year’s second winter test in Barcelona, Spain, on February 21.

"Our new team name fuses the proud traditions of AMG and the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows at the pinnacle of motorsport,” commented Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “These three letters are synonymous with high technology, sporting performance and excitement and this step is a further strong sign of the strategic commitment Mercedes-Benz has made to Formula One.”

Mercedes’ Formula One powertrain facility at Brixworth in the UK has worked closely with AMG for a number of years and this wholly-owned Daimler subsidiary will now be renamed 'Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains'.

"We are very proud to reveal our new team name today,” added team principal Ross Brawn. “It adds another strong performance element to our team's identity and, by virtue of being shared between Brackley and Brixworth, will forge even stronger links within our team. At the factory, we have been focused for some time on the challenge of 2012, and our very clear ambition to move forward up the grid next year.

“As always, the winter development and manufacturing processes are a trade-off between time for finding performance in the factory, and time for delivering that performance during pre-season testing. We believe that the decision to run the car at the second winter test is the optimum compromise for our design and development programme with F1 W03."

AMG has an extensive motorsport pedigree dating back more than 40 years. The Mercedes AMG brand is the most successful in the history of Germany’s DTM touring car series, winning 165 races from 342 since 1988 and securing a total of 32 driver, manufacturer and team titles.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/12/12870.html

S600 Attempts Puddle Run

The Mercedes S600 can be described as a top-notch luxury car, Maybach replacement, a chariot for the rich and powerful and many other things. It cannot, however, be described as an offroad vehicle. This rich Russian owner must have missed that last bit, because he tried to demonstrate his S600’s all-round capabilities, with possibly disastrous consequences.

Apart from the acute embarrassment of having a mere Lexus and an Infiniti assist this chariot of kings, the owner is possibly looking at some major dealer service. Some electronics may have shorted as a result of this excursion, and that interior will definitely have to be cleaned. It doesn’t look like the V12 ingested water (which would have wrecked the engine), but a thorough diagnostic checkup is certainly in order. But if you can afford an S600, some dealer service should not bother you. What’s curious is why take a trek through the woods in an S600 when you obviously can afford a first-class offroader like a G55?

http://www.benzinsider.com/2011/12/s600-attempts-puddle-run/

Longest Car Drift World Record Bagged by Mercedes’ Mauro Calo

Mauro Calo, Mercedes-Benz and Autocar’s demo driver has set a new world record for the longer powerslide or card drift using Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

Calo beat the previous record by a quarter of a mile or 394 meters as he took the sports sedan at 2,308 meters driving sideways. He completed eight burning laps at a company event at the Mercedes-Benz World Handling Circuit in Surrey.

Andrew Mallery, Mercedes’ Commercial Operations Director said, “When Mauro approached us to hold his record breaking attempt on the circuit at Mercedes-Benz World we were happy to offer him the support. He has been a valuable member of the driving experience team for several years and is a respected driver in the industry, so there was no doubt he would achieve his aim”.

This is indeed a great achievement for Calo, an experienced driver whose working at the company’s circuit by entertaining crowds with his driving accuracy and precision.

Articles from www.benzinsider.com

Mercedes Gull Wing Group Reunites In SF After 50 Years

50 years after the original photograph was taken, an assemblage of Gullwing owners, headed by the automobile club the Gull Wing Group, has gathered at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge to recapture the moment. The original group photo was a gathering of owners of Mercedes’ 300 SL. This time, Mercedes-Benz USA lent its considerable reach to bring 100 Gullwings and 300 SL Roadsters to the site of the original photograph.

Also marking the occasion was the announcement of MBUSA’s donation of 125 scholarships intended for local kids who will participate in the San Francisco Recreation and Parks department’s summer camp programs.

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W124 scenes from Taxi movie.

MEC Design Preps E 350 CDI

MEC Design, a Merc tuner out of Berlin, has just tuned a Mercedes-Benz E 350 CDI model to get it ready for a wild romp this summer. A tweaked exhaust system, lowering springs and new tuner-specific wheels make up just the tip of the iceberg for this upcoming release.

Coinciding with the launch of the tuner’s specially designed mecxtremeIII one-piece wheel Spring collection, MEC has fitted these new wheels onto the E 350 CDI. Prospective buyers can opt for any of 8 available finishes for the wheels, including Satin White, Satin Black and Full Matte Black. Additionally, buyers can choose whether or not to go with a stainless steel outer lip for the wheels.

Aside from the hot wheels, MEC got the E 350 CDI closer to the action via some lowering springs rated at 35mm. Additionally, it gets the MEC Design 4 Pipes Rear Muffler with Sound. The tuner could also do some body work on the rear axle.

The 4-pipe exhaust setup is also compatible with the tuner’s rear diffuser. Should you choose to get one, the Plug and Play design will let you get right into the thick of things in no time. The diffuser will arrive in around 4 to 5 weeks, and those interested can choose between a primed version and a Carbon version.

About MEC Design:
MEC Design are an exclusive tuning company based in Berlin, Germany. They specialize in Mercedes-Benz and have an extensive range of extraordinary tuning and styling products as well as a range of high quality 1-piece and 3-piece alloy wheels.

Article from www.benzinsider.com

S500 Gets Inden Design Treatment

It’s always a tough task for tuners to give the Mercedes-Benz S-Class a tuning package, since it naturally already comes with some of the latest and greatest technology you can equip an automobile. Well, tuners are certainly still welcome to try—a challenge that German firm Inden Design was only too happy to accept with the S500.

Inden Design’s treatment will be bridging the gap between the S500 and the S65 AMG, and this is accomplished via some engine, exterior and interior tweaks. Starting things off is a stainless steel exhaust system that helps give the V8 power plant an output of 420 horsepower. Inden Design took the braking system from the S600 and added it to the S500 to compensate for the added power. The tuner also lowered the suspension by some 50mm and fitted 20-inch rims to the tires. Inden also disabled the electronic speed limiter.

The exterior of the Inden S500 features a new rear diffuser, side skirts and front apron. The interior of the car has been fitten with some carbon fiber trim and Alcantara leather. There’s also a new speedometer that reads up to 224 mph.

Article from www.benzinsider.com

For W126 lover..Enjoy it..:)

Rumored C-Class AMG Black Series May Be An M3 Killer

It has been reported that with the upcoming release of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the planners at AMG have conceptualized the AMG Black Series variant for this new model, with an introduction scheduled for 2012.

The new C-Class AMG Black Series Coupe will not be sporting the 6.2 liter powerplant from the previous C63. While this may sadden the many aficionados who are enraptured by the glorious sound that engine makes, Mercedes-Benz has decided to opt for the 5.5 liter biturbo V8. As installed in the S63 AMG, this particular engine belts out 571 horsepower with its 664 lb-ft of torque hitting between 2,250 and 5,500 rpm.

Mercedes has claimed that the new C-Class AMG Black Series will be “an M3 killer”. Adding a “mere” 71 horsepower to the previous 6.2’s 500 may not be enough though. But since the 5.5 liter twin turbo engine already powers its bigger siblings, the better power-to-weight ratio afforded by the C-Class platform may do the trick. Having an extra year will give Mercedes-Benz and AMG engineers the extra development time they may need to truly substantiate their claim.

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Photo of the month - Different from others...

Auto Motor Und Sport and their version of the W205 C-Class

New C-Class model seen with minimal disguise

Ahead of its launch at the Detroit Motor Show this coming January, the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe has been seen effectively without disguise. The C-class coupe is set to replace the CLK which had a 12-year run consisting of two model generations. With the launch of the C-Class coupe, the sports hatch with the CLC nomenclature will also be discontinued.

Together with its sibling saloon and estate models, the C-Class coupe will sport subtle design changes taken from the larger E-class, such as new headlamps, and new hood and bumper shapes.
Espied changes at the rear of the new models are mostly minor, affecting only the bumpers and taillights.

It is safe to expect the C-class coupe to have an AMG variant down the road that will rival BMW’s M3. Such a move by Mercedes-Benz will also potentially produce an even more hardcore Black Series model. To limit extraneous production and tooling, it would also be safe to expect the coupe to have the same drivetrain configurations that will be available in the saloon and estate models.

There are as yet no rumored plans to produce the C-Class coupe in a cabriolet version.

Article from http://www.benzinsider.com/

Is Mercedes-Benz Planning New Ecological Mid-Engine Supercar?

Mercedes Benz’ concept car the Biome is on the forefront of being developed and expectations are it would be released some time in 2015. It is speculated to be indirect competition of what BMW is developing, their Vision EfficientDynamic car. There is stiff competition now among German car manufacturers, including Audi, for supremacy on eco-friendly motorcars!

The Biome has been featured in the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge, and as we said its looks are very futuristic. Chief of the California design team stated that some elements in the design could easily be developed for production. They just have to make sure that it would either not be too limited and do-able without significant changes.

BMOG member visit Merz-Benz Boxer Club Indonesia group (BMCI)

Hj Hamzani visit MBCI on his trip to Jakarta last week. A visit that starts the relationship between Merz owner Brunei and Indonesia.

GWA Tuning Mercedes Benz E63 AMG Wagon

SL65 AMG in full matte black glory at SEMA

SL65 AMG Black Series.
This particular car had mean skirts and splitters to boot, and not to mention a good helping of carbon fiber trimmings all over. You won’t find a single spot of clear window on this car as each and every square inch of glass has been tinted.

MEC Design and their version of the C63 AMG

Chrome Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

Straight from its debut at the German Grand Prix, Mercedes shipped the very chrome SLS AMG GT3 race car to the Monterey Peninsula to take part in the week-long Pebble Beach festivities. Other than the obvious chrome wrap job its hard to miss the massive “Laureus” decals. If you’re not familiar with Laureus, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation works to get kids off the street and away from drugs though sports.
As for the car itself, well, it’s based on the street car and powered by the same 6.2-liter AMG V8 engine. The SLS AMG GT3 gets a six-speed sequential racing transmission and ultra-low curb weight to deliver a 0-60 mph time of just 3.5 seconds. That light-weight body is made entirely of carbon fiber, with impressive new aerodynamics including a massive front splitter, rear diffuser and enormous rear spoiler. Compared to the road car, the GT3’s bodywork is two inches wider, enough to accommodate some massive center locking 18×12-inch front and 18×13-inch rear wheels with racing slicks. Inside those wheels is a special composite AMG race braking system with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers.

Article by http://www.autoguide.com/

Brand New CLS 2011 Model

Mercedes-Benz released a statement that they are ending the their production of the first-generation CLS line up. The news preceded earlier reports this month where BMW’s present generation M5 and M6 have also stopped production. Where the E60 M5 remained as the newest in a line that goes back to the mid 80’s and the M6 stamped BMW’s comeback to a favourite badge. The CLS is usually considered as the model that started the four-door coupe trend.
During the time since the E-Class-based CLS was presented in 2004, the four-door coupe variety has experienced the arrival of Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, Volkswagen’s Passat CC and the Audi A5 and A7 Sportback models. Mercedes-Benz has sold over 170,000 varieties of the CLS over its seven years in the market, and the last car to exit the line was a black CLS550 that was geared for the US market. Following suite would be the 2011 CLS that is anticipated to be released late this year with a first-rate positioning, thus letting the German carmaker present a second smaller four-door coupe at a lower price.
Based on the preview rendering, it likely shows of the new style of the CLS under the camouflage. Although there are still no reports with regards to the engine, a V6 and V8 options are a possibility, while a hybrid model based on the S400 BlueHybrid technology is projected to be presented after the release.

Article by : http://www.benzinsider.com/

SLV out, lighter and more efficient

You already heard of the rumors that Mercedes-Benz is planning on building a smaller version of the SLS. That supposed spin-off would have been called the SLV, sharing the front-engine layout of the Gullwing. But the company decided to forgo that project for something a lot more, shall we say, promising. Mercedes-Benz is still going to work on an SLS derivative, but this time round they’re going to call it the SLM. The M stands for mid-engine. Oh, so NOW you’re listening.

Who would have thought Mercedes-Benz would decide to veer away from the SLS platform and boldly go where so many others have (not?) gone before. Well, at least for this company, a mid-engine super car sounds a little farfetched. Well, only time will be able to tell if it’s going to be a reality. Right now, all we have is a source from AMG saying that creating another front-engine super car would endanger the cash flow being pulled in by the SLS.

So what’s the deal behind the SLM? Lightness and efficiency, apparently. Something to jive with the current trends in the industry. Although the mid-engine layout still puzzles a lot of people, us admittedly. Our source says that it’s the best way not to hurt SLS sales and to be able to rival the Audi R8 and the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Coupe. Sounds promising, don’t you think?

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