Mercedes ML 63 AMG WIDE BODY by Expression Motorsport

Belgian tuners Expression Motorsport has released a set of photos and details featuring their latest project, the Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG Wide Body. The company's in-house aerokit is meant to "differentiate this ML from those of a more traditional variety."

And that it does. A new front fascia swaps the bulky-looking standard bumper with a three-section unit that incorporates LED daytime runners, and what appears to be small, halogen fog lights. They also installed a front spoiler, and designed a more aggressive look for the hood. New, bulging wheel-wells fit bigger 22-inch wheels. A new rear bumper combines F1 lighting, and a lightweight rear diffuser.

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Expression Motorsport Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Widebody

Those of you well heeled Halo players looking for an upmarket version of the Warthog, here you are: the Expression Motorsport ML63 AMG. Hailing from Belgium, the gents at Expression planned to "differentiate this ML from those of a more traditional variety," and to that we say, "Mission Accomplished!"

Things get a bit tricky up front with a snowplow masquerading as a front air dam, then Lorinser-esque around the front wheels, and just plain thick and juicy in back. Speaking of wheels, we will give Expression credit where it's due: nice wheels, guys. To check out the rest of the kit, look no further than the gallery of high-res photos below.

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2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster sell for a combined £1.1 million

If you have a spare £1.1 million, you've just missed your chance to own a 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe and a 2006 CLK GTR Roadster.

The rare sports cars - only 20 coupes and five roadsters were built - were sold at a recent RM Auction in London. Managing to beat earlier estimates, the coupe went for £522,500 while the roadster sold for £616,000.

Built by HWA, the GTRs were powered by a monstrous 6.9-liter V12 engine with 612 horsepower. The cars also featured a six-speed sequential manual gearbox, a dual independent double-wishbone suspension, and carbon-fiber brakes.

Other notable sales at the auction included a "1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car with Le Mans and Mille Miglia provenance" for £550,000, a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet for £308,000, and a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio for £440,000.

Source: RM Auctions

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Shining Star: Mercedes to throw its weight behind Brawn GP?

At this past weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, the Brawn cars didn't just beat McLaren – they lapped them. With both teams running the same Mercedes engines, and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton piloting the lapped McLaren, it was clear that Brawn is simply running a better car. Anyone watching the race had to be wondering what the corporate big-wigs at Mercedes were thinking as the Brawn cars crossed the finish line a full lap ahead of the McLaren. But we can stop wondering now.

According to the latest reports, Mercedes is considering throwing more weight behind the championship-leading Brawn team. Or at least jumping on the bandwagon. The customer engine deal between the German automaker and the former Honda team doesn't include any branding on the BGP 001 chassis' livery – which remains conspicuously light on sponsorship altogether – but that could change as Mercedes is keen to cash in on the success of the team to which it's selling engines. Benz motorsport chief Norbert Haug was quick to emphasize that any rapprochement to Brawn GP doesn't reflect on its relationship with McLaren, but with that partnership constantly in jeopardy, you can't help but wonder now if Mercedes would be saying the same if McLaren was leading and Brawn was marking the back.

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The First Mercedes E-Class Coupe

We’re not going to encourage you to hate 56-year-old Siegfried Möller from Bremen, but boy this guy deserves it. Why? Because Mercedes just delivered him the very first E-Class Coupe to come out of the factory lines. It’s a palladium silver E500 with an AMG sports package that forces the 5.5l V8 engine to output nothing less that also features an Intelligent Light System, and the COMAND system. “I have been driving Mercedes-Benz vehicles for over 25 years and my father was also a Mercedes customer. Now I’m looking forward to driving my new E 500 Coupé for the first time,” Siegfried said. What an amazing vehicle …

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Audi to Pay Workers Hefty Bonus for 2008, BMW and Mercedes-Benz Say Nein

Among the three premium German automakers, the only company that will share part of its 2008 profits with workers is Audi as BMW and Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler decided not to pay a profit-sharing bonus for 2008. Audi AG will hand out €157 million from last year's record operating profit of €2.77 billion (+2.5% compared to 2007) to around 43,000 of its qualifying employees in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. That comes to an average of €3,651 or about $5,100 US for each employee that will receive the bonus by the end of May.

According to a report from Autonews, due to the fact that Daimler is facing the need to cut labor costs, the firm's management and union took the decision to withhold the €224.2 million euro profit-sharing bonus that it had planned to pay out to workers. The company has yet to decided what it will do with the money.

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2009 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter gets New Diesel Engines and 6-Speed Gearboxes

For the 2009MY, Mercedes-Benz's Sprinter van has been updated with the introduction of a new generation of diesel engines and six-speed manual transmissions along with numerous, but of less importance, features. The new four-cylinder OM 651 diesel engine is a completely new design sharing only shares its overall displacement of 2.15-liters with its predecessor. It is available with three outputs (95HP and 250Nm, 129HP and 305Nm, 163HP and 360Nm) and complies with the stricter Euro 5 emission standard.

The range-topping 3.0-liter V6 OM 642 diesel engine has been revised for 2009 producing a slightly higher (190HP at 3,800 rpm) output and a ten percent increase in maximum torque (440Nm at 1400-2400 rpm).

Both the four-cylinder and V6 diesel engines are offered with a new ECO Gear six-speed manual transmission with a low first gear and high sixth gear. The transmission is available in two versions, namely the ECO Gear 360 for the four-cylinder engines and the heavy-duty ECO Gear 480 with wider gear teeth and a more rigid housing for the six-cylinder diesel engine.

Other improvements for the 2009MY Sprinter include the enhanced ESP trailer stabilisation system, the new adaptive brake light, heated wide-angle mirror, lower position of the front foglamps and automatic transmission with Start-Off Assist plus a new wireless hands-free system and radio units.

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Lorinser Readies Mercedes C-Class Based LV8 to Compete at Tuner Grand Prix

Mercedes-Benz tuning specialist Lorinser, has announced that it will participate in the 2009 Tuner Gran Prix that takes place in Hockenheim in Germany from June 26 to 27, with a specially modified Mercedes-Benz C-Class dubbed LV8. The tuner did not release any details on the car -though we're suspecting that the LV8 means it will be equipped with a V8 engine- but the firm's managing director stated that aside from the special tires, the LV8 will be totally street legal and that it will be offered for sale by Lorinser at a later date.

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Mercedes-Benz CL-Class AMG Converted into a Convertible!

Is there any car out there that the folks from California-based NCE won't whack the roof off? Probably not. If it has four wheels and a fixed roof and you can afford it, the California-based company won't have any problem at all to transform it into a convertible. After the Dodge Challenger, Toyota Prius, Cadillac CTS and God knows how many other vehicles, NCE has now chopped the top off a Mercedes-Benz CL-Class AMG coupe. No word if it's the $150k CL63 AMG or the $200k+ CL65 AMG, but either way, the owner of the car must have a lot of 'ping-pongs' (and way too much play money) to dare such a conversion.

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Mercedes-Benz SLK 2LOOK: Special Edition Model Goes on Sale

Following its world debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March, Mercedes-Benz has announced the market launch of the special edition SLK 2LOOK that is distinguished by its contrasting paint options and enhanced standard equipment. In the UK, sales will be limited to 150 cars all powered by Merc's supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine that delivers 184HP. The new model variant is available in Calcite White or Black paint with Mercedes offering the special Obsidian Black Metallic and 'designo' Mystic White paint finishes as an option.

Exterior features also include the new 18-inch, 5-spove spoke alloy wheels that are available in a choice of two finishes, Titanium Silver or Chrome Shadow, the black surrounds on the headlamps and the 2LOOK Edition badge on the wings.

Inside, the driver is greeted by a set of sports seats upholstered in black and white designo nappa leather with contrasting stitching. The multi-function steering wheel, centre armrest and door panels are also dressed in 'designo' nappa leather while the interior is further enhanced by the black roof lining, Mystic white dashboard trim and black velour floor mats with white edging and 2LOOK badges.

In the UK, on the road prices for the SLK 2LOOK start from £31,235.

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Mercedes introduces new range of bicycles

Mercedes Benz has announced an updated and expanded range of bicycles for 2009/2010. The new lineup includes two-wheelers of all shapes and sizes, including a pair of kids bikes. For more grown-up riders, Mercedes offers a range of styles, including the usual choices of mountain bikes and road racing bikes. There is also a new folding bike with a patented folding mechanism that allows it to collapse quickly without tools. In the fully collapsed position the bike takes up a volume of 31 inches by 31 inches by 14 inches, and it even has front and rear suspension.

There are also trekking and fitness bikes, and no Mercedes bike rider would be complete without a set of Mercedes riding clothes. Of course, in typical Mercedes fashion, the technology comes with a price to match. The bikes range from €299 for the kid's bike (around $430 USD) to €4,999 (more than $7,150) for the limited-edition carbon fiber racing bike.

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Mercedes R-Class Black Bison Edition by Wald International

The latest member to join Wald International's 'Black Bison' family is the Mercedes-Benz R-Class. The styling package from the famed Japanese tuner makes the German crossover look every bit as aggressive as the other Black Bison edition models. The body kit includes new front and rear bumpers, side skirts and a blacked out front grille, as well as an integrated rear diffuser that shrouds quad tailpipes.

A set of larger mutlispoke alloy wheel finished in glossy black and a sport suspension kit that lowers the Merc's ride height complete the package. In keeping with its secretive nature, Wald International has not released any further details or prices for that matter.

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Mercedes-Benz ESF S400 Concept's "Braking Bag" in action

Mercedes-Benz has built an S400 Hybrid called the Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESF in German) as a rolling jack-in-the-box of the company's safety technology. One of those tech highlights is the braking bag -- the panel under the car in the picture above -- which operates both as an air brake and a support in the event of an accident.

When the PRE-SAFE system detects a crash is imminent, it will deploy an airbag located in the vehicle floor above the front axle carrier. This action will thrust a panel to the ground that, in its most simple form, slows the car down fractionally due to aerodynamic and friction drag.

But the panel is also thrust down forcefully enough to raise the car up 8 centimeters, reducing dive and possibly helping to prevent the car from submarining under an obstacle in front of it. The Mercedes-Benz ESF S400 will be displayed at the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles conference on June 15 in Stuttgart. To learn all about it right now, check out the gallery below, then follow the jump to watch three videos and read MB's excruciatingly-long press release.

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Mercedes-Benz Launches Special Edition C-Class Models

A new special edition model has just been added to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class range. Available as a saloon and an estate with all the C-Class engines, the Special Edition models feature unique exterior and interior styling elements while Merc has also upped the car's standard equipment list. On the outside, key traits include the darkened headlights, shoulderline trim strips in polished aluminium and front grille finished in silver matt with chrome highlights.

The Special Edition C-Class models also get front fog lamps with a chrome ring and chromed twin louvres, chrome highlights in the bumper, rub strip and boot lid plus the B-pillar trim painted glossy black. The car's exterior looks are rounded off by a set of 17-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels with mixed-size tires (235/60 R 17 at the front, 255/55 R 17 at the rear), though customers can opt for 16-inch 7-spoke alloys and 205/55 R17-size tires all round.

Color options for the Special Edition C-Class range are limited to a new indium grey paintwork along with 'obsidian black', 'palladium silver', 'iridium silver' and 'calcite white'.

Based on the AVANTGARDE design and equipment line, the interior of the Special Edition gets unique tow-tone seats made from black ARTICO leather and fabric in como beige, trim parts in brushed aluminium and specific floor mats. There's also contrasting stitching embellishing the seats, center armrest and door center panel.

Among other things, the Special Edition's standard equipment includes a multifunction leather steering wheel, Intelligent Light System featuring bi-xenon headlamps with variable light distribution and a Parktronic system.

Prices depend on which engine is ordered, but Mercedes said that the additional charge on the respective Avantgarde models is between €2,689.40 and €3,879.40 with the leather/fabric seats and €4,629.10 and €5819.10 with a full leather upholstery.

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2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate Previewed Through Scale Model?

While Mercedes-Benz is trying to keep the prototype models of the next generation E-Class Estate hidden under heavy camouflage, a series of photos depicting a 1:43 die cast model of the car have made their way into various forums on the net. There's no mention of the name of the company that makes the scale model, but the build quality looks pretty high.

And even though there's no way of being 100 percent sure about the accuracy of the design, judging by the numerous spy shots we've seen so far, we'd say that the die-cast model's styling is very darn close to the real-life E-Class Estate that is due to be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

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Mercedes-Benz Presents 2009 CLS Grand Edition

Given the lack of anything truly new to offer, Mercedes-Benz has introduced a special edition version of its recently updated CLS four-door coupe model. The CLS Grand Edition is part of Merc's new factory program called "designo" that offers buyers more exclusive options and differentiation within a model's line-up. In the case of the CLS Grand Edition this means a new platinum matt finish which is allegedly highly scratch- and dirt-resistant. Buyers can also choose from four other colors - obsidian black, iridium silver, carneol red or flint grey.

The additional exterior equipment for the CLSGrand Edition includes Bi-xenon headlamps with dark headlamp casings, new high-sheen AMG18-inch 5-spoke light-alloy wheels shod with 245/40 R 18 (front) and 275/35 R 18 (rear) tires and a "Grand Edition" insignia on the front wings.

The CLS Grand Edition's interior is distinguished by "designo" leather upholstery in "marron" – with the option of substituting this shade for sand, black, mystic red, porcelain or chablis, roof lining in anthracite Alcantara, together with the standard-fit tilting/sliding glass roof and trim elements in high-quality laurel wood that can be ordered with either a matt or a high-gloss finish.

The special edition CLS is available with four engine variants, including the V6 unit for the entry-level CLS280 and the 292HP CGI direct-injection power plant for the CLS 350 CGI model.

The Mercedes-Benz CLSGrand Edition can be ordered from January 2, 2009, with prices in Europe starting at 67,294.50 Euros incl. VAT for the CLS280 Grand Edition. Customer deliveries will commence in March 2009.

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Mercedes-Benz CLS Grand Edition: 560 Units for UK Market

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed UK pricing for its limited production CLS Grand Edition that will be offered with four powertrain options. Prices start from £48,445 on the road for the diesel-powered CLS 350 V6 CDI with Mercedes claiming that the extra equipment and special features result in £2,142 of added value for the customer. Only 560 units of the CLS Grand Edition will be coming to Britain, with first deliveries starting in the beginning of July.

Customers have a choice of five colors, including, for the first time on the CLS, Palladium Silver. Standard features include a Bi-Xenon Light Package with Cornering Light Function and Active Light System, "designo" leather upholstery and special trim elements. For more details, click here to read our previous post on the CLS Grand Edition.

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First Look at Wald's 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Black Bison Sports Package

No sooner than Wald International showed off the finished Toyota Land Cruiser Black Bison Edition, the crew over at Japan's 'house of styling' revealed their latest Black Bison project in the form of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan (codenamed W212). We've only got a teaser photo to go by for now as the tuning company did not release any information whatsoever. However, expect the Black Bison Edition Sports Line package to include a full body kit, new alloy wheel designs and more likely than not, suspension and brake upgrades as well as interior enhancements.

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2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG: 27 High-Res Photos and Official Info

Stuttgart's BMW M5 and Audi RS6 rival was officially revealed today ahead of the sport saloon's world premiere at the New York Auto Show, open to the public April 10-19, 2009 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. At the heart of the new E63 AMG is a 6.3-liter V8 engine packing 525-horspower and a peak torque of 630Nm or for the U.S. spec model, 518HP and 465 lb.-ft. torque. The engine is hooked up to a new 7-speed automatic transmission and according to Merc, the E63 AMG accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in 4.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h or 155mph.

Not that anyone interested in the E63 AMG cares, but the German automaker claims that despite 11HP of additional output versus the preceding model, fuel consumption in the model has been reduced by around 12 percent to 12.6 lt/100km (18.6mpg US).

To improve handling, the 2010 E63 AMG is equipped with an electronically controlled damping system and a newly developed, dedicated front axle with a 56-millimetre wider track while the rear axle has more negative camber, optimized elastokinematics and a new subframe mounting.

Furthermore, the AMG sports saloon gets a different powering steering system, individual 3-stage ESP and a high-performance braking system with 360-millimetre, internally ventilated and perforated brake discs all-round. The E63 AMG rides on 18-inch light-alloy wheels shod in tire sizes of 255/40 R 18 at the front and 285/35 R 18 at the rear.

As for the car's looks, the AMG model is distinguished on the outside by a somewhat subtle bodykit that consists of a new front bumper, side skirts, a rear apron with an integrated diffuser and tinted headlamps. Likewise, the interior is updated with a new set of sport seats, an AMG steering wheel, revised instrument cluster and a sportier trim.

The market launch of the new E 63 AMG will commence worldwide in August 2009.

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Want to Drive the 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG Gulwing Supercar? Read On...

In a classic example of how press departments often miss the point / opportunity when it comes to marketing their own products and services, somewhere after the sixth paragraph in the release on the U.S. launch of the AMG academy this fall, Mercedes states: "Drivers attending the AMG Driving Academy Stage One at Laguna Seca Raceway from November 17-20 will have the opportunity to be among the very first to drive the most technologically advanced AMG ever – the all-new 2011 SLS AMG." Jeez, that should have been marked with big bold letters right in the title...

But anyways. For those of you residing in the States who are interested in test driving one of the most anticipated supercars of the year at the Laguna Seca race track, you'll have to sign up (see info below) for Merc's Stage 1 SLS program that demands a fee of $2,295 (roughly €1,650) which includes a one night stand stay at the InterContinental Hotel in Monterey.

Mercedes also offers two more programs for its AMG Driving Academy across three race tracks at Lime Rock Park, CT (September 9-15), Laguna Seca Raceway at Monterey, CA (November 7-8 & 17-20) and Palm Beach International Raceway at West Palm Beach, FL (September 22-27).

Aside from the aforementioned Stage 1 SLS, there's the one-day Stage I program designed to educate drivers on the fundamentals of performance driving dynamics and car control maneuvers (it'll cost you $1,895) and the Stage II which is a more comprehensive two-day program providing a deeper level of technical driver training, on and off the track. The latter costs $3,495 and is offered only to drivers that have completed Stage I or as Mercedes states, 'an equivalent course'.

Drivers attending these courses will have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of several AMG models including the all-new 2010 E63 AMG, SL63 AMG, C63 AMG, SLK55 AMG and the CLK63 AMG Black Series.

The fees mentioned above include a dinner reception, AMG Driving Academy certificate of program completion and an AMG gift bag. However, bear in mind that travel expenses and accommodations (expect for the Stage 1 SLS drive) are not included. If you want to learn more about the programs head over to AMG Academy'sdedicated site or if you're the kind of person that prefers talking on the phone, you can contact Mercedes at 1-800-217-6916.

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