Jalopnik: Mercedes

CLK GTR Is The Ultra-Rare Super Car Mercedes Had To Build

Tom Joslin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

Mercedes didn't exactly have road use in mind when they designed the CLK GTR for the recently introduced FIA GT Championship, but in order to meet homologation standards for the series 25 cars were built for the street. More »

What vehicle from the 1980s has the highest survival rate?

Tom Joslin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

Depending on your perspective cars of the 1980s might seem like they were new yesterday or built sometime before the beginning of time. Regardless of your perspective, the newest vehicle to come out of the decade is now 23 years old. More »

For $10,500, This W123 Has Been Around the Block

graverobber — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Mercedes' W123 is famous for its bank vault build quality and classic styling. Add to those attributes a 5-speed stick and some AMG bits, as on today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe '82 280TE, and you may have a winning wagon. That is, if its price doesn't require too much bank. More »

This Mercedes Killed A Nazi General

Peter Orosz — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:40:00 EST

When a pair of British-trained Czech and Slovak assassins attacked one of Nazi Germany’s most sinister leaders in Prague in May 1942, they were armed with submachine guns and anti-tank mines. But even these were not enough. To complete Operation Anthropoid and kill Heydrich, Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík needed a little help from the SS-Obergruppenführer’s favorite Mercedes convertible and the swarm of microbes in its upholstery. More »

What Happens When You Put Four Donuts On A C63 AMG?

Wes Siler — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:30:00 EST

For the first episode of DRIVE TV's Chris Harris On Cars show, the English motoring hack swaps out the wide, sticky tires on a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG for 125-section donuts. Yes, the emergency get-you-home spares. The result? According to Chris, it's "the best handling car ever." WTF? More »

Kim Jong-il’s last ride was in a 1976 Lincoln hearse

Peter Orosz — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST

For a dictator whose country has never been on particularly rosy terms with the United States, North Korea’s recently departed Dear Leader was allotted a rather peculiar hearse after a life of Mercedes-Benz fetish. That's totally an old black Lincoln. More »

Different continents, same matte pink Mercedes SLS AMG

Tom Joslin — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:30:00 EST

What do you do when you get tired of your matte pink Lamborghini and your matte pink Ferrari? Give a Mercedes SLS AMG the flat pink treatment of course and then take it on a tour of the world. More »

Happy Hanukkah! A Menorah's Worth of Motoring Jews

Jason Torchinsky — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST

As you may know, it's Hanukkah time, when Jews all over the world celebrate what may be organized religion's lamest miracle, and one of the few holidays where we Jews managed to not end up exiled or slaughtered or anything. It's a holiday with candles, presents, fried potatoes and a kickass story about a tough Jew named Judah the Hammer, so all in all, a pretty good time. To celebrate, I've compiled this list of eight (and one extra, the shamash) great Jews of motoring. Most people thought we'd only get one, and here we have over eight. Truly a great miracle happened here. More »

Tazio Nuvolari, deer hunter with Silver Arrow

Peter Orosz — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST

Hunting game and racing cars are generally pursued as separate pastimes, but not by Tazio Nuvolari at the 1938 Donington Grand Prix, where, as evidenced by a severed head, he did both with great aplomb. More »

Is Mercedes-Benz's flagship NYC dealership making its neighbors deaf?

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST

Mercedes-Benz Manhattan's 330,000 square-foot dealership is a model of quiet efficiency. Towering windows cast golden afternoon sun serenely across acres of luxury cars. Attentive greeters, trained by Ritz Carlton, greet customers from behind a hotel-like concierge desk. Every touch-point inside the $30 million facility is welcoming and helpful. Outside? Local residents say it's a train wreck. More »

Four door Mercedes with a terrible Bugatti Veyron body kit isn't fooling anyone

Tom Joslin — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST

Considering the Bugatti Veyron in Super Sport trim stickered for a whopping $2.4 million and a mere 30 were made, it's not surprising there are a whole lot of people in the world who want one but don't have one. Sometimes this unfulfilled desire can push people to do pretty crazy things, like dressing up your older full size Mercedes with a Veyron "body kit". More »

2012 Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series: Cheap(er) speed

Wes Siler — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST

If you know anything about expensive cars, you know that "Black Series" is German for "crazy expensive." The 2012 Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series, however, is only moderately expensive. Figure sub-$100,000, making this the fancy fast Merc for plebes. Engine parts from the SLS AMG mean it's still plenty fast though. More »

Man who set fire to 100 cars was just jealous

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EDT

It turns out the guy setting fire to hundreds of cars in Berlin wasn't a pyromaniac Guy Fawkes but instead a 27-year-old man bummed about not having a job or nice things. Hey, still sounds like he's part of the "Neun und Neunzig Prozent" though, right? More »

Mercedes-Benz X6-competitor to whip its big ass out in 2015

Patrick Frawley — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EDT

At a press briefing yesterday to announce a $350 million expansion of their Alabama operations, Mercedes-Benz teased the assembled crowd with hints of a new model to be produced there. No specifics were given, but the consensus centers around a BMW X6 competitor built on the M-class platform. More »

George Clooney's unchecked libido sells Mercedes in China

Patrick Frawley — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:30:00 EDT

Movie star and international playboy George Clooney's latest foray into car advertising shows him speeding off in a Mercedes E-Class limousine around China in an apparent attempt to make happy fun time with a Chinese woman. But why? More »

Why Tobey Maguire rejected a meat-is-murder Mercedes

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Actor Tobey Maguire, who received a free Mercedes to use while filming The Great Gatsby II: Daisy's Bloody Revenge (no, just a remake of the original) in Australia, gave the car back because it had leather seats. More »

How German oil companies stopped the U.S. from getting awesome European cars

Raphael Orlove — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EDT

We all know "euro-spec" BMWs, Volkswagens, Mercedes-Benzes, and Audis from the 70s, 80s, and 90s that came with more power than the imports that came to the States. Why didn't America get any of those awesome cars? It turns out, like always, it's the Germans' fault. More »

How not to detail the interior of your new Mercedes

Tom Joslin — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EDT

When you purchase a new Mercedes CLS 350 CDI it makes sense that you would want to keep your shiny new Benz clean inside and out. What makes absolutely no sense is taking a hose to your brand new leather interior, like this Italian Mercedes owner. More »

Rare "graduation present" Mercedes Gullwing found in a rat-infested garage

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EDT

Tom Wellmer's parents bought him an 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL for his college graduation. He drove it until the transmission gave out, then he parked it in a garage in California. That was 40 years ago. More »

A Mercedes built out of 10,000 pieces of scrap metal

Justin Hyde — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:30:00 EDT

Mercedes-Benz never put the 1954 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupe" into production, and the only two examples ever built are locked in its museum. But a trio of German artists will sell you this: a statue of the 300SLR made from 10,000 pieces of scrap metal. More »

What car would you purchase if it wasn't so expensive to maintain?

Tom Joslin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EDT

As many luxury and performance cars get older their prices drop as their warranties disappear and they become increasingly expensive to maintain. Many times these vehicles seem like unbelievable deals until you begin to take into account how much money you will end up paying for the parts and labor to maintain and repair it. More »

Mercedes C63 AMG wagon sounds glorious on the track

Tom Joslin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EDT

The Mercedes C63 AMG wagon is the Medical Car of choice for the 2011 Formula One Championship and it has never looked, or for that matter, sounded better. More »

In the company of the SLS AMG’s cracklesnortpopboom V8

Peter Orosz — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EDT

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On a conscious level, the Mercedes–Benz SLS AMG is a cynical marketing ploy designed to milk the memory of Mercedes’s 1950s motorsport achievements. But listen to one at full throttle in a tunnel and all is forgiven. The SLS AMG makes the most viscerally wonderful supercar noise since Ferrari invented Ferraris. More »

This is why you don't drive through standing water

Ray Wert — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:10:00 EDT

While walking along South Street on lower Manhattan's east side to inspect damage from Hurricane Irene, I found huge pools of water at a few of the intersections. It wasn't water inundation from New York's East River so much as it was runoff from the overpass, flowing down into already-overburdened storm sewers. More »

A swarm of race cars at Spa-Francorchamps

Peter Orosz — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT

To whet your appetite for this coming weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, here’s a gallery of photos our man in Warsaw, Adrian Lepa, has sent us from a recent trip to Spa-Francorchamps. There are Ferrari 458 Challenge race cars, International Superstars Series cars and some brake-happy Formula Abarth action. More »

Toyota, Cadillac strange bedfellows atop new customer satisfaction index

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Americans love their Toyotas as much as they love their Cadillacs. At least, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index — a national economic survey of customer evaluations of the quality of car brands. More »

Dear London rioters, please stop setting cars on fire

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Was the cause of the London riots police brutality or bored youth? I'm not sure, but I sure as hell know it wasn't the cars, so please stop torching them. People like cars. Set fire to things English people don't like: traffic cameras, toothbrushes, and Rupert Murdoch. More »

Mercedes strands journalists testing G-Class in Outback

Justin Hyde — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EDT

To prove the mettle of the Geländewagen SUV, Mercedes' Australian arm arranged a 14-day trip over the 1,242-mile Canning Stock Trail for journalists — at least, that was the plan before five of the six vehicles broke down. More »

Handbuilt Russian Mercedes SLR Mclaren replica must be seen to be believed

Tom Joslin — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT

It's a story familiar to most car lovers. You badly want a cutting edge exotic car but don't have the pile of cash required to afford one. One Russian man faced with a similar problem while lusting after a Mercedes SLR Mclaren decided to take matters into their own hands, literally. More »

Do not rent this car

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EDT

If you're coming to this post because you followed a link saying there was a Black Series with its top chopped off you're going to be as disappointed (and relieved) as the rest of us. It isn't. A sharp-eyed reader noticed a few inconsistencies with this vehicle (thanks Christopher) and, when called out, the rental agency gave an unsatisfactory response. They misled us, and therefore misled you, because putting a fake bodykit on a car isn't news. More »

Steelers coach gives Mercedes to cafeteria worker on last day

Justin Hyde — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Before leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers for a new job with the Arizona Cardinals, defensive back coach Ray Horton decided to surprise a cook in the Steelers' cafeteria with a present — Horton's own 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500. More »

Mayor crushes misparked luxury car with troop carrier

Justin Hyde — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EDT

The mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania was so upset with luxury cars parking in the city's bicycle lanes he held a demonstration to express his displeasure — using a troop carrier to crush a junked Mercedes W140, just like the Soviets used to. UPDATE. More »

Found Off The Street: Mercedes Unimog 406

Tom Joslin — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Found Off The Street, our look at cars found on the cape that rust liked so much it decided to summer there; Cape Cod, MA. Today we have a Mercedes Unimog 406. More »

Budapest’s secret Grand Prix street circuit

Peter Orosz — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EDT

This Sunday will mark the 75th anniversary of the Hungarian Grand Prix, an event held since…1986. Fifty years before Formula One came to the Hungaroring, there was a Grand Prix race in downtown Budapest with 100,000 people in attendance. The Silver Arrows came. Scuderia Ferrari came. Three-quarters of a century later, we took a walk around Népliget Circuit’s beautiful, abandoned curves. More »

Sheryl Crow auctioning her '59 Mercedes for Joplin relief

Justin Hyde — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Singer and fellow Steve McQueen fan Sheryl Crow will put her personal 1959 Mercedes 190SL Roadster up for auction Aug. 21 in Pebble Beach to raise money for rebuilding efforts in Joplin, Mo. Auctioneers Gooding & Co. estimate the restored 190SL could sell for $50,000 to $80,000. More »

Monaco driver causes million-dollar fender bender

Justin Hyde — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:01:00 EDT

Only in Monaco would you find a Bentley Azure T that's managed to plow into a Ferrari F430, damaging an Aston Martin Rapide, a Porsche 911 Carrera S and a Mercedes S-Class in the process. Monaco's body shops must make their casinos look like convents. Cela va droit à buff! More »

This Mercedes is frozen solid

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EDT

Mercedes is again showing off its pair of "climate tunnels" designed to abuse their cars while sparing their drivers. Imagine a Category 5 Hurricane, followed by a dry 140-degree Fahrenheit heat, and then a snow storm with -40 degree Fahrenheit cold. Actually, don't imagine it. Look at it. This Mercedes-Benz SLK is the result. More »

Clever owner lifts Mercedes, thief with his tractor

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:15:00 EDT

If you're going to try to rob someone, don't crash your getaway car into a tractor. And if you do, don't crash into the forklift end. And if you do crash into the forklift end, get out before the owner lifts your car. More »

The ten most expensive vintage cars ever sold on eBay

Martin Grossinger — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:30:00 EDT

Today is National Collector Car Day and eBay Motors is celebrating by auctioning off a GM Futurliner. We worked with the company to assemble this list of the ten most expensive vintage cars ever sold on eBay. Bids start at $700K. More »

Mom, there’s wurst in my Mercedes!

Peter Orosz — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EDT

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Sorry, Mercedes in my wurst—floating on a bed of squash főzelék (a staple of Hungarian summer cooking). Not every post can be about exclusive first drives of six-wheeled supercars, can it? More »