Mercedes-Benz

1982 Mercedes-Benz 300CD, With Bonus German Coupe Poll

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Today's car is one I see frequently, and I've spent months wrestling with an internal debate over its eligibility for this series; sure, it's a quarter-century old and a great-looking car, but probably 98% of the diesel W123s ever sold are still on the road today and it's a stretch to call this one a survivor. More »

9:00 AM on Fri Jul 25 2008
By Murilee Martin
6 views, 6 comments

Latest by : more »

pagani zonda

Pagani Zonda And Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Palling Around

Derek D and the boys at Fast Lane Daily have scored an interesting pic of the next-gen Pagani Zonda buddying up with the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black for high-altitude testing in Colorado. This, of course, sets up rumors the new Zonda will have the same 6-liter V12 expected in the Blackest of SL's, instead of the anticipated V8. We're pretty sure nobody in the supercar world will complain about a frenetic 600 HP V12 making noise in the new Pagani. Check out the Fast Lane Daily video below the fold for details, and the shout-out to yesterday's shocking BMW F1 news. More »

3:00 PM on Wed Jul 23 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
3,185 views, 23 comments

Latest by pedalfist: i'm pretty keen on stabbing this guy in the teeth. more »

classic cars in underground baghdad bunker

Seriously Cool Stash Of Saddam-Era Cars Found In Baghdad Underground Garage

After Uday's Lamborghini got blown up, you might think that all the interesting cars were gone from Baghdad by now, with just Ford Probes remaining to hold the gearhead banner over the ancient city. Not so! Turbo Driver (aka The Wolf) has some sort of secret-type gig in Iraq and snapped these shots of an underground parking garage just packed with old Cadillacs, Rolls-Royces, and Mercedes-Benzes (plus what appears to be a Breezeway-equipped early-60s Mercury, among other things). We also get some bonus shots of military Land Rovers in the Green Zone. Who can identify all the vehicles in these photos? Make the jump to read The Wolf's description and see the entire gallery!

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5:45 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Murilee Martin
14,415 views, 108 comments

Latest by SeanKHotay: @SeanKHotay: The crack KHotay vintage research conglomerate thinks the intriging maroon dustbunny is a Humber Pullman. [www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk][en.wikipedia.org][www.motorbase.com] more »

accidents

McLaren SLR Disintegrates In Deadly Qatar Accident

Details are sketchy, but sometime during the morning of July 15th, a 22-year-old male in a Mercedes McLaren SLR lost control of the vehicle and died in the resulting catastrophic crash. The massive debris field scattered across the Qatari desert suggests the car was traveling at very high speed, rendering any amount of carbon-fiber protection useless.
(Also, we'd like to point out while we do not believe SLR Guy was to blame for the destruction of this particular SLR, without more information we're unable to further speculate. — Ed.)

(Hat tip to Jason!) [LamboPower via Cardomain]

4:20 PM on Thu Jul 17 2008
17,240 views, 109 comments

Latest by fembot: It was fatal. The Mercedes data event recorder in the car indicates he was not wearing a seatbelt, and that if he had, there was some chance he might have survived. Apparently the driver was a 22 yr young man more »

industry news

BMW, Mercedes To Make Decision On Parts Tie-Up By November

Auto Motor und Sport is reporting BMW and Mercedes-Benz continue their ~~relations~~ discussions about a possible parts-sharing tie-up, with hopes of making a decision by November. The report claims the two knights of Teuton have developed the framework of an agreement on air-conditioning components and brakes, but hangups remain involving the sharing of Mercedes' faulty software and BMW's faulty styling. More »

10:00 AM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Andrew Stoy
914 views, 13 comments

2009 mercedes sl65 amg black

New Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series Dances Around Track On Video

With twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 under the bonnet blasting out 661 HP and 738 lb-ft of torque, the newly-revealed 2009 Mercedes Benz SL65 Black, the pointy-star brand has really upped its game when it comes to tweaking out production platforms. In fact, as the video below the jump shows, watching it in action is nothing short of automotive pornography.

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9:40 AM on Mon Jul 14 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
1,869 views, 30 comments

big badge bangaroo

A Jalopnik Study: Does Car Logo Badge Size Correspond With Buyer Bulge Size?

Did you ever notice how big badges on the front of cars are getting these days? Have you ever wondered whether it's out of a need for automakers to "compensate" for their prospective buyers lack of size? We did. So, trusty ruler in hand, we hit the dealer lots at the mega-motor-mall up the street to find out whether size really does matter and to answer the important question: Which automaker has the biggest badges, and do they correspond to the bulge in the pants of the male members of the target buying demographic? Let's find out. More »

12:30 PM on Fri Jul 11 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
10,363 views, 97 comments

Latest by yokolocococoriko: Love the sprockets reference hahaa more »

mercedes slr mclaren speedster

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Speedster In The Works, Hilarious Crash Photos To Follow

Already a tuner darling, Mercedes is looking to make an even more extreme version of their SLR McLaren supercar, since the SLR 722 is so old news. Possibly codenamed Z119, this SLR will be completely open-top, with only a small pair of screens in front of the driver and passenger, according to these pictures from The Car Enthusiast. To save weight, the air conditioning and other non-essential bits have been tossed, and only the twin hoops remain of anything resembling a roof. Fast? Yeah. The hope is a top-speed of 217 mph, meaning it will outrun just about everything Mercedes produces. More »

10:20 AM on Thu Jul 3 2008
By Matt Hardigree
4,444 views, 24 comments

Latest by BingleBangleBungle: MB is slowly getting around to the car that they should have built in the first place. more »

vintage racing

Perfect 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Heads For The Race Track

Some of our more observant readers noted the presence of a beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300SL in the background of some of the shots of the '66 Ferrari 275GTB taken by Vintage Racer. You wanted to see more of this car, and we don't blame you! Make the jump to see all the photos, and if you're in the Seattle area and want to check out more cars like this on Friday, get on down to Pacific Raceways for the Fourth of July Historics; go here for the details.

3:40 PM on Wed Jul 2 2008
By Murilee Martin
1,520 views, 25 comments

Latest by NovaloadMissesPolar: @layabout: Well, I will certainly put this Merc in my personal fantasy garage. Although I would probably wreck it, as I got distracted by that amazing shiny dash! more »

2009 hyundai genesis

Motive Pits Hyundai Genesis Against Mercedes E-Class, Will Our Expectations Survive?

Like most of us, the guys at Motive are interested in seeing how the new 2009 Hyundai Genesis stacks up against it's German rivals when compared side-by-side. So, they got their hands on a Genesis and brought along a Mercedes E550 to see if Hyundai really has the beginnings of a top-tier luxury brand. Obviously, the Benz costs a pretty penny more than the Korean upstart, but you might be surprised just how comparable the two are. [Motive]

10:20 AM on Wed Jul 2 2008
By Mark Arnold
3,442 views, 52 comments

Latest by mayback: Has a MB owner, I'd say the brand prestige is important, a car is not just a transportation it is also a statement. The Genesis is an awesome car but it will be a more succesful car if Hyundai would more »

tuners

RENNtech SLR McLaren 722 PKG2 More Powerful, More Confusing

The RENNtech SLR McLaren 722 PKG2 is yet another RENNtech-tuned version of the Mercedes-Benz SLR, following in the large-horsepower footsteps of the Mercedes-Benz SLR 722 and the original RENNtech 722. The original upped power from the SLR's base 650 horses to 722 HP, thus reducing the confusion over the name (7:22 am was Stirling Moss's and Dennis Jenkinson's starting time for the 1955 Mille Miglia in the first SLR). This new version, however, now has 740 HP thanks to the addition of a new exhaust system and a re-mapped ECU. Confusion reigns once more. Press release below the jump.

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3:30 PM on Tue Jun 24 2008
By Matt Hardigree
1,547 views, 31 comments

Latest by layabout: @tenbeers: Pure genius. more »

mercedes zetros

Mercedes Zetros: When You Need A Bigger Unimog

If you took the Mercedes Unimog, one of the world's most capable off-road military-type vehicles, and scaled it up — a lot — you'd get the Mercedes Zetros. Revealed this week at the International Defence Exhibition Eurosatory 2008 in Paris, it's supposedly the final word in Mercedes military hauling applications. Seems reasonable, especially as we're told the Zetros will be able to go just about anywhere while simultaneously towing or hauling just about anything. Combine that with the ability to be flown almost anywhere thanks to the low cab design that enables the Zetros to be air-lifted in transport aircraft such as the Hercules C 130 or the Transall C 160 with only the slightest of preparation. Available in either 4x4 or 6x6 configurations, the Zetros is equipped with the same beastly diesel powerplant as the one found in the 'Mog, along with three-across seating, satellite navigation, and as much mud-bogging capability as you could possibly want this side of a Muscle Shoals swamp buggy meet. Full press release below the jump.

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12:30 PM on Tue Jun 24 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
4,420 views, 49 comments

Latest by n/a: "Defense Expo"? More like "Mercenary Transport Expo". more »

accessories

Mercedes-Benz Adds Factory iPhone Integration

Mercedes-Benz is getting hip with the youngsters by announcing that it will support the Apple iPhone by way of a center-console mounted cradle. The good news about this is that the switching between audio and telephone functions seems to be pretty seamless using the center display and steering-wheel controls. The bad news is that the iPhone's dock is in the center console, between the seats. Even if all of the interface controls can be operated using the vehicle's controls, having the phone in the center console still makes it a pain in the ass to easily remove and replace. Oh, and forget about using the iPhone's GPS. Full release after the jump.

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2:40 PM on Thu Jun 19 2008
By Travis Hudson
1,773 views, 19 comments

Latest by n/a: Actually, the integration was done by a friend of mine at Becker in New Jersey; the same guy whose name pops up when you hit five keys at the same time on the Navigation system. more »

industry news

Daimler Buying Back Shares, Still Won't Buy Back That Sportcoupé

Daimler has opted to purchase back 10% of its own stock at a total price of around $9 billion. They were actually in the process of buying back said stock when the markets went all funky, but have decided it's a good time to restart the process. This is another sign that Daimler's at least trying to get a more firm fiscal footing, with this move ultimately allowing the company to use cheaper debt capital instead of money raised from shares for expansion. That, in turn, will allow them to reduce the cost of making serious investments... like buying a great soft-serve machine for the corporate cafeteria. Press release below the jump. More »

5:00 PM on Tue Jun 17 2008
By Matt Hardigree
765 views, 11 comments

Latest by n/a: @General Dearthair MacAwesome: Ditto all that, although mine is not lowered nor on embiggened wheels. Yet. =0) (Actually, all I want are the stout 5-spokes that the C Sport Sedan gets, and I'll be happy) more »

2009 mercedes benz clk

2009 Mercedes Benz CLK Has The Snake Eyes

The lens jockeys at KGP have managed to snag us a darn good look at the upcoming 2009 Mercedes Benz CLK. While we've seen the shape of the car before we haven't seen the new split-design headlights and the very bizarre trunk lid design. According to our spies, that headlight styling will be migrating across the Benzie lineup and acting as the new snake eyes for the E-class next. What we're not so sure about is the butt-end of this thing. The Germans may be having a tail war.

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3:00 PM on Mon Jun 16 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
3,781 views, 20 comments

Latest by layabout: The new gimp transformer more »

down on the street bonus edition

DOTS-O-Rama Sunday: 1956 Mercedes-Benz 180

We're escaping from behind the Orange Curtain- for the moment- and heading 430 miles north to Oakland. Oakland is just across the Estuary from Alameda, and it has nearly as many old vehicles per square mile as the Island That Time forgot; SuperCarnitas found this nice-looking Ponton not far from Oakland's Auto Row. Make the jump to see all the photos and read what SuperCarnitas has to say about his find.

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2:00 PM on Sun Jun 15 2008
By Murilee Martin
781 views, 17 comments

Latest by n/a: A friend of mine had a running joke about how every time there was a new Too $hort album coming out, you'd hear rumors that he was killed prior to his release: "Hey, Too $hort's got a new release coming out." "Aw, more »

engine swap

1967 Mercury Cougar With OM617 Turbodiesel Should Run On Lard!

You want to drive a car powered by the most reliable automobile engine ever produced, you want to burn non-petroleum fuel, yet you don't want to drive a boring ol' Mercedes sedan like every other anti-dinosaur-juice diesel demon in town? Loyal reader Vance has pulled our coat about this '67 Cougar with a freshly rebuilt turbo-equipped Mercedes-Benz OM617 installed; this setup looks like it was done right, though the price seems on the painful side and the performance is likely more tortoise than hare (albeit a tortoise that could win a 500,000-mile race with ease). [Craigslist Los Angeles]

8:00 AM on Wed Jun 11 2008
By Murilee Martin
1,760 views, 28 comments

Latest by silex006: LEAVE THE COUGAR ALONE! more »