Back in the 50s, the only advertising a gullwinged Mercedes needed was a Mexican vulture through the windshield. Fifty years later, the bird has been replaced by a Bavarian bombshell styled like an avian robot of doom.

With yesterday’s acquisition of Brawn GP, Mercedes-Benz will return to Formula One after a 55-year hiatus. Judging by their earlier attempts to build race cars, every team has reason to be very, very afraid.

Brawn GP's inaugural 1–2 victory in Melbourne was no stranger to their engine supplier Mercedes-Benz: it was exactly the same fashion as how they debuted in Formula One in 1954 with their epic W196.