I recently received an e-invite from Mercedes Benz to attend their 2005 AMG Challenge. The list of activities sounds sensible enough— until the last item: "blood pumping thrill rides with pro drivers". Now that's what I'm talking about. Only one problem. All the links— 2004 ...
Just back from Palm Beach, visiting the US arm of uber-tuner Carlsson. The German manufacturer sells performance mods and window dressing for Merc owners who just can't leave well enough alone. Although Carlsson is a major player in Europe and number one in Japan, their US ...
The influence of African Americans and other minorities on the US car scene has been all kinds of wonderful. "Urban culture" has saved at least one venerable marque (Bentley), revitalized another (Chrysler 300C) and forced all manufacturers to raise their game. To their credit, carmakers ...
I recently attended the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) Monster Truck Jam in Providence, RI. All four events— monster truck racing, monster truck "freestyle", ATV racing and motorcross jumping— were as rigged as a 18th century sailing vessel. "Quad wars" pitted ...
Wolford is like Victoria's Secret, only classier. To prove the point, the company's latest catalogue features models posing on the hoods of various high end cars. Ah, but which ones? Enthusiasts are only shown glimpses of various body parts (so to speak). So how about a scavenger hunt? ...
That's not an exact translation, but Mercedes boss Eckard Cordes is determined to slash MB's fixed costs to raise the company's profitability. In fact, Herr Cordes vowed to trim another 1b Euros ($1.3b) on top of the previously promised 3b Euros ($4b). Unless employees at the ...
After shoving a deformable barrier into 16 small cars at 31mph, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) discovered that a small car is not the best place to be when an SUV piles into the side of your car. The Ford Focus, Mazda3, Nissan Sentra and Suzuki Aerio all received a ...
I'm organizing a supercar shootout. If all goes well, we'll be comparing the Saleen S7, Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo, Pagani Zonda, Mercedes SLR and a player to be named later. One problem: we need a venue. It's got to be a five-star deluxe pamperiffic pleasure palace situated ...
The Rev. Dr. Clayton Lord, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Norwich, Connecticut, hates clearing snow off his car. But then, Dr. Lord is not one to pass up an opportunity to find meaning in the mundane. His sermon in the Norwich Bulletin tells us how he turned the experience into a lesson ...
The Arizona Republic reports that Scottsdale resident Jim McCabe has devised a new motorsport for people who want all of the thrill of stock car racing with none— and I mean none— of the danger. MiniFASTCARS are 1/4 scale (four feet long) gas-powered (one cylinder) remote ...

