We can't tell you for sure whether or not this image of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG on the cover of Autobild is the real deal or a well done rendering based on some spy shots, but it does appear to have that quality of an actual photograph rather than a Photochop special.

The SLS AMG will mark the first appearance of a production car fitted with gull-wing doors since, well... we suppose the DMC-12 DeLorean, though we're certain that Mercedes hopes its car conjure an image of the original 300SL on which this supercar's styling is based. The cues are all there, including a grille that looks like a guppy with its mouth wide open, fender vents aft of the front wheels and, of course, those doors.

Power will surely be provided by the biggest AMG-sourced V8 that will fit under the long hood, though we have heard rumors of an all-electric version arriving in 2015. We'll see about that, but in the meantime you can compare the shot above to spy shots of the car that were officially released by Mercedes back in April.



[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Cash doesn't equal talent. That's the unfortunate reality, wherein those who have the money to spend on a powerful European performance automobile, for example, don't necessarily possess the skills to drive them like they're meant to be driven. Call it one of the great injustices of auto-dom. Fortunately there are those out there dedicated to righting that wrong. Some of them work at the AMG Driving Academy, but sadly for American enthusiasts, the experience has only been available on the other end of a trans-Atlantic flight... until now. Mercedes' in-house tuning division has announced that its driving school will be – like a Neil Diamond song or an Eddie Murphy movie – coming to America.

Covering the northeast, southeast and west coast, the AMG Driving Academy will be setting up shop – for a limited time, mind you – at Lime Rock, Palm Beach and Laguna Seca with a whole fleet of muscular Germans in three different programs. Among those vehicles in the school's paddock are the C63, SLK55, SL63, CLK 63 Black Series and the new E63 AMG. There are one- and two-day packages available at different levels, all of which you can read about in the press release after the jump, where you'll also find the hidden highlight: the SLS program at Laguna Seca, in which participants will be among the first to drive the new AMG SLS gullwing supercar ahead of its market debut.



[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

What, again? We know, we know...it seems like Mercedes has been unveiling its flagship sedan for eons already. The updated S-Class first appeared back in April, then the pair of AMG versions leaked out on the web before they were given their official debut at the Shanghai Motor Show. But for some reason unbeknownst to us, Benz is only now revealing the full details behind the facelifted S63 and S65 AMG muscle-sedans.

First, the essentials: the S63 is motivated by an AMG-tuned 6.2-liter V8 producing a whopping 525 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, and in case that ain't enough, the Mercedes tuning department also offers the twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 pumping out a mind-boggling 612 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque.

To keep all that power in check, the big AMG sedans feature adaptive braking, torque vectoring, active steering and braking, as well as a crosswind stabilizing system. Carrying the same visual updates as the rest of the refreshed S-Class range, the AMG models are further distinguished by LED lights, a full aero kit with integrated diffuser, and 19- or 20-inch titanium-finish alloys.

With sales beginning Stateside in September, U.S. pricing has yet to be revealed, however European pricing places a short-wheelbase S63 at €115,700 ($160k) with a €6k premium for the long-wheelbase version and the full-fat S65 AMG bi-turbo commanding a hearty €185,900 ($257k). Full details are available in the press release after the jump and photos in the high-res image galleries below.




[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

The gestation of the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS has spanned almost two years, and what started with a Viper-bodied mule, a few drawings and a full-scale interior mock-up has evolved into this, the latest super coupe prototype caught outside AMG Headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany.

Although there's still plenty of camo obscuring the finer points of the SLS' design, the shape is obviously evolving into something similar to the highly-stylized sketches revealed in New York. The elongated hood stands in stark contrast to the tiny trunk, while the short overhangs lend a bit more balance to the disproportionate profile. A few of the smaller details can be seen peering through the camo, including the front LED running lamps, trapezoidal dual exhausts and vents aft of the front wheels and on the hood towards the windshield. The massive piece of vinyl covering the center part of the grille will undoubtedly house a sizable three-pointed star, while out back, the sculpted fenders appear to have lost some of their edge (compared to this rendering), and instead rely on a set of bulbous tail-lamps and a small spoiler to shape the boot.

The SLS is expected to debut at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, complete with a 6.2-liter V8 putting out 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, with a curb weight of 3,571 pounds and a price tag north of $200k.

After accidentally leaking a preview on its home-market configuration website last week, Mercedes-Benz has officially unveiled its revised flagship luxo-muscle sedans, the S63 AMG and S65 AMG, at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show today. Both are treated to the same updates given to the entire S-Class range, but these two big beasts pack one seriously mean punch.

Engines carry over largely unchanged from the outgoing models, which is good news because they're some of the most powerful units on the market. The S63 packs AMG's 6.2-liter V8 offering up 525 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, while the top-of-the-line, have-to-have-the-best S65 AMG (above) features an enormous 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 pumping out 612 horsepower and a gravity-altering 738 lb-ft of torque. That's a lot of power, but at nearly $200k, the $130k S63 seems like a relative bargain, especially when you consider that the bi-turbo V12 model only gains 0.2 seconds off the V8's 0-60 time.

Although the engines are ostensibly the same, they've been tweaked to improve fuel consumption and carbon emissions by about 3%. They're also both mated to a new Torque Vectoring system that brakes the inside rear wheel in a corner to assist handling, plus a crosswind compensation system. Visually the AMG sedans get a new chromed-up angular grille, LED daytime running lights in the air intakes, full LED tail-lights incorporating 52 LEDs apiece, and a redesigned rear bumper with an integrated diffuser, plus all the requisite special badging and wheels. The interior has also been upgraded with bells and whistles, all of which you can read in the press release after the jump and view in the galleries below.





[Source: Mercedes-Benz, Autoblog Chinese]

For those of you that can manage the payments on a lower-end Mercedes-Benz S-Class or CL-Class, but can't quite stretch enough to swing an S63 or S65, AMG now has you covered. Just as BMW offers M-Sport packages on some of its models, you can now add an AMG Sports pack to any S sedan, as well as the CL-500 coupe.

New front and rear fascias and rocker panel extensions give some of the more aggressive look of a true AMG model, and the S-Class' front air intakes feature LED running lights similar to what will be on the full blown S63/S65. Within the wheel wells are standard 19-inch alloy wheels or optional 20-inch units that again replicate the look of the more expensive versions.

There are functional changes as part of the package too. The AMG Sports pack includes bigger brakes with cross-drilled rotors. Inside, more wood trim including a combination wood/leather steering wheel are part of the effect. According to Mercedes, the package will be made available on all European short- or long-wheelbase sedans as well as the coupes starting in June, although there's no word yet on whether North Americans can expect the same availability. Click on the jump to read the official press release.



[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

When Mercedes-Benz and McLaren announced in the late 90s that they would collaborate on a new supercar, enthusiasts were hopeful that it would be a true successor to the legendary F1. While the roadgoing McLaren had plenty of technology, it was not dominated by it. Instead it was designed more like a race car with minimal weight and a package optimized for performance in mind. The result was a car designed for the road that scored an outright win at Le Mans in near stock form.

When the SLR appeared, it was clearly far more Mercedes Benz than McLaren. The performance was undoubtedly impressive and it sold in far higher numbers than the F1, but it just wasn't the same. The SLR is going away this year and for a follow up Mercedes has partnered with in-house performance specialists AMG. Like the SLR, the new SLS is pure Mercedes, but harkens back to the original 1955 300SL. Details are still limited but we do know that the SLS marks the return of the gull-wing to the three-pointed star. The SLS is still a year away from its market launch, but Mercedes is showing sketches of the exterior and production shots of the interior here at the New York Auto Show.



[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Of all the fashion/automotive collaborations we've seen, few are as bonkers as those of A Bathing Ape fashion house designer Nigo. The Japanese icon has given the BAPE treatment to some of the most expensive automobiles on the market, including camo'd Rolls-Royce Phantoms and pink Bugatti Veyrons. But now, after laying hands on Volkswagen's Bugatti and BMW's Rolls-Royce, Nigo has forked over his stylish cash to Mercedes-Benz tuning division AMG for a modern riff on a classic 300SL Gullwing.

So far, only this dedication plaque has surfaced, but that tells us all we need to know. The vehicle in question appears to have started its life as a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL, but undergone an engine swap this year to place a modern 6.0-liter V8 under the hood. No word on what styling tweaks may have been carried out, but we wouldn't be surprised if the vintage Benz proved hard to find in a tinted jungle.

UPDATED with images and gallery.



[Source: Bespoke Ventures]

It's time for another auto show, so that means embargoes are breaking again. This time out, its the new E63 AMG from Mercedes Benz that will get its debut at the New York Auto Show next week. We're big fans of AMG's homegrown 6.2-liter V8 around the Autoblog campfire – particularly in C63 guise. The engine is now being dropped into the newest E-Class that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, along with all the other typical AMG goodness. The more spacious engine compartment of the mid-size E63 allows the big engine enough room to produce 518 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, the same as in the big boy S63.

Unlike its AMG sedan siblings, however, the 186 mph E63 is equipped with the seven-speed dual clutch Speedshift gearbox that debuted in the SL63 roadster. That development allows it to consume 12% less premium petrol than the previous iteration which had a mere 507 hp to play with. Standard 18-inch or optional 19-inch alloys with matching rubber help transfer the drive and braking torque to the pavement – and in typical AMG fashion, there promises tl be plenty of the latter to counter-balance the former. Official press release after the jump.

We've been through a lot of great car collections and museums over the years, but even we have to admit that we've never seen a private collection like this. Assembled by a shadowy figure known only as "The Sultan of Michigan," this cache has something for car enthusiasts of most every stripe, although the focus is clearly on vintage and present-day muscle and Eighties-and-up supercars. Truck enthusiasts, vintage foreign guys and brass car enthusiasts will largely have to look elsewhere, but it's a magnificent collection, with the most flabbergasting thing being that it appears to be up-to-the-minute current.

The whereabouts and ownership of the collection are two things that the owner prefers to keep private – we actually have confirmation on both, but prefer to respect privacies. What we can confirm is that this treasure trove is, in fact, located in Michigan, which is both heartening (to know that such wealth and mechanical beauty still exists in the state) and somewhat confounding (as the area lacks truly great winding roads on which to exploit much of the machinery). In either case, the collection is generally kept under wraps, although periodically we understand that the owner invites in selected parties to share in the gorgeousness. Some of the folks at MidwestSSC.com are obviously part of the 'inner circle' judging by the video and this photo gallery. Follow the jump to take the tour for yourself. Thanks to Andrew Weber for use of his video, and we appreciate the tips, Justin and Evan!

[Sources: Andrew Weber; MidwestSCC.com]