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]

When Jeremy Clarkson has the keys to a 660 hp supercar, you know you're in for a heck of a ride. The affable BBC host took the reigns of twin-turbo V12-powered Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series, and we're pretty sure the Top Gear team needed to change its rather expensive tires at some time during the shoot.

The SL 65 AMG Black Series tore up the tarmac and even took on the company's own (much more expensive) McLaren SLR, but did Clarkson like it? Lets just say that he compared seat time in this super Benz to sitting on a pile of stones. It seems having 740 lb-ft of torque at your beckoning call isn't always a good thing, either. Oh, the horror. Hit the jump to watch for yourself.

[Source: YouTube]

Small-volume manufacturers like Pagani have to build all the variants they possibly can on what few platforms they have in order to continue to squeeze money and public interest out of their models. Thankfully, the company's Zonda is so spectacular that we hardly tire of the seemingly endless number of riffs the Italian automaker is developing on the theme. Their latest is the Cinque Roadster, a decidedly draftier version of the already-released Coupe, itself a street-legal version of the track-only Zonda R.

The carbon fiber/titanium Roadster is expected to run to about 217 mph thanks to its 678 horsepower Mercedes-Benz/AMG V12 – a terminal velocity that's the same as its hard-hatted brethren. Because the fixed-head coupe's structure is so robust, Pagani hasn't gone crazy with buttresses and braces, meaning that like the Coupe, the Roadster weighs 1210 kg (2,662 pounds) – a figure that Pagani says should help get the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.4 seconds.

As the story goes, just five examples of the Roadster will be built at a tidy £1.1 million (about $1.8M USD) per copy. We'll take two.



[Source: Pagani]

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]

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]

Mercedes-Benz had planned to unveil the 2010 model year S63 and S65 AMG before April's end at the Shanghai Motor Show, but the high-performance S-class models have unwittingly been given an early internet unveiling by the company's own German market online configuration utility.

The refreshed limos will continue to get their weapons-grade thrust through big engines (the S63 has a 6.2-liter V8 giving 518 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, while the bonkers S65 gets the twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 engine good for 604 hp and an absurd 738 pound-feet of torque), but the AMG models will finally get more visually distinct, thanks to new LED light strips, a more aggressive front fascia with an enlarged air gulper, bespoke grilles (the S63's fixture has five horizontal bars, and the S65, shown above, wears three double-bars). The S63 and its pricier S65 brother will be further differentiated by unique wheels, badging, and bespoke exhaust treatments.

The blokes at Car and Driver (who spotted the MB consumer website gaffe) say that America will probably continue to only get long-wheelbase models of these two, and prices are expected to be similar to that of the 2009 models, which retail for $131,350 and $198,950, respectively.


[Source: Car and Driver via WorldCarFans]

AMG is slowly raising the level of every car in the specialty line, and now the E63 AMG takes its place among the truly sporty offerings from Affalterbach. The specs fit the mold of bigger better more, with 518 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, matching the S Class number for number. The thing to pay attention to this time around is the car's sporting cred: a 4.4-second to sixty mph time via the 7-speed dual clutch transmission from the SL63 AMG, 3-stage ESP, AMG Ride Control sports suspension with steel spring struts up front and air springs with electronically-controlled damping out back, and four driving modes. The official press release is after the jump and two galleries of high-res photos are below, one with live shots from the show floor and the other full of new official images released by Mercedes-Benz today.

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]

If you must have the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class and can't wait for the AMG version, BRABUS has something to show you. The German tuning firm has launched its new program for the redesigned luxury sports sedan, the highlight of which is an enlarged 6.1-liter version of the V8 found in the E550 that now produces 462 hp compared to the original's 382 hp.

BRABUS clearly didn't stop there, fitting an aero package to the new E-Class that replaces the front bumper with a new design that reduces lift and incorporates LED daytime running lights and fog lamps. The exterior also features new fender vents, rocker panels, a spoiler and rear apron housing a pair of chrome tailpipes. The entire look is rounded out by new BRABUS Monoblock wheels that can be had up to 20 inches in diameter.

Additional performance hardware includes an augmented braking system with larger rotors and more powerful calipers, an optional limited-slip differential and BRABUS-tuned sport exhaust. The interior, likewise, can be fitted with optional equipment like illuminated BRABUS sill plates, a different "sport" steering wheel and complete mastik and alcantara leather interiors.


[Source: BRABUS]