Autoblog

Click above for a stunning high-res gallery of D.C.'s 2008 highlights.

The end of an era. That's what we called it when rumors began intensifying just a couple of days ago that David Coulthard might retire from Formula One racing. Those rumors were confirmed today – at the Silverstone track, one day before the start of his home race – when the elder statesman of grand prix racing announced his retirement.

To get an idea of just how long Coulthard has been racing, remember that his first race was to fill the late Ayrton Senna's seat at Williams after the famed Brazilian's fatal crash 14 years ago. Since that fateful start, Coulthard has competed in 236 grands prix to date, winning 13 of them, taking pole position 12 times and setting the fastest lap 18 times. DC spent nine seasons with McLaren, and was instrumental in brokering the purchase of the defunct Jaguar team from Ford by Red Bull, with whom he has raced for the past few seasons, scoring the team's first point and first podium. This weekend's British Grand Prix will be David's last home race, having won the event twice in his career.

So what's next for the flying Scotsman? For starters, he will remain as a consultant to Red Bull Racing, pitching in for development driving, much like his contemporaries Schumacher and Hakkinen still do for Ferrari and McLaren respectively. Despite earlier assertions, however, Coulthard says he will remain open-minded about racing in other leagues, and we could very well see him back in the race seat for the Race of Champions at London's Wembley Stadium in December, however it remains to be seen if Coulthard will try his hand at Le Mans, DTM or some other form of motor racing or rallying. Meanwhile, the vacation of his seat at Red Bull leaves the door open for Sebastian Vettel's promotion from the Toro Rosso B-squad, so sit tight for that announcement. In the meantime we wish David all the best of luck for the remainder of his last season and for life after F1. Follow the jump to read David Coulthard's official statement.

[Source: Formula 1]

Now campaigning his 15th consecutive season at 37 years old, David Coulthard is Formula One's elder statesman. His 236 grands prix contested to date is second only to Rubens Barrichello's 261, and the Scotsman has elevated his suffering of the latest batch of rookies each season to an art form. But that may be winding to a close, as DC looks into the future.

With rumors of Red Bull promoting its young driver Sebastian Vettel out of the Toro Rosso junior team and into Coulthard's seat, the veteran driver is admitting it might be time to hang up the helmet and move on. And what does he think of the proposition? "Boo hoo.... There are a lot of worse things that can happen to you. You just move on to the next challenge."

The next obvious question is what the next challenge will be for the perennial fixture of the F1 grid. He's already discounted the notion of moving to another team. Rumors suggest he could move into a management role in the Red Bull team he helped establish. Others suggest he could buy out Toro Rosso with the cash he's liquidating from the sale of his five-star Columbus hotel in Monaco (realizing what was previously just a joke). A third possibility pegs him as a commentator for BBC's Formula One coverage. What he's committed to avoid, however, is following his longtime friend Jacques Villeneuve in pursuit of a NASCAR seat, or reverting to any other racing series for that matter. "After F1, everything else is a step down."

[Sources: autosport and F1-Live; photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images for Puma]

David Coulthard is getting older, but his driving doesn't seem to be getting any better. The Scottish driver does, however, have an innate ability for survival, remaining the oldest driver on the F1 grid after having just celebrated his 37th birthday days ago.

It was Coulthard who pitched the failing Jaguar Racing team to Dietrich Mateschitz, convincing the Red Bull chief to become a team owner. Now that Mateschitz has announced his intention to sell his 50% stake in the Italian team, a report has surfaced indicating that Coulthard is going to buy out his current boss and switch over to the new team starting in 2010. According to the unsubstantiated report, the deal would secure Coulthard a race seat for many, many years to come, while fellow F1 driving veteran Gerhard Berger would retain his half and stay on as team principal. Coulthard also indicated that the team could switch from Ferrari to Mercedes power and be renamed Coulthard Power Racing (CPR), which raises the distinct possibility that, it being April 1st, this entire story could be hoax. Sigh... is this day over yet?

[Source: F1-Live, Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty]

It's been all the rage in motorsports recently: Formula One refugees hopping the trans-Atlantic to race in NASCAR. Juan Pablo Montoya has found considerably more success than Jacques Villeneuve (even Michael Schumacher was offered a drive), but they could have some company soon.

Recently interviewed by ESPN, F1's elder helmsman David Coulthard said he would consider racing in NASCAR in the future. The Scottish driver is now entering his 15th season in F1, having started with Williams and driven nine seasons for McLaren before brokering Red Bull's purchase of Jaguar Racing from Ford. If DC did decide to make the switch, Red Bull's NASCAR team (pictured, right) could potentially provide him with an "in".

Although once a competitive driver, Coulthard has slipped to back-marker status over the past few seasons, and may soon have to face retirement from F1. If he does, NASCAR could offer a challenging alternative – joining his long-time friend Jacques in stock cars – because DC stated he was less keen on the idea of racing in IndyCars.

[Source: F1-Live, photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images for Puma]

We recently made a visit to the Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Center in Irvine, California, to check out this restoration and retail facility. Located adjacent to a cluster of auto showrooms, it looks like just another modern dealership. But the cars inside are anything but modern. For starters, there's a 1954 220 Coupe out front. Once inside the building, you'll be greeted by some of the most desirable models from Mercedes' glorious past. Gullwings and Patent-Motorwagens, SLRs and Pullmen.

(Follow the jump for the rest of the story and a gallery of wallpaper-sized pics.)