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The SLR wasn't the only attention-grabbing roadster Daimler-Benz had on display at this year's LA show. Sitting front and center in between all the latest machinery from Mercedes was this unique classic, the 290 Special Roadster.

On loan from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center USA, the bright orange convertible was a one-off drophead version of the 290-series flagship sedan that debuted in February 1933 at the Berlin Motor Show. Taking the place in Benz's 30's line-up where the S-Class sits today, the 290 came in short- and long-wheelbase versions (for personal or chauffeured use) and adopted the company's then-new swing axle technology.

This convertible is one-of-a-kind, built in 1936. It packs a 68hp 2.8-liter straight six driving through a 3-speed transmission and wrapped in some truly classic sheetmetal that gives you an idea for where the guys at Wiesmann may have drawn their inspiration. Check out the gallery below for all the elegant curves and details.

It pains us to see a dead horse beaten so rigorously, but the folks at Mercedes have yet to stop. But then, they did paid a lot for that horse.

The SLR project that then-Daimler-Benz undertook in partnership with its F1 racing partner, McLaren, never went as well as hoped. Sales were disappointing, and although the car's performance put it into the upper echelons of autodom, it never succeeded at giving its competition a real run for their money. And at half a million bucks, it's a lot of money to run for.

Rather than cut their loses, Mercedes and McLaren have opted instead to turn out additional derivations. After the "standard" SLR coupe came the 722, which was widely derided for having ruined the ride with little additional benefit. A racing version, dubbed 722 GT, followed. Rumors circulated long ago that additional body-styles were under consideration – what are they talking about, a shooting brake? – but only the open-air version made it to production.

The SLR McLaren Roadster was revealed back in May, but this was our first chance to see one up close. Check out the gallery below for all the angles.

Mercedes-Benz is confusing the blog out of us with its nomenclature. Sure, it's usually pretty straightforward: one letter for the class, three numbers for the (approximate) engine displacement. Tack on 4Matic for all-wheel-drive, chop off a zero and add AMG for the performance models. But they just about lost us on this one.

In Frankfurt Mercedes unveiled two new hybrid versions of the S-Class: the S300 Bluetec Hybrid with diesel-electric power, and the S400 Hybrid with gas-electric power. In Los Angeles, however, they took the wraps off the S400 Bluetec Hybrid. Still with us? Well, they lost us, too. This version packs a V6 diesel coupled with an electric motor to provide 265 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, resulting in what Mercedes calls V8 performance with four-cylinder economy: 0-60 in 7.2 seconds and 40.5 mpg on the highway.

While the previous S400 Hybrid unveiled in Frankfurt was gas-electric, the S300 Bluetec Hybrid unveiled with it was stated as producing 413 lb-ft of torque to this S400 Bluetec Hybrid's stated 465. Still, the press materials didn't specifically differentiate it from its Frankfurt-revealed stablemate, and nobody at the Mercedes booth here in LA could tell us if this was actually a different model. Think you can make sense of it? The press release is after the jump.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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Over at the Mercedes pavilion, Los Angeles played host to the North American premier of the acclaimed Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. The hotrod sport sedan from the Stuttgart is the three-pointed star's eight-cylinder answer to the Audi RS4 and BMW M3, and Benz's stubborn obsession with the torque converter aside, it presents a compelling case for those on the market for a big ferocious 451-hp 6.3L V8 in a small German package.

Mercedes even brought out the head of AMG, all the way from Affalterbach, Germany, to unveil the car personally. The sheet was lifted to reveal a resplendent (that's right, resplendent!) C63 in a pearl white that'd make a First Lady's jewelry box jealous. Click on the images above and below to get a good look at the C63 AMG, because with over 450 horsepower, it may be the only chance you have to see it sitting still.

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The new Tiguan cute-ute factored big into Volkswagen's press conference at this year's LA show. And no wonder, as Vee-Dub is hoping its new small sport-ute sells big, especially in the all-important US market, and especially in California where nobody needs a truck yet everybody has one (and parks it next to their Prius).

Volkswagen of America revealed that Tiguan is priced to sell with a starting MSRP of just $22,490. With just two sport-utes in its lineup, that gives VW a huge price-point spread that stretches all the way up to $68,320 for the bigger Touareg 2 with the jumbo-jet-pulling V10 TDI.

Volkswagen is evidently hoping that the Tiguan will become the Golf of the sport-ute market after it hits US dealers this coming summer. Check out our gallery of the US-spec Tiguan below, and VW's official press release after the jump.

[Source: Volkswagen]

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Volkswagen didn't appear to take this year's LA auto show very seriously – its press kit appears to have been assembled by a kindergarten class on a budget. The car it unveiled here in the City of Angels was little more than a redressed version the van concept they showed in Tokyo, as well.

The space up! blue takes the up! space and adds a hydrogen-electric hybrid powerplant and a solar panel on the roof. Volkswagen says the van will go into production, in one form or another, but without the advanced powerplant. And likely without the solar roof, either. They're "Pie in the sky" as the Volkswagen board member called it. And so, we're back where we were in Tokyo (only with a cameo by former pro baller John "Spider" Salley). That being said, the car itself is a quirky take on the retro-modern theme that could prove popular with young, trendy families if VW has its way.

Click on the galleries below to check out live shots from the space up! blue's unveiling VW's original factory images. The press release has also been included after the jump. Sit down with a nice cup of tea and enjoy.

Most carmakers produce automobiles for a wide variety of customers and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly. While a Viper may be used to promote the brand, Dodge isn't trying to sell one to the same customer considering a Caliber, for instance. A handful, meanwhile, only market to the über-rich. Brands like Ferrari and Bentley may come to mind, but compared to the crème-de-la-crème marques like Bugatti and Rolls Royce, they're a dime a dozen.

Rolls Royce, as was recently revealed in the Los Angeles Times, only targets potential customers who have liquid assets in excess of $30 million. That segment wouldn't be considered a mass market, and so the way Rolls Royce sells a car is markedly different from how, say, Dodge would.

[Source: LA Times]

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It's a delicate balance combining American muscle with Italian design. A handful of custom Italian coachbuilt Corvettes managed to marry the two with considerable panache in the late 50's, but most would agree that the Pininfarina-designed Cadillac Allante of the early 90's was a big step backwards. The most recent attempt carried off the combination with beautiful synergy when legendary automotive designer Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign styling house reinterpreted the classic Ford Mustang in distinctive Italian style. The result was an Italian beauty to rival the best of them, yet faithful to the iconic Mustang shape. Scissor doors and Ford Racing-tuned American muscle under the hood.

When Giugiaro's mouthwatering creation bowed at the Los Angeles auto show several months ago, we called it "rolling automotive pornography". There's no big news here, but we had the pleasure of beholding the show car's beauty when it took the stage again in Detroit, and we were happy to snap a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Click here or on any of the tantalizing images below to see our high-resolution image gallery of 21 pictures from the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. For some bonus fun, check Autoblog reader Eric's take on what the 2009 Mustang will look like when it adopts some cues from Giugiaro Concept.