AB Road Trip: Crossing Mexico on the trail of La Carrera Panamericana in a Mercedes SLS AMG

Chris Paukert — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:09:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, South America

From Puebla to Oaxaca on the trail of La Carrera Panamericana in a Mercedes SLS AMG - Click above for high-res image gallery

With the increasingly well-publicized progression of drug wars, ransomings, robberies and, well, murders in Mexico, I thought it sensible to familiarize myself with the various government tourist advisory messages ahead of a trip retracing part of the route of La Carrera Panamericana, the famed Mexican road race that ran from 1950 to 1955. Regarded by many as the toughest and most dangerous race ever to take place, the perils of our run down memory lane were likely to be rather different than what was encountered in the '50s. Here are some excerpts of what we were told to expect:

o. "Toll (cuota) highways should be used whenever possible, rather than less secure free (libre) roads, where armed robberies and carjacking are more frequent."
o. "Large fire fights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico."
o. "U.S. citizen visitors are encouraged to stay in the well-known tourist areas."
o. "Mexican styles of driving and road safety standards are very different from those in North America. Police do not regularly patrol the highways. Be prepared for vehicles that fail to observe speed limits or indicate lane changes, and that do not stop at red lights."
o. "Thefts occur regularly. You should dress down, avoid wearing or carrying expensive jewelry, and carry only small amounts of cash... try to blend in."
o. "Be careful accepting food, drinks, invitations or rides from strangers or recent acquaintances."
o. "Road conditions vary and can be poor in some areas. Dangerous curves, poorly marked signs and construction sites, roaming livestock, slow-moving or abandoned vehicles, and other obstacles pose hazards."
o. "You are also strongly advised against borrowing a vehicle... drivers are legally responsible for their vehicle's contents, as well as for the legal status of passengers and the items carried by passengers."

Thankfully for you, dear reader, we aren't terribly proficient at heeding warnings, so a Mercedes-Benz invitation to borrow their spanking new (and clearly utterly inconspicuous) gullwing SLS AMG supercar and drive it through Mexico at a high rate of speed seemed downright reasonable and prudent. It also appeared to be an absurd amount of fun. Follow the jump to find out how it all shook out.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG La Carrera Panamericana Road Trip

Continue reading AB Road Trip: Crossing Mexico on the trail of La Carrera Panamericana in a Mercedes SLS AMG

AB Road Trip: Crossing Mexico on the trail of La Carrera Panamericana in a Mercedes SLS AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chicago Auto Show: Road Race Suzuki SX-4

John Neff — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:03:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Concept Cars, Hatchback, Suzuki

click above image to view high-resolution gallery

Suzuki didn't even bother holding a press conference at the Chicago Auto Show this year, but the little car company that could loves to tune its cars for us, and a new one was present at McCormick Place. The Road Race SX4 was dialed in by the well-known craftsmen at Road Race Motorsports in Santa Fe, CA. Based on the 5-door SX4, this tuner car features a Road Race SRI intake system, a piggyback ECU to eek out a few more horsepower from the car's 2.0L four-cylinder, a catback exhaust and aftermarket pulley system. The car sits atop sport springs from Road Race and front and rear anti-roll bars keep thing in check. The SX-4's all-wheel drive is also now tasked with rotating a set of 18-inch Enkei NTO+3 wheels wrapped in Toyo rubber. The car's exterior, meanwhile, is awash in a two-tone paint job. The roof racks have been deleted for a smoother look, though a Carbontrix front sport lip and vented carbon fiber hood were added to up its street cred. The interior benefits from a Carbontrix shift known and Suzuki's own Suzuki Workds Techno fiber trim kit.

With the tuning scene dying down a bit, the purpose of an exercise like the Road Race Suzuki SX-4 may be called in question, but we doubt Suzuki cares.

Related posts:

Suzuki Concept-X2
Detroit Auto Show: Suzuki Concept X
Suzuki will debut two more concepts at SEMA

Gallery: 2008 Suzuki SX-4 Road Race

Chicago Auto Show: Road Race Suzuki SX-4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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