ONE-OF-ONE: MERCEDES-BENZ UHLENHAUT COUPÉ

Posted on March 26, 2021 by MartynL

Alex Iervolino, Roue watch designer and consummate carguy, blogs about the original,ONE-OF-ONE: MERCEDES-BENZ UHLENHAUT COUPÉ and Rudolf Uhlenhaut. The 300 SLR was originally conceived for racing. Mercedes-Benz designed it for the 1956 season, but before it was even completed the company ended up deciding to withdraw from racing at the end of 1955. Even though it was never given a chance to compete, Rudolf Uhlenhaut – the head of the Test Department – managed to appropriate one of the prototyp...

1970s ICON: MERCEDES-BENZ C111

Posted on December 16, 2019December 16, 2019 by MartynL

At the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Stuttgart manufacturer surpassed all expectations revealing a super sports car well ahead of its time. With gullwing doors and a Wankel rotary engine, the C111 was a research vehicle that quickly became the absolute dream car of the 1970s. A dream that would never come true to consumers except as die-cast model toys. Although prior rumors were that MB was creating the new Gullwing 300SL from the 1950s, from the very start, the C 111 was conceived purely as a...

’17 MERCEDES-BENZ SL65: SUNSHINE SUPERCAR!

Posted on November 25, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

“Dial ‘SL65’ if you want a classic aluminum-bodied two-seat roadster with an abundance of luxo-tech and V12 power,” blogs Dan Scanlan. Inside the ‘17 Mercedes-Benz SL65 Roadster’s sleek-but-familiar frame resides a supercar’s worth of power - a handcrafted twin-turbocharged 6-liter V-12 with, delivering 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque at a low 2,300 to 4,300 rpm. And, builder Antonio Donadai’s signature on its carbon fiber engine cover! This SL is the seventh in a series of arg...

MONTEREY MADNESS: SALES DOWN; EXHILARATION UP!

Posted on August 29, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Here are Jim Palam’s top ten picks, just a fraction of the magnificent exotica that populated the Monterey Peninsula during Car Week. 1953 Ferrari 250MM Vignale Spider ‘Pebble Car’ on Ocean Avenue in Carmel. If you were among the many thousands of automobile enthusiasts zipping around the auctions, races, shows and events in the Monterey Peninsula this August, you may have been struck by this of many befuddlements: $49 hotel rooms renting for $549! Plus Lengthy hikes from your car to e...

‘16 JAGUAR XF: THE CAT CLAWS BACK!

Posted on January 6, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

It all happens for Jaguar in 2016. A new XE compact sedan. A stunning new F-Pace sports crossover. And it all kicks off with a transformed, aluminum-bodied XF, blogs road test editor Howard Walker You gotta love the lyrics. “On a morning from a Bogart movie, in a country where they turn back time, you go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre, contemplating crime.” And all together now: “In the year of the cat”. It was the soft-rock anthem of 1976 by that...

PEBBLE BEACH 2015: SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS!

Posted on August 17, 2015May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Staged on the scenic fairway of the 18th hole of the Pebble Beach Golf Links, the grand finale of the Monterey Classic Car Week - the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance - hosted 200 outstanding collector cars. After another scorching day at one of the most sunny Monterey Weeks of recent years, the Concours judges finally delivered their verdict on the coveted ‘Best of Show': the ‘24 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A owned by Jim Patterson of Louisville, Kentucky took the top award. This beautiful class...

’15 M-B S65 AMG: KING OF THE ROAD!

Posted on July 19, 2015May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Dan Scanlan finds the S65 AMG to be an amazing car – half ultimate flagship and the other half muscle car king. And both halves behave beautifully. Doing a smoky burnout in a luxury flagship that can cocoon its passengers in massaging heated or cooled seats with a sound system that rivals most homes, seemed sacrilegious. Yet a tap of the right alloy pedal and our ‘15 S65 AMG spun its rear rubber and did a classic muscle car doughnut, then launched to 60-mph only 7/10ths-of-a-second slower t...

BMW, MERCEDES, PORSCHE: DEUTSCHE MARQUE CONCOURS!

Posted on May 10, 2015May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Mike Matune checks out the 32nd annual German cars show produced by local area BMW, Mercedes and Porsche clubs. Marking its 32nd year, the Deutsche Marque Concours d’Elegance has become a staple on the National Capital Area’s Spring car event schedule. Put on by the local chapters of the BMW, Mercedes and Porsche car clubs, the Concours crowds the show field at Nottoway Park in Vienna, VA with all manner of German automotive finery. The Porsche “Outlaw” row contained some interesting variati...

2015 AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

Posted on March 22, 2015May 15, 2017 by MartynL

The Amelia Island Concours was graced with sunny skies, warm temperatures and the most eclectic assortment of important cars – from hot rods to classics. Who would have thought that original gathering of 160 cars just 20 years ago would double in size to include a show field chock full of rare, fun, interesting and significant cars? Our congratulations to event founder and chairman Bill Warner, his staff, volunteers, supporters, judges and entrants who helped turn a dream into a reality. Th...

MERCEDES-AMG-GT: A RACE CAR FOR THE STREET!

Posted on September 9, 2014May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Mercedes-AMG GT boasts racetrack performance combined with superb everyday practicality. Is this the ultimate GT? The first Mercedes was a racing car and its most recent successor carries this heritage forward. With the new GT, the Mercedes-AMG sports car brand is moving into a new sports car segment. The GT is the second sports car developed entirely in-house by Mercedes-AMG. It’s a front mid-engine design with a rear transaxle and use of lightweight intelligent aluminum construction, formi...