Mercedes-Benz
November 4th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Jutta Benz will symbolically open the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, on Sunday 6 November, as part of the 115th anniversary of the world’s longest running motoring event.
Setting off just before the official sunrise start of 07.02, Jutta will drive a replica of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen created by her great grandfather Carl Benz, which heralded the invention of the motor car. As a replica, the car is not eligible to participate in the entire Run and so Jutta will drive to south of Westminster Bridge where the car will be loaded and transported to north of Madeira Drive where she will drive the last mile to the finish line.
Mercedes-Benz joins the Veteran Car Run as a partner sponsor, alongside Bosch, as part of the celebrations surrounding the 125th anniversary of the automobile and the stunning three-wheeler has been specially transported from the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart for the occasion. Read the rest of this entry »
September 27th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Just when you thought that all the exciting barn finds have already been discovered someone uncovers a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing under a pile of old computers.
It’s an exclusive machine as well, a rare alloy-bodied 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gullwing coupe which is just one of 29 competition specials built in Stuttgart.
According to Mercedes restorer and fanatic Rudi Koniczek of British Columbia-based shop, Rudi and Company, only 28 of these alloy-bodied specials have been accounted for. This is the last remaining unit to be documented, it’s number 21 which has been missing for many years.
Koniczek is familiar with the special model having performed restorations on two of the vehicles. Interestingly, this Mercedes gullwing is even more special as it has remained in the possession of the original owner. On the high-end auction scene this fact further adds to its value which could be well into the seven figure range. Read the rest of this entry »
August 15th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
‘Fake it till you make it’ is how the contemporary saying goes and for one Russian man faking it, did in fact mean making it.
This amateur Russian car builder loved the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR that he couldn’t live without one, so hand-built a replica for himself. Little is known about this one-off machine but there are rumours that under the aggressive shell is Lada running gear. There is no word on what, if any powerplant hides under the long bonnet but it certainly has a post-apocalyptic charm and the side exhaust pipes are nicely worked too.
Apparently the car is named Valentina after the builders wife , but it’s unknown if the wife is a real woman or did he just build her using a photo of Anna Kournikova. It’s a mystery.
August 3rd, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
There’s hasn’t been much in the way of new news about Mercedes-Benz SL-Class vehicles recently. It may be because the current model is almost eight years old or perhaps because it’s slowly and very quietly being put out to pasture.
It was back in 2008 that the SL-Class received it’s most recent facelift but has fallen off the radar of buyers since then, and fuel economy could be a reason. To combat this, Mercedes is discontinuing its twelve-cylinder versions of the SL. The SL600 was the first to go and now the SL65 AMG is getting the chop as well. But it remains unclear if the fixed-roof SL65 AMG Black Series will continue on. Read the rest of this entry »
July 29th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Today the name AMG is linked to ideas of raw power and dynamic ability but there was a time when AMG was just a tuning garage trying to make a name for itself. The breakthrough for AMG came forty years ago in 1971 when Hans 
Heyer achieved a class victory with his Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG at the 24 hours of Spa endurance race.
Back then AMG had taken a standard Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, complete with wood dash and carpeted floors, bored the engine out to 6.8 litres and raised output up to 319kW with 606Nm of torque. Top speed was an impressive 263 km/h and the car qualified fifth out of sixty entries. It would go on to win first place in its class and second overall becoming a pivotal moment in the history of AMG.
It was Hans Heyer who was one of the three drivers who alternated behind the wheel of this car, nicknamed the “Red Pig” on that day. Now, forty years later, his son Kenneth Heyer is competing at the same event in a much newer machine the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 which will wear matching livery to the original including the same number 35. Read the rest of this entry »
July 27th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
David Coulthard spent fourteen years behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, during that time he drove for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull but no car manufacturer has had as much influence on him as Mercedes-Benz. To continue the relationship Coulthard shares with the German carmaker, Mercedes has announced his appointment as its AMG brand ambassador.
The first time Coulthard rode in a Mercedes-Benz was when his father drove him home from the hospital after his birth. Years later, Coulthard would pilot a Mercedes-powered McLaren to a dozen grand prix victories. Even now after his F1 retirement, Coulthard is driving an AMG C-Class in the DTM racing series. Read the rest of this entry »
May 31st, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
After a few false starts Mercedes-Benz has just revealed details and images of its new 2012 SLS AMG Roadster. The drop-top version of the retro-inspired coupe will receive an official world premiere at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show this September.
The gullwing doors of the SLS coupe have been left out, but even with conventional doors and body stiffening the convertible only weighs 40kg more than the hard top.
The three-layered fabric soft top will not steal room in the roadster model’s boot space as its capacity remains the same with the roof either up or down, and is roughly the same to that of the SLS AMG Coupe. The automated top can be had in three colours – black, beige and a classic red. It takes just eleven seconds to open or close and will function at speeds up to 50km/h.
Under the bonnet the roadster shares the hard top’s AMG 6.3-litre V8 motor matched up to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. The naturally aspirated eight-cylinder engine produces 425kW and 650 Nm of torque. Apparently, even with the slight weight increase the quoted 0-100kph acceleration time for the roadster is 3.7 seconds, down 0.1 second from the coupe’s sprint time.
Read the rest of this entry »
May 6th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
It was back in 1967 when AMG first formed and began boosting power on Mercedes-Benz vehicles and 44 years later the tuners products are as popular as ever. The two German companies have certainly formed a valuable partnership, and we expect even more progressive and desirable vehicles for years to come.
But before AMG looks into the future, it wants us to understand its past so Mercedes-Benz has prepared a video that provides a brief visual history lesson. It’s a clever and well worked clip that sums up AMG’s full history in just six minutes, complete with rousing music.
Check out the video below. Read the rest of this entry »
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