JohnH4260

Top 10 Automotive Technologies in 2010
After last week's rant against keyless go technology I almost (almost) felt bad. But then I remembered how annoying that technology can be and decided instead of feeling guilty maybe I should just focus on automotive technologies that do work.

So today I'm writing about current high-tech vehicle features that, rather than annoy me, actually serve me well. Because -- at the end of the day -- that's what technology is supposed to do: make our lives better.

What follows, in no particular order, are 10 life-improving automotive technologies:

1. Stability Control: This will be standard on all cars by 2012 because it's been shown to reduce vehicle accidents, particularly in foul weather conditions. LIke most automotive technologies it had a rocky start, with systems that were intrusive and overt. But stability control keeps getting better, and now it can often improve someone's driving skills without the driver even knowing it's been activated. There's one big caveat to this technology however: the driver must be able to shut it off completely! (Mercedes-Benz, I'm looking your way)

2. Keyless Entry: Unlike keyless go, keyless entry makes complete sense. There's simply no downside to having a car lock and unlock without physically turning a key (especially when keyless entry always offers a manual, key-based backup if the system doesn't work for some reason). When your hands are full of stuff as you approach your car this one becomes a life saver (or at least a fragile package saver).

3. Direct Injection: Let's see...higher fuel efficiency, higher power, lower combustion chamber temperatures and lower emissions. Direct injection also enhances the benefits of variable valve timing and forced induction (turbo) systems. Except for cost concerns (a potential issue for almost any new technology) direct injection is pure upside.

4. Tubrocharging: Speaking of turbos, get ready to see this technology run rampant across the automotive world. Why? Because computer technology is finally able to take full advantage of turbocharging's power enhancing potential while eliminating its past emissions issues. The technology isn't new by any means, but making it earth-friendly only happened in the last 10 years or so. A great substitute for increased displacement, as cars like the BMW 135i and Ford Flex Ecoboost have confirmed.

5. Bluetooth: This technology is commonly used to provide hands-free telephone use while driving, but it's increasingly working to stream music and information between vehicles and computers/music players. Though not perfect (audio quality via Bluetooth streaming isn't exactly hi-fi), it reduces the wire count between vehicles and vehicle accessories, and that's always a good thing.

6. Satellite Radio: You might argue the value of listening to nothing but Howard Stern while driving across the entire continental United States, but you can't argue the value of having a choice between Howard, Elvis, The Beatles or over 100 other channels. I'd like to see higher audio quality (for instance, HD radio sounds better), but not having to find a new station every hour or so on my recurring road trips is simply awesome.

7. Navigation Systems: I remember being a kid and thinking how cool it would be if there was a map that showed exactly where my family's car was when we took our family vacations. Now there is, and it doesn't just show where you are, it shows you how to get where you're going. Eventually the war between "built-in" systems and personal/portable navigation units will be won...by a combination of both.

8. iPhone/iPod Integration: Another technology with a checkered past. BMW got into this early, but only in the past year or so have the automakers and Apple settled (mostly) on a universal system that uses a USB plug with 5.0 volt charging (certainly beats the old days of needing a different cord for each brand of car). Now you can listen to the equivalent of a couple thousand CDs, including customized playlists, through one compact device.

9. Voice Command: Checkered past is too kind here, as the early automotive voice command systems simply didn't work. I remember trying it out in the first Jaguar S-Type around 1999 and thinking, "Yeah...um, not really ready for prime time." That was then, this is now, and voice command finally passes the litmus test for good technology (makes your life better verses just being an annoying gimmick). I'm truly impressed by how effective it is these days. You can even leave a window down or have other ambient noise in the cabin and most voice command systems will still usually identify what you're saying.

10. Exterior Cameras: Note I didn't say "backup camera" or "reverse camera" because the potential uses of exterior cameras on cars goes beyond not hitting things (or people) when backing up. The parking assist cameras on cars like the Infiniti FX are simply amazing in how they can help you maneuver a relatively large vehicle into tight places. I already like what these cameras offer, and we're only just scraping the surface of potential here.

You may notice a theme in these ten technologies -- none of them are particularly new or cutting edge. In fact, that's my point. New technology rarely works as well as it should, but great tech eventually transitions from gimmick to genuine article. I also see potential in several newer technologies. Whether you want to talk about all-electric drivetrains or pedestrian safety efforts or even that dreaded keyless go system it's likely these technologies will eventually do more good than harm.

But right now, today, they don't make my top 10 list.

JohnH4260

Rumor: Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe to debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed
For those who can’t wait anymore for the brand S-Class Coupe a.k.a. new CL, we have a good news: Mercedes-Benz is going to reveal the new car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, in June 2010.

According to AutoBild, the new vehicle will also debut with a brand new V8 engine which will replace the current 5.5-liter V8 delivering 388 hp. Our sources confirmed the fact that this new powerplant will also feature a system which will automatically shut down some cylinders, just like Bmw did with its powerful 507 hp V10 engine. The car will receive a hybrid version later, in 2012.

JohnH4260

Cars.com Names The Worst Cars Names –
Cars.com editors spend a lot of time talking about the merits and pitfalls of how a vehicle performs, what it looks like and if they would ultimately want to drive home in the vehicle. While looking back at the end of another year, our editors realized that there were a lot of terribly named cars in their collective history as reviewers.

"There's a lot of talk about the importance of first impressions," says Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor in chief. "Sometimes, as vehicle reviewers, our first impressions are formed when we hear the name of a vehicle. This list shows that those impressions aren't always good."

Below are 10 vehicles from the past 30 years with names Cars.com editors find so awful and awkward that they are surprised consumers gave them a shot. This list is based solely on the car's name and has nothing to do with the car's actual merits.

Top 10 Worst Car Names
10. The Entire Lincoln Lineup
Lincoln is a brand with a considerable history, and we know they know how to give cars strong iconic names such as Continental or Navigator. Somewhere around 2007, many of those easy-to-remember names went out the window, leaving consumers with a hodgepodge of names starting with "MK." That's a shame because Lincoln has a strong lineup right now. What's the difference between the MKZ, MKX and MKS? Gimme a second to look it up because I honestly can't remember which is which.

9. Hyundai Equus
The inclusion of the Equus might be premature considering it's not even on sale yet, but this could be the push Hyundai needs to give the car a proper name before it's released. Companies occasionally give Latin names to products to make them sound sophisticated or fancy, but Equus just makes us think of the Broadway play of the same name -- most recently starring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame -- where a young man loves horses a little too much.

8. Toyota Yaris
There was a girl in my dorm freshman year who organized her shoes alphabetically by mood. She majored in dead languages and responded to every single question with "no worries." She once set the dorm microwave on fire by overcooking a ham-and-cheese Hot Pocket. Yes, that story is ridiculous and nonsensical ... sort of like naming a car Yaris.

7. Kia Forte Koup
As writers, we're particularly offended when companies take liberties with the English language in an effort to be cutesy -- and this is no exception. We actually like this car! But Kia is asking us to overlook years of schooling and experience to accept their quirky spelling of coupe. It might require a few sessions with a therapist before we can get to that happy place.

6. Subaru B9 Tribeca
Here we've got a family crossover named after a fashionable neighborhood in lower Manhattan and ... a World War II bomber? Consumers didn't understand the B9 moniker either; that part of the name got the ax when Subaru redesigned the SUV for the 2008 model year.

5. Volkswagen Touareg
A few Volkswagens could've made this list, but the Touareg was easily the name that tripped up our American mouths the most. Early Touareg commercials in the U.S. even depicted people struggling to say the name. When an automaker has to spend precious time and ad dollars helping consumers learn to pronounce the car's name -- something is wrong.

4. Ford Probe
There are many borderline inappropriate jokes you could make about a 1990s sport compact named Probe, but we're far too classy for that. Even if you don't take into account the tasteless jokes, this is just a bad car name. There is nothing cool about a probe (the word, not the car). What thesaurus was Ford using where probe was synonymous with sleek and sporty?

3. Subaru Brat
Although Brat is technically an acronym -- it stands for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter -- it's a particularly unfortunate one. "Brat" is almost never used to describe something positively. A brat is not a calm, confident driver who knows what he wants and how to get it. A brat is busy throwing a hissy fit in the corner because his mom won't let him borrow the car to go buy the new Styx album.

2. Isuzu VehiCROSS
Isuzu deserves a little credit for creating an attention-grabbing crossover before it was even a recognized vehicle segment, but the name practically beats consumers over the head with the idea (think SUV plus a cross-training sneaker). Add to that the unnecessary capitalization and the fact that VehiCROSS is a mouthful, and you have one bad name.

1. Ford Aspire
It's pretty safe to say that many drivers' dream cars fall under the category of sports car or luxury auto; few children hope to one day spend their commuting hours behind the wheel of a 63-horsepower subcompact hatchback. When Ford slapped the Aspire name on the back of this car, they were basically saying: "Yeah, even our car knows you wish you were driving something cooler."

JohnH4260

25 Awesome Jeremy Clarkson Quotes
Jeremy Clarkson certainly has a way with words. One of my personal favorites was in reference to the new Caparo T1. “When this thing goes on sale, there isn’t going to be a ditch in the land or a hedge row that isn’t full of Premiereship footballers who are broken and on fire.” Enjoy.

1. “I’d like to consider Ferrari as a scaled down version of God.”

2. [On the Porsche Boxster] “It couldn’t pull a greased stick out of a pig’s bottom.”

3. [When driving the Mercedes SLR McLaren through a tunnel] “When they debate as to what the sound of the SLR engine was akin to, the British engineers from McLaren said it sounded like a Spitfire. But the German engineers from Mercedes said ‘Nein! Nein! Sounds like a Messerschmitt!’ They were both wrong. It sounds like the God of Thunder, gargling with nails.”

4. “I’m sorry, but having an Aston Martin DB9 on the drive and not driving it is a bit like having Keira Knightley in your bed and sleeping on the couch. If you’ve got even half a ******* it’s not going to happen.”

5. “Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary… that’s what gets you.”

6. “Koenigsegg are saying that the CCX is more comfortable. More comfortable than what… being stabbed?”

7. [On Detroit] “God may have created the world in six days, but while he was resting on the seventh, Beelzebub popped up and did this place.”

8. “Owning a TVR in the past was like owning a bear. I mean it was great, until it pulled your head off, which it would.”

9. [On the Renault Clio V6] “I think the problem is that it’s French. It’s a surrender monkey.”

10. [On the Enzo Ferrari] “I rang up Jay Kay, who’s got one, and said: “Can we borrow yours?” and he said, “Yeah, if I can borrow your daughter, because it amounts to the same thing.”

11. [On the Porsche Cayenne] “I’ve seen gangrenous wounds better looking than this!”

12. “The air conditioning in Lamborghinis used to be an asthmatic sitting in the dashboard blowing at you through a straw.”

13. “Whenever I’m suffering from insomnia, I just look at a picture of a Toyota Camry and I’m straight off.”

14. “If you were to buy a [BMW] 6-series, I recommend you select reverse when leaving friends’ houses so they don’t see its backside.”

15. “That [Pagani] Zonda, really! It’s like a lion in orange dungarees. Kind of fierce, but ridiculous all at the same time.”

16. [On a Chevrolet Corvette] “The Americans lecture the world on democracy and then won’t let me turn the traction control off!”

17. [On the Alfa Romeo Brera] “Think of it as Angelina Jolie. You’ve heard she’s mad and eats nothing but wallpaper paste. But you would, wouldn’t
you?”

18. “A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster.”

19. “This is a Renault Espace, probably the best of the people carriers. Not that that’s much to shout about. That’s like saying ‘Oh good, I’ve got syphilis, the best of the sexually transmitted diseases!’”

20. “In the olden days I always got the impression that TVR built a car, put it on sale, and then found out how it handled – usually when one of their customers wrote to the factory complaining about how dead he was.”

21. [On the Mercedes CLS55 AMG] “It sounds like Barry White eating wasps.”

22. “I’d rather go to work on my hands and knees than drive there in a Ford Galaxy. Whoever designed the Ford Galaxy upholstery had a cauliflower fixation. I would rather have a vasectomy than buy a Ford Galaxy.”

23. “Usually, a Range Rover would be beaten away from the lights by a diesel powered wheelbarrow.”

24. “Racing cars which have been converted for road use never really work. It’s like making a hardcore adult film, and then editing it so that it can be shown in British hotels. You’d just end up with a sort of half hour close up of some bloke’s sweaty face.”

25. “I don’t understand bus lanes. Why do poor people have to get to places quicker than I do?”

JohnH4260

2009's Top Ten Cars Sold at Auction
The top ten cars sold at auction in 2009 went for $12.2M on the high end, $3.1M on the low. That means there were at least ten people this year who responded to the town crier's screams of "Recession and Depression!" by saying, "Honey, did you hear what that man said? I couldn't make it out because I was busy smacking my lips all over these gold plated bon-bons. They're delicious. Here, try one..."

Not only was this a(nother) big year for auctions, in some ways it was the biggest year: the record for the highest car ever sold at auction was set at RM Auctions' Leggenda e Passione event in Maranello, Italy in May. If that's how buyers dealt with the sequel to The Great Depression, we have no doubt auctioneers are hoping for the same kind of discrete-consumption-is-the-new-black bidding next year. Follow on the for the full list...

1. 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa - Price: $12.2 million (€9,020,000), (RM Auctions - Maranello, Italy - May 17)
This car beat the previous record set by a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California of around $9.5 million (€7,040,000), just the year before at the same event. One of but 22 Sergio Scaglietti-designed, pontoon-fendered Testa Rossas, chassis number 0714TR was the fourth car built and the second customer car, delivered in the colors shown. Its first owner was privateer racer Piero Drogo, who raced it in Argentina, Cuba, and Portugal, and then became better known for his own coachbuilding exploits: it was Drogo who would build another iconic Ferrari, the 250 GT SWB Drogo, otherwise known as the "breadvan."

2. 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe - Price: $7.25 million (Mecum Auctions - Pebble Beach, CA - August 15)
The record for an American car sold at a public auction was also set this year ("Did you say gold-plated bon-bons? Yes, I'll have one, thank you...") by this 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe, chassis CSX2601. The winner not only got the car, but lessons from Bob Bondurant on how to drive it and technical advice from its designer, Peter Brock. The Bondurant-driven Shelby that won the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship -- hand-built in Italy, one of six built, and known simply as "The Championship Car" -- had failed to sell in May, then stormed into bidder's hearts determined to take another crown.

3 - 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider - Price: $5,115,000 (Gooding & Co - Pebble Beach, CA - August 16)
The silver and black, Pininfarina-bodied Ferrari captured Best of Class at the 1999 Concours d'Elegance, then returned for its 10-year anniversary by capturing $5.1 million. The V12 runner was restored to like-new condition with a little age, came with an exceedingly rare-yet-unrestored hardtop, was deemed "hard but not impossible to fault," was FCM certified platinum, and still only took half the record for a SWB California (see #1). Which makes us think the record-setting car must have been powered by fairy juice and angel's feathers...

4 - 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider - Price: $4,950,000 (Gooding & Co - Scottsdale, AZ - January 17)
Ron Vankregten was an entrepreneur and real estate investor who began collecting cars, motorcycles, and planes in the 70s. This year his estate auctioned selections from Vankregten's private museum of vintage machinery, most of which hadn't been seen in more than 30 years, including this 250 GT SWB. The $4.6 million proffered for chassis 1963GT with matching numbers and factory-installed covered headlights, was the highest paid for any car during the entire week of auctions, the second-highest price paid at an individual auction in Arizona history, and thought to be the highest price paid for an unrestored car of its kind. Its owner will now lavish another, smaller, fortune on its restoration.

5 - 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante - Price: $4,408,575 (Bonham's - Paris, France - February 7)
The definition of "barn find," chassis 57502 was bought by Peer of the Realm and inaugural British Racing Driver's Club president Earl Howe, who was such a petrolhead that even his driveway was banked. The car, with numerous custom details requested by Howe, changed hands a few times then as bought by Dr. Harold Carr in 1955 for £895, or $2,520. He drove it a briefly then put it in a barn, where it proceeded to seize up and fall apart for more than fifty years. Bonham's cobbled the coupe back together and rolled it onto the auction platform, and successfully rolled it away for $4.4 million. Its owner will now lavish another, probably equal, fortune on its restoration.

6 - 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 - Price: $4,180,000 (Gooding & Co - Pebble Beach, CA - August 16)
Italian coachbuilder Castagna designed the body for this 8C, chassis 2311214, which was a Best in Class winner at the Concours d'Elegance in 2008. Once tempted by its body, the winning bidder was carried away by its 1-rated condition, its engine rebuilt by renowned restorer Christopher Leydon, its insides stitched with blue, claret, and maroon leather, and its description as "above all reproach."

7 - 1937 Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupe - Price: $3,520,000 (Gooding & Co - Scottsdale, AZ - January 17)
Sport's Car Market says that it is unusual for cars of this kind to come to public auction, usually passing from one climate-controlled-garage to another through private treaty sales. This one surfaced for a waiting public, and did not disappoint. A mostly original 1937 Teardrop Coupe (also known as a "Goutte d'Eau") with coachwork by Italio-French coachbuilders Guiseppe Figoni & and Ovidio Falaschi, this one was in the the "New York Style" that debuted in 1937. Those versions were smaller, lighter, and more powerful car than the "Jeancart" versions set on the larger chassis and featuring notchback rear ends and two cat-eye windows. There were but 16 of the teardrop coupes made from 1936-1939, and they were noted for their engineering and race wins as much as their designs, having helped usher in the era of streamlined cars that were a reaction to the square-edged German and English racers of the time.

8 - 1935 Duesenberg SJ - Price: $3,300,000 (Gooding & Co - Pebble Beach, CA - August 16)
Winner of this year's Amelia Island Concours and one of 36 Bohman & Schwartz-penned Duesenbergs from 1935, its wing-shaped door handles and V-shaped radiator are details among a design acclaimed as their most successful for the company. This one was even more special for being a one-off designed by W. Everett Miller. And well it needed to be, because its original buyer and future owner would have no interest in the merely good or the 2-of-a-kind: chassis 2596 was first purchased by Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and given to her amour, Georgian Prince Serge M'Divani.

9 - 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta (Tour de France) - Price: $3,176,250 (RM Auctions - Maranello, Italy - May 17)
The Scaglietti-designed 250 GT, chassis 0563GT, is eight out of nine Ferraris of its specific body style and was raced for two years by Jacques Peron, then shipped to America to become a private owner car. Its unofficial moniker, Tour de France, was bestowed on it by a Spanish nobleman, Marquis de Portago, who was a three-time amateur champion jockey, world-class swimmer, part of the Spanish bobsledding team in the 1956 Winter Olympics, and a winner in the car in the race of the same name. It remains a formidable dual-purpose road and race car, and although still eligible to race in events like the Mille Miglia Storica and Shell Ferrari Historic Challange we have a feeling the car and its anonymous winner won't be seen again for a while.

10 - 1913 Bugatti Type 18 - Price: $3,131,475 (Bonham's - Paris, France - February 7)
This Bugatti Type 18, chassis 474, christened "Black Bess" and offered at auction for the first time this year, is said to be "the most important Type 18 in existence." There are only three of its kind remaining of just seven built, and one is in a museum, one is privately owned -- all of which, along with its remarkably colorful history, might explain why it went for well above its pre-auction estimate. It was first owned by the French aviator Roland Garros, who would go on to lend his name to the tennis stadium that hosts the French Open. Shot down just before the end of WWI, Garros' car went to Swiss pilot Edmond Audemars (son of a watchmaker, but not that watchmaker), who then sold it to the chief engineer of the Sunbeam Motor Company, who then sold it to racing driver Miss Ivy Cummings, who named it Black Bess in honor of 18th century English highwayman Dick Turpin's horse. A side note: in honor of Garros, shot down just weeks before the end of WWI, Ettore Bugatti would name his last child Roland. And if all that isn't worth $3.1 million, well, we don't know what is...

JohnH4260

Touring the Temples of German Automaking
SOME Americans tour Europe not to enjoy the food, or to pay homage to the cathedrals, or to shop on Oxford Street or Boulevard Haussmann. They go to see the museums.

Which is what I did. Except instead of staring at the art of Rodin, Raphael and Rembrandt, I studied the works of Chris Bangle and Walter de’Silva.

In the last five years, four leading German automakers — Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche — have opened or reworked the museums dedicated to each brand’s heritage and history. My plan was to travel across southern Germany in a triangle from Munich (BMW) to Stuttgart (Porsche and Mercedes) to Ingolstadt (Audi) and back to Munich. The total distance was a bit more than 300 miles.

This trip did not include a visit to Volkswagen’s Autostadt (Car City), an ambitious auto theme park dedicated to the history of VW and its subsidiaries. But I had been there previously, and a detour to Wolfsburg — some 250 miles north of Stuttgart — would have added considerable time to the tour.

I admit that I ate some terrific wurst and schnitzel along the way, visited a monument or two and shopped for face creams for my wife. But much of my time — a total of five days — was spent ogling old cars. Also, new cars. Racing cars. Cars that won Grands Prix, cars that rolled on 6 horsepower, cars with roofs and back seats and steel wheels, and cars with none of this. There was also the occasional motorcycle or bus.

Though I traveled alone, imaginary companions sometimes joined me. Each time a BMW designed by Mr. Bangle passed me on the autobahn — he was chief of design until February — his “flame surface” body panels came to mind. The view from my Ingolstadt hotel one golden morning revealed not one, not two, but five flavors of the gorgeous Audi A5 shaped by Mr. de’Silva.

Devoting a day, give or take, to each museum and the accompanying attractions — usually a gift shop, bistro or cafe, and a delivery center for people who pick up their new toys at the factory — I came away with different impressions. “Cars are cars, all over the world,” Paul Simon sang. But they’re not — and neither are car museums.

Aside from the cars within, a couple of these structures are architectural delights in their own right. The huge wedge of the Porsche Museum, created by a small Austrian architecture firm, Delugan Meissl Associated, seems to levitate above rail tracks and access roads. The “double helix” Mercedes-Benz Museum, done by a Dutch firm called UN Studio, would have delighted Frank Lloyd Wright with its nine stories of spiraling ramps and terrific views of Stuttgart from the top floors.

Here, in no particular order, are my findings:
Porsche Museum
Let’s start with the newest, and perhaps the most radical, of the museum quartet. There is nothing here to diffuse the focus: it’s on Porsches, everywhere, all the time. Even the escalator is fast. Since opening last Jan. 31 more than 500,000 people have visited the museum in the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart. Above the V-shaped concrete pillars the theme of diagonals is carried inside.

From the atrium lobby a long escalator ascends — it has been called “a stairway to heaven for Porsche enthusiasts” — and deposits you in front of an aluminum- body Type 64 racecar, considered the ancestor of all Porsches (if you discount the VW Beetle nearby).

For those who do museums by the numbers, you’ll find the models 356, 917, 911, 550, 924, 928 and so on. One estimate puts the value of all 82 machines on display at about $200 million (and there are about 360 more cars in storage).

There’s no touching, of course, though you want to run your fingers across the sheet metal of the seductive concept, racing and street-legal cars parked along clean white ramps. (Yes, there’s a Cayenne S.U.V. here, too).

Visitors are invited to tour chronologically — cars are divided into pre- and post-1948 groups — but no one will scold you if you hop from the 911 Carrera RSR Turbo to the plastic-body 908. Engine noises from a 911, a 550 Spyder and others are piped in. If you can’t resist the urge to touch a Porsche, there’s a dealership across the street.

BMW Museum
To visit this museum is to immerse yourself into BMW’s corporate culture. Shaped like a big bowl, the Munich museum is adjacent to the massive hall called BMW World, with the company’s unmistakable headquarters — four skyscrapers in the form of engine cylinders — just beyond, along with a factory.

The museum has a certain clinical quality, which seems odd because many BMWs are so, well, sexy. They evoke passion. But while this place is stylish, cleverly arranged and full of those sexy cars, the experience can be rather dry unless you’re a committed BMW fan. But my guide, Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, was deliciously animated as she walked me past a kinetic sculpture — 714 steel ***** forming constantly changing car shapes — and through the seven exhibit “houses” linked by a series of ramps, bridges and squares. (Like the other guides I encountered, she spoke perfect English.)

The approach here is nonlinear, although one exhibit begins with history and BMW’s aircraft engine. Other exhibits focus on design, technology, motorsports, motorcycles, BMW brands and a tower that showcases the modern model lines.

Among the fascinating machines are the Brabham that won Nelson Piquet the 1983 Formula One drivers championship and BMW the constructors’ cup, and the stately 502 Baroque Angel of 1954, designed for the autobahns.

Touring German Car Museums The world’s iconic sports sedan, the 1968 BMW 2002, resides under a wash of orange light; across from it is a funky 1955 Isetta, a tiny bubble car powered by a 13-horsepower motorcycle engine. Funkier still is a concept car with a shell made almost entirely of fabric. Something, as they say, for everyone.

Mercedes-Benz Museum
Open since 2006, this may be the Louvre of car museums, and it should be: this pioneering automaker’s history was enriched by inventors and engineers including Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach.

And while the inventor of the automobile may forever be a matter of debate — Benz’s case is a certainly strong one — there’s no question that in Germany Mercedes-Benz invented the modern car museum. It came in 1936, 10 years after the merger of Benz & Cie. and DMG created Daimler-Benz. That first museum was on the factory grounds in the Untertürkheim section of Stuttgart, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Benz’s 3-wheel Patent Motorwagen.

This latest museum, chronicling 124 years of auto history in 1,500 exhibits, is an architectural tour de force. (It has been featured in Mercedes commercials in the United States.)

It is also rich in anecdotes: my guide, Volker Lückenkemper, pointed out the four ashtrays in a 1950s era limo. “After the war,” he said, “Germany had three times more smokers than before it.” If you take the “time capsule” elevator up eight stories, you alight in 1886 to be greeted by a horse. It’s all downhill, and fast-forward, from there.

Unlike the other museums, the blocky, postmodern, Guggenheimesque house of Mercedes places its vehicles in perspective with their time. Lining the interior and the spiraling ramps that descend though the ages of the marque are photographs and picture tableaus, some of them profound (Hitler, Einstein, the Titanic) and others less so (Elvis, Mickey Mouse). But all point to humankind’s turbulent history as it paralleled the development of cars from the Patent Motorwagen of 1886 up to the Mercedes SLS AMG that made its debut in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The sense of Mercedes-Benz authority is especially felt among the racecars, exemplified by the indomitable “Silver Arrows” of the 1930s. Among these is the W25 Grand Prix racer of 1934 that became the stuff of legend when, reportedly, its white paint (Germany’s race color) was sanded off at the Nürburgring racecourse so the car would make the race’s weight qualification. Voilà! The white car became silver.

Audi’s Mobile Museum
Every enthusiast has a favorite German brand, and in the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit mine is Audi. For those of similar persuasion, the Mobile Museum will not disappoint.

As at Mercedes, the visitor strolls top to bottom, down four floors, following a timeline of the company through the four brands that formed it: Horch, DKW, Wanderer and Audi — initially called Auto Union — in 1932. (A fifth company, NSU, was added in the 1960s.) Audi was liquidated after World War II and its factory in Zwickau, in eastern Germany, was taken by the Soviets. But buoyed by Germany’s economic rise in the mid-’50s, Audi re-emerged. Daimler- Benz owned Audi for seven years before VW gained control in the mid-1960s. The Audi 100 was the first model to reach the United States, in 1970.

There is convincing evidence that VW has had a powerful influence on Audi, which celebrated its centennial in 2009. But the early models also showed a sense of grace: the elegant 12-cylinder Horch 670 limousine looks fast even planted in a museum. The striking midengine R8 sports car carries the theme to the present.

If vorsprung durch technik (advancement through technology) resonates with you, there’s plenty of that on view. In the 1920s, Audi was the first German company to begin series production of left-hand-drive cars, to provide a better view of oncoming traffic. (Germans always drove on the right, even when their cars had right-hand drive.)

More examples of the company’s technology advances include a pair of 1980s Audi quattro coupes and the R15 TDI that finished second in 2009 at the 24 Hours of LeMans (after a string of Audi victories with the R8 and R10). It’s easy to spend a full day at the Audi complex, since it offers various factory tours, a gift shop and a cafeteria with soups, pastas, Bavarian desserts and, of course, those schnitzels.

Here is more information about the museums of German auto companies:

AUDI
Museum Mobile, Ingolstadt
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Admission: Adults, 4 euros; seniors, students and youths under 18, 3 euros; children under 6, free.
Web site: www.audi.com/forums.

BMW
The BMW Museum, Munich
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Closed Monday.
Admission: Adults, 12 Euros; reduced admission of 6 Euros for those under 18, students and seniors; family admission, 24 Euros.
Web site: www.bmw-museum.com

MERCEDES-BENZ
The Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.
Admission: Adults, 8 euros; reduced-price tickets, 4 euros.
Web site: www.mercedes-benz.com/museum

PORSCHE
Porsche Museum, Stuttgart
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.
Admission: Adults, 8 euros; reduced-price tickets 4 euros; children under 14, free.
Web site: www.porsche.com/museum

VOLKSWAGEN
Autostadt, Wolfsburg
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through March; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. April through October.
Admission: Adults, 15 euros; seniors and students, 12 euros; children 6 to 17, 6 euros.
Web site: www.autostadt.de

JohnH4260

Mercedes-Benz Pays $6.8M in Fuel Efficiency Fines
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government says Mercedes-Benz of North America Inc. has paid a $6.8 million fine for failing to comply with federal fuel-efficiency requirements.

Mercedes, a division of Daimler AG, paid the fines for violations dealing with imported passenger cars for the 2008 model year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collected fines from six automakers in 2009 totaling more than $13 million.

Many manufacturers of luxury vehicles consider the fuel efficiency fines as the cost of doing business. The fines were created to ensure vehicles meet basic gas mileage standards. Mercedes paid a $28.9 million fine last year.

JohnH4260

Farewell 2009: A Few of Favorite Cars
It's been a rough year for the auto industry. But for all the turmoil and upheaval on the business side, it's been a good year for great cars. So, as the Year That Everything Changed draws to a close, these are the cars I (Edmonds) enjoyed most in 2009.

Audi R8 V-10. I thought the two extra cylinders and 105 extra horses wouldn't be worth the money. I was wrong. The 5.2-liter V-10 amps the R8 experience up into true supercar territory without compromising the 24/7 usability that makes it a genuine alternative to a Porsche 911 Turbo as an everyday driver. Its one weakness? Transmissions. The clackety-clack faux-Ferrari metal gate slows shifts in the regular manual, while the R-tronic single clutch automated manual is outclassed by the newer dual clutch transmissions. But rest of the car is so damned good, complaining about the trannies is a bit like dissing Heidi Klum for having a bad hair day.

BMW M3. Every time I get into our long term M3, I fall in love all over again. There is so much that is just so right about this car, from that glorious high-revving V-8 up front to the sublime steering, indestructible brakes, quickfire seven-speed dual clutch manual transmission, and finely balanced chassis. Our M3 is a plain vanilla white sedan, with dark finish 18in wheels, instead of the usual coupe on shiny 19s. While the practicality of the extra doors is nice, what I like most about our M3 is how it tends to run under the radar in blinged-up LA traffic. It's perfect for pouncing on loafing 911s.

Buick LaCrosse. Buick's glory days ended decades before I arrived in America, and until this year my experience with Buick cars had been limited to the Lucerne and previous generation LaCrosse, both relics of a Detroit mindset that believed American automakers could get away with foisting hopelessly outclassed machinery on Americans too patriotic -- or dim-witted -- to buy an import brand. A front drive luxo-cruiser, the new LaCrosse is not my sort of car. But it looks sharp inside and out, and is -- in top of the range V-6 form, at least - very pleasant to drive. Better than a Lexus ES350? Probably. I climbed in a skeptic, and climbed out impressed.

Cadillac CTS-V. It's vanquished the BMW M5, and taken down Jaguar's XFR. Make no mistake, the Cadillac CTS-V is a benchmark sport sedan. Even now, after a lot of miles in CTS-Vs over the past 12 months, I find it astonishing I can write that sentence. The CTS-V's supercharged V-8 delivers a tidal wave of power; the steering is crisp and accurate; the chassis balance superb; ride and refinement first rate. The CTS-V shows the American auto industry is capable of building a no-excuses, world-class automobile when it puts its mind to it. Is it good enough to beat the impressive new Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG? Log on to motortrend.com next week to find out. But win, lose or draw, the CTS-V will remain one of my all-time favorite American cars.

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. From a blog I wrote back in June: "I'm still tingling from this morning's 300 mile cross country-blast in the Corvette ZR1. I didn't go over 140 mph, but Lordy, what a car! Punch the gas and the LS9 bellows like a lion kicked in the *****, delivering a surge of pure, weapons-grade thrust... The massive Michelin Pilot Sport tires grip like leeches, the steering is accurate and nicely weighted, and the huge carbon brakes are simply bulletproof, hauling the ZR1 down from unfeasibly fast velocities time and again without a hint of fuss and fade. This is without doubt the most accomplished Corvette ever; the first that could be considered a true Ferrari rival. I adore it, so much so I can forgive its cheap-looking, made-by-Mattel interior and the faint whiff of Dogtown surf shop when I open the rear hatch." Says it all, really...

Ford Fusion. Of course we auto writers love driving all the fast and dangerous stuff. After all, most of us are only car guys who've been lucky enough to parlay our passion into a profession. But we also love cars that are great all-rounders; the honest and accomplished everyday cars that deliver a dash of inspiration as well as transportation. The heavily reworked Ford Fusion, our 2010 COTY, is one of those cars. The fuel efficient Fusion Hybrid is a more refined and entertaining drive than a Toyota Prius, and the headline grabber in the range. But in many ways the star car is the entry-level SE four banger with the six-speed manual transmission. It's great fun to drive; peppy, and light on its feet, like Honda Accords used to be before they got fat and ugly.

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. Trying to turn pickup trucks into muscle car alternatives never made much sense. Sure, rigs like the GMC Syclone, F-150 Lighting, and Ram SRT-10 were great fun to drive. For about 15 minutes. Then you realized you'd bought a pickup truck that wasn't actually as fast and buttoned down as a proper muscle car, and wasn't much use as a pickup truck. Okay, the F-150 Raptor isn't a real load lugger, either. But it can do something no muscle car, sport sedan or supercar could ever do - charge flat out across desert whoop-de-dos like a genuine Baja racer. This is the pickup truck world's answer to a Porsche 911 GT3 -- a properly engineered, race-focused ride you can drive everyday on the street during the week, and hammer on -- er, make that off -- the track on the weekend. Forget the anemic 5.4-liter version, though. Go for the new 411-hp 6.2.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. Ever since the white-on-white LP500S Countach, big-banger Lambos have always exuded a faint aura of gold chains and chest hair, and whispered threats of grievous bodily harm if you dared tried to drive them as fast as they looked. The LP670-4 blows those stereotypes out of the water. It's still big, and it's still ohmigod fast when that 661-hp V-12 starts shrieking towards redline. But it's more balanced, more communicative, more... trustworthy than any big-banger Lambo in history. It looks like a supercar, sounds like a supercar, and makes the driver feel like Superman.

Land Rover LR4.I'm driving one right now, and very nice it is, too. The LR3 was our 2005 SUOTY thanks to its unique combination of stunning off-road capability and remarkable on-road refinement, plus clever packaging that allowed a truly useable third row in a relatively compact vehicle footprint. The LR4 builds on that basic goodness with an upscale new interior, and a punchy new 375-hp 5.0-liter V-8 that has banished the old LR3's slightly lazy rolling response. It's like driving a more practical Range Rover. And despite all those luxury goodies, it's still one of the most capable rigs you'll ever take off-road.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. I got some wheel time in this a couple of weeks back, on Abu Dhabi's incredible Yas Marina F1 circuit. It's stunningly fast without being fearsome, and feels utterly bulletproof, like a proper Mercedes should. That mighty AMG-built 6.2-liter V-8 thunders like a WWII fighter plane on a strafing run when you nail the gas, the steering has same wonderful clarity as the new E63 sedan, and the brakes feel like they could stop a freight train. You could argue the 1950s Gullwing-inspired SLS walks a fine line between homage and parody in terms of styling, but I love the fact it's not another formulaic mid-engine supercar. It oozes character and presence, and is a car only Mercedes-Benz could have built.

Nissan GT-R. Speaking of character, here's an excerpt from a blog I wrote after hustling our long-term GT-R from LA to Vegas -- the long way -- for the SEMA Show last month: "The coolly calculated Nissan GT-R may not have the rosso romance of a Ferrari Daytona, the charming idiosyncrasy of a Porsche 911, or the aw-shucks muscle of a Corvette ZR1. But in form and function it is a supercar that deftly defines both its era and its origin. All gigabytes and manga, GT-R is a supercar like no other; a supercar that only Japan could have created. I'd call that character." And as for the performance... No matter how often I drive it, the GT-R's supercar-slaying capabilities never cease to amaze me. It is the world's best bang-for-the-buck performance car. Period.

Porsche Cayman S PDK.The Cayman S PDK nailed our 2009 Best Driver's Car award, beating a quality field that included Audi's R8 and the ZR1 Corvette. How? Because it's one of the most beautifully balanced sports cars ever built. Everything -- everything -- in the Cayman S PDK works in harmony, delivering a rare combination of useable performance, accessible handling, and driver-friendly design. This is a car with a multidimensional personality that will delight and reward the enthusiast driver on any road at any time, regardless of weather and traffic conditions. A Ferrari is out of my reach. But I keep thinking that once the last of the kids are through college and gainfully employed, I might just be able to accumulate the Benjamins to actually own one of these.

Rolls-Royce Ghost. I love the Rolls-Royce Phantom. It's an in-your-face, ultra-luxury car that captures the essence of the stately Rolls-Royces of the 20s and 30s, and reworks it for the 21st century. So perfectly wrought is the Phantom that conjuring a follow-up act, especially one that's intended as an "entry-level" sibling, would seem an almost impossible task. But BMW, surely the best interpreter of classic British brands ever, (better, I would argue than the Brits themselves, given a resume that includes the new Mini, current Range Rover, and even the misunderstood Rover 75) has pulled it off with the Rolls-Royce Ghost. The Ghost puts spirit into the Spirit of Ecstasy with a powerful twin-turbo V-12 and adroit handling, yet it oozes down the road like warm chocolate down Penelope Cruz's ...er, you get the idea. This might be the best riding car ever built.

Volkswagen GTI.Volkswagen invented the hot hatch with the original GTI back in 1976. Like the sainted original, the sixth generation GTI is a car that's greater than the sum of its parts. There are hot hatches with more power and more driven wheels, but none has quite the same sweet balance of performance and handling as the GTI. It's a blast to drive, especially when the 200-hp 2.0-liter turbo four is hooked to the lighting-fast dual-clutch six speed automated manual. It looks great too, thanks to Walter de Silva's new wide-screen VW corporate grille, and an interior that's classy enough for an Audi. I loved the new GTI, so much so that I've just traded Mrs. Mackenzie's Mini Cooper on one. It's dark grey metallic, with 18-in wheels, DSG tranny, no nav, and no sunroof. And plaid cloth interior, of course.

JohnH4260

Farewell 2009: A Few Disappointments and Looking Forward to 2010
Okay, so you've seen the list of the cars that impressed me (Edmonds writer) during 2009. But what about the cars that disappointed me; the cars I wanted to love, but instead let me down? There were a few, and they're on this list because they could have -- should have -- been better.

Chevy's Camaro was the most-hyped launch of the year, and while the car was good enough to beat both Mustang GT and Mustang V-6 in our comparison tests -- better engines and a more sophisticated rear axle counted -- I was bitterly disappointed with the relentless understeer when you started pushing it hard, especially as I expected more from a car using most of the hardware from Holden's neat-handling Zeta platform. I've been told changes made to the suspension geometry are the problem, and they're not easily fixed, though GM is working on a new suspension and tire package in an effort to get the Camaro's handling closer to that of the Mustang GT Track Pack.

Ford product development supremo Derrick Kuzak reckons the 2010 Mustang GT Track Pack is the car he's proudest of in terms of suspension development. And rightly so, for it is a remarkably well sorted chassis, with the best steering I've ever experienced in an American car. But every time I drove the Mustang GT this year I couldn't help wondering how truly great it might have been had Ford not cheapskated and switched the S197 platform to an independent rear suspension setup instead of the live rear axle. The move, championed by Kuzak's predecessor Phil Martens, was supposed to save $100 a car. But here's the kicker: a well-placed source closely involved with the program says by the time the NVH and driveline angle issues were solved, the live axle ended up costing $98 a car more. Sigh.

The Ford Taurus SHO was another disappointment. Blame the weight of expectations - and, perhaps, the portly 4405 lbs it carried -- but against cars like the Cadillac CTS-V, the SHO felt more like a quietly competent full-size sedan than a ball-tearing bitumen burner. Honda's loud and flimsy Insight seemed an unduly cheap and cynical effort from a company usually more engineering-led, as did Mercedes-Benz's disappointingly ordinary E550 Coupe. Both cars were based on hardware from a segment below (the Insight on the Fit, and the E550 Coupe on the C-Class), and it showed. The Ferrari California: why, why, why, oh why did it have to look like that?

The great thing about this business is there's always the promise of next year, and new cars that will be better, faster, more stylish, more interesting than last year's offerings. So what cars do I most want to drive in 2010? Here's the short list:

Aston Martin Rapide -- will it be a true four seat GT, or just a glamorous show-pony?

Bentley Mulsanne -- it has a turbocharged pushrod 6.75-liter V-8 because, well, that's what traditional Bentleys have had for the past 20 years. But will that be a reason to own it?

2011 Buick Regal -- will this be the breakthrough Euro-style, American branded car that banishes the ghost of Merkur forever? And will it make Buick relevant to buyers under 60 again?

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe -- the current CTS-V is one of the greatest American sedans ever built; can Caddy repeat the magic with the Coupe?

Chevrolet Volt -- it's conceptually the most interesting car from GM since the Corvair, but will it really work, and will America get it?

Ferrari 458 Italia -- it's the most exciting new Ferrari since the Enzo; you need to ask why I want to drive it?

2011 Ford Mustang -- will the new 412-hp V-8 and 305-hp V-6 engines comprehensively crush Camaro?

McLaren MP4-12C -- can it beat Ferrari and Lamborghini out of the box?

Yes, it's going to be an interesting year, and I hope you'll come along for the ride. Happy New Year.

JohnH4260

Business Week’s Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years: A Half-Century of Automotive Eyesores
Considering how many new cars are rolled out every year, it's no surprise that a few might be just plain homely. There's a chance that certain styles might become fashionable with a dash of retro hip. (Well, maybe not from the 1970s.) But for the most part, the following 50 cars will never be anything but design duds.

Chevrolet El Camino
Introduced: 1959
The front end of a car and the back end of a pickup—convenient but unsightly. The El Camino went through several redesigns, each worse than the one before. This 1982 model seemed to be wearing dental braces, and the chrome accents over its wheel housing only draw the eye to mystifying hub caps.

Citroën Ami
Introduced: 1961
Design: Flaminio Bertoni
This car has fenders that drop below the tire line and a top that extends from the back like a porch roof. Add some oddly shaped windows and dot-sized brake lights for a uniquely strange-looking vehicle.

Lightburn Zeta
Introduced: 1963
This Australian car was designed by a maker of cement mixers and washing machines, but that might be obvious. There are two grilles, both in a fence-like pattern, with protruding headlights on either side.

Wartburg 353
Introduced: 1965
Can you find one thing you like about this East German car?

Volkswagen Thing
Introduced: 1969
This is the design philosophy of the Thing: Take the basics of the Beetle—an engine, powertrain, and seats—and plop them in an unfinished metal box. There's no front grille, the bumper is an afterthought, and nobody bothered to round the fenders.

AMC Gremlin
Introduced: 1970
Design: Richard A. Teague
Introduced on April Fool's Day, the Gremlin was ugly, but it's had its fans. Still, that doesn't excuse the abruptly angled back end, saucer hubcaps, and aborted rear windows. It also came in some nasty colors, like the brown-copper concoction seen here.

Bond Bug
Introduced: 1970
Design: Ogle Design
No, it has nothing to do with James Bond, and yes, it was legally driven on real roads. The Bug defies car design language with three wheels, a boat-like bottom, and zip windows.

Ford Pinto
Introduced: 1970
Design: Robert Eidschun
The Pinto doesn't seem so bad—that is, until you remember how sexy Fords (F) from the 1960s were. The design devolved into hexagonal headlight housings, a grille that's only a few inches tall yet wide enough to become the car's focal point, and a rear end that apparently melted from the roof.

Ford Mustang II
Introduced: 1973
Somehow, Ford transformed the classic first-generation Mustang into this. Gone are the sleek lines, side intakes, and close-to-the-road profile. Instead, the Mustang II looks like many cars of the '70s: bloated, heavy, bland, and forgettable.

Bricklin SV1
Introduced: 1974
This ride has a well-earned reputation for being a complete mechanical clunker—and it looked like one, too. The front end is squared like an awful dress shoe, is wider than the driver's cabin, and rises high before sloping down dramatically, giving it a front-heavy, unstable appearance.

Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar
Introduced: 1974
Design: Bob Beaumont
The CitiCar might hold the record for being the most widely produced, street-legal, electric vehicle, but that doesn't make up for its looks. The sloped front end and zip-windows give it the appearance of a rolling tent.

Volvo 240
Introduced: 1974
Design: Jan Wilsgaard
The overriding theme for the Volvo 200 series was safety, not looks. The front end is stretched yet barely sloped, giving the body a chunky look. The headlights and front rubber bumper are oversized and overbearing. Even the headrests could have used a redesign.

AMC Pacer
Introduced: 1975
Design: Richard A. Teague
Five years after AMC stormed the world with the Gremlin, it dropped the Pacer. Large panes of rounded glass form the rear cabin, giving it an unbalanced appearance. The wood-paneled model was even worse than the two-tone brown seen here.

Chevrolet Chevette
Introduced: 1975
Another car people love to hate. The dual-grid grille, shiny hub caps, and wide hatchback never won the Chevette an award, but they did earn it a place in automotive history.

Aston Martin Lagonda
Introduced: 1976
Design: William Towns
Remember when you were young and sketched objects with wacky proportions? That's how the looooong Lagonda may have been have been designed. The short, wide front looks smooshed, and the grille appears to have been taken from another car. It's even uglier when you consider it was priced at some $150,000.

Matra Rancho
Introduced: 1977
Design: Antonis Volanis
The French produced the Rancho to mimic the Range Rover, but they cut some aesthetic corners to cut cost. The rear cargo section towers over the rest of the vehicle, and the side and rear windows are oversized, but the bottom half of the vehicle resembles a small pickup truck.

Subaru Brat
Introduced: 1978
The Brat—the name is short for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter—ripped its basic design from the already dreadful Chevrolet El Camino. But Subaru brought the front end of the car/pickup mashup to more of a point, carving long lines and adding rubber bumpers down the sides, and a sunroof up top.

Yugo
Introduced: 1980
Design: Zastava Koral
The Yugo gets rapped for being ugly, when it was really more of a mechanical nightmare. Consumer Reports told shoppers they'd be better off with any used car than a brand-new Yugo. The body's design, though, isn't too far from the language of Volkswagen and Volvo: simple, proportional, and efficient.

DeLorean DMC-12
Introduced: 1981
Design: Giorgetto Giugiaro
Nothing dates the past like its impressions of the future. The DeLorean's matte look and flat shape are due to the car's stainless-steel panels that leave the factory unpainted. The rear is especially disconcerting with its window shading and cubed tail lights.

Cadillac Cimarron
Introduced: 1982
The Cimarron went a long way in killing Cadillac's reputation. It was basically a Chevy Cavalier with few extra pieces of chrome and a heftier price tag. The front end is far too busy, housing blocky headlights, a grille that resembles a sewer grate, and a couple of cringe-worthy orange parking lights.

Citroën BX
Introduced: 1982
Design: Marcello Gandini
The BX seems like an attempt to place the most geometric shapes possible on one car. The windows, doors, and sides of the rear hatch seem to fit like puzzle pieces, rather than a uniform styling. Plastic hubcaps complete this masterpiece.

Toyota Van
Introduced: 1984
An extremely sharp front slope, bus-like windows, and some gag-inducing paint jobs made the Toyota (TM) Van an eyesore for the ages. What's more, all four wheels are pushed toward the vehicle's center, implying a seesaw-like imbalance.

Mercury Sable
Introduced: 1985
Design: Jack Telnack
The front end's row of lights was popular in its day, but hasn't held up over time. This model has Spirograph-like rims, plastic bumpers cut with decorative lines, and a pretty high bleh factor.

Lamborghini LM002
Introduced: 1986
There's a reason you don't hear about Lamborghini (VOW) SUVs. Take a look: awkward geometric doors, angular fenders, and a busy hood. The only thing round besides the wheels are the headlights, which don't quite seem to fit the machine's aesthetic.

Nissan S Cargo
Introduced: 1989
A tall curved roof, bizarre rear cargo hold, and windows shaped like pizza slices make this vehicle stunningly strange. The large body looks even more misshapen sitting on its tiny wheels, and for proportion's sake, the headlights could use a bit more space between them. And what's with the circular rear windows?

Renault Twingo
Introduced: 1992
Design: Patrick le Quément
The ultra-small headlamps of this city car are cut in half on the French Twingo—it looks sad—and the front end has an unusually steep slope for a car its size.

Toyota RAV4
Introduced: 1994
A "crossover" SUV, the RAV4 seeks to combine the strength of a car and a light truck, but apparently, that concept didn't extend to its aesthetics. The plastic bumpers and door appear to have gills. The soft stylings of the body were meant to appeal to women, but poor sales proved it appealed to no one very much.

Suzuki X-90
Introduced: 1995
The X-90 was related to the Sidekick, but even uglier. Its only claim to fame is becoming the go-to ride for Red Bull's roving ads. The front end is stubby, the driver's cabin seems truncated, and the rear wing is gimmicky.

Ford Taurus
Introduced: 1996 (3rd Gen)
Design: Jack Telnack
An oval was the design inspiration for the third-generation Taurus, and to ill effect—the headlights, grille, windows, front intakes, and bubble-butt rear end mimic the shape. A year after this model was introduced, the Taurus lost the title of America's top-selling car.

Plymouth Prowler
Introduced: 1997
Design: Chip Foose
A pie wedge on wheels, the Prowler is indulgent and corny—perfect for a mid-life crisis. The sharp, angular front also draws attention to the squished headlights, jarring grille, and seemingly pasted-on front bumper.

Toyota Prius
Introduced: 1997
The first mass-produced hybrid must have been an exercise in technology, not design. The spoiler is supposed to make the Prius look sporty. But the car still has all the style of a soybean.

Fiat Multipla
Introduced: 1998
The Mulipla featured two sets of headlamps, gigantic side windows, and a front windshield that could have come from a UFO. Maybe it was meant to be ironic, but New York's Museum of Modern Art displayed this mutant in its "Different Roads—Automobiles for the Next Century" exhibit.

Nissan Cube
Introduced: 1998
It might be called Cube, but there's hardly a straight line on it. The side windows might have come from cruise ships, the hub caps are disastrous, and the grille and headlights look like a pair of cheap sunglasses.

Cadillac Escalade
Introduced: 1999
The perfect car design if fuel, practicality, maneuverability, and class mean nothing to you. One of the most self-indulgent vehicles ever made, the Escalade is for looking rich while you're burning gasoline.

Corbin Sparrow
Introduced: 1999
Designer: Michael Corbin
The electric, three-wheeled Sparrow was designed for a single occupant, so naturally it's tiny. The curvaceous body, bent windshield, and concave hood, though, make the car look like a rolling big toe.

PT Cruiser
Introduced: 2000
Design: Bryan Nesbitt
The Cruiser was meant to look retro, but some styles shouldn't be recycled. The body's oversized face and grille are flashy. The front wheel housing is inexplicably long, extending back into the front door. The flared logo on the hood attempts to convey regality, but the Cruiser just can't back it up.

Pontiac Aztek
Introduced: 2001
Design: Wayne Cherry
Perhaps the most hated of ugly cars, the Aztek's body appears to be hammered into shape. The head and rear lights are too small, the encompassing bumper resembles a trash can, and the rear end is total minivan. No wonder GM is dropping Pontiac.

Chevrolet Avalanche
Introduced: 2002
Design: Marc R. Asposito
The Avalanche is another modern American case study in excess. The dual cabin, stacked headlights, and wheelhouses all seem unnecessarily supersized, but the real culprit here is the abruptly cut rear bed.

BMW 7 Series
Introduced: 2002
Design: Chris Bangle
The 7 Series made designer Bangle simultaneously loved and hated. Critics ridiculed the concave and convex panel work—dubbed "flame surfacing"— and the "Bangle-Butt," an extra strip of metal below the trunk.

Ferrari Enzo
Introduced: 2002
Design: Pininfarina
The Enzo's superfluous curves and angles take flashy overcompensation to a new high. The V-shaped hood, scooped-out doors, and bulbous windshield scream overkill.

Hummer H2
Introduced: 2002
Design: Wayne Cherry
The archetypal American gas-guzzler was a hulking monstrosity. For better or worse, the Hummer didn't stray far from its military origins, with an imposing front grille, utilitarian doors, and box-shaped windows. If pride comes before a fall, then the H2 is fitting for Detroit.

Chevrolet SSR
Introduced: 2003
This truck has curves—way too many of them. Its round cabin, massive fenders, and teeny round headlights are better suited for cartoon vehicles. With such a long sloping hood, why the crowded cluster of logos, headlights, and the grille in the front?

Honda Element
Introduced: 2003
Someone at Honda (HMC) must have liked the abhorrent Aztek. The Element is just another giant box on wheels adorned with plastic bumpers. The roof's height is constant, so when it reaches the lopped-off back end, it appears as if someone backed the vehicle into a wall.

Subaru Baja
Introduced: 2003
Design: Peter Tenn
Designer Tenn said the Baja was inspired by rally-race trucks, but it looks a lot more like an El Camino or Brat. Take that car/truck hybrid style, add an all-encompassing plastic bumper, and you have this eyesore.

SsangYong Rodius
Introduced: 2004
Design: Ken Greenley
The Rodius might be like any other minivan, that is, until you see the back end. The roof extends over peculiarly placed bent glass windows, and the brake lights are far too large. Look below, and what's that? Plastic hub caps.

Škoda Roomster
Introduced: 2006
This Czech vehicle aims to provide a sizable customizable cargo space, which is fine, but its design is dizzying thanks to mismatched front and rear doors, windows planted at different heights, and too-tall tail lights.

Jeep Compass
Introduced: 2007
Jeep is an automotive classic. So why the Compass? The signature round headlights look out of place, while the fake grill and mismatched panels are more evidence that the Compass' designers lacked a unified vision.

Tata Nano
Introduced: 2008
Design: Girish Wagh, Justin Norek, Pierre Castinel
Admittedly, appearance wasn't a design priority for the Nano, which is intended for Indians too poor to buy a regular car. But that doesn't excuse its egg-like stylings. Even the snub hood and tiny tires can't draw the eye from the car's domed top.

Toyota Scion IQ
Introduced: 2010
Design: Toyota ED2
This is what happens when car companies try to be hip. The tiny cabin makes the wheels look gigantic, and the exaggerated front and rear bumpers seem pointless and tacky. Besides, its toy-like body doesn't exactly convey safety.

JohnH4260

Highways to Heaven: World's Greatest Drives
From a grand-prix circuit to the Arctic wilderness, we hug the corners on the world's most memorable day drives.

High road in Tibet
Driving 270 kilometres across the sky-high Tibetan Plateau from Lhasa to Gyantse is a lesson in altitude. First, the road takes you out of the Tibetan capital - past Chinese-built housing developments, along six-lane highways - and into a different Tibet, one with mud-brick farmhouses, horse-drawn carts, "good luck" ladders painted on rock faces and prayer flags fluttering on hillsides.

Then, after hugging the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which becomes the Brahmaputra in India, the climb begins: 20 kilometres of lazy loops leading up to Kampa Pass, 4978 metres above sea level. There you can have your photo taken, for a few yuan, astride an elaborately decorated yak, or beside a Tibetan mastiff wearing a yak-hair collar, overlooking the brilliantly turquoise Yamdrok-tso (one of Tibet's four sacred lakes), with the mountains of Bhutan in the background.

The descent to the lake is just as spectacular, like a gentle rollercoaster punctuated by stone villages, picnicking Tibetans and fields of yellow mustard flowers. Beyond the dusty outback town of Nangartse, a popular lunch spot, steep-sided gorges lead up to Karo-la Pass (5020 metres), where stalls selling crystals, Buddhas and framed photos of Chairman Mao try to distract you from the massive glacier creeping down a 7191-metre mountain almost to the edge of the road.

The landscape levels out after that - with nomads' tents and herds of yak dotting open grasslands - and though the monastery town of Gyantse is a worthy destination, seven scenic hours on the road are hard to beat.

As the Buddha himself once put it: "It's better to travel well than to arrive."
See helenwongstours.com.
- Louise Southerden

White-knuckle ride on the Amalfi Coast, Italy
Traversing Italy's Amalfi Coast might not be considered a "day drive" but it certainly takes that long with the constant pulling over to catch one's breath - figuratively and literally.

The striking beauty of the 50-kilometre cliff-hugging road has the power to cause passenger tears, near-death experiences and marriage breakups (of the road-trip variety). Well, it did for me.

Driving from Salerno to Sorrento, it starts swimmingly well with pretty vistas and ceramics at the first town of Vietri sul Mare. Five kilometres further, a crumbling watchtower welcomes us to the ancient fishing village of Cetara.

We happily abandon the car and get lost in a maze of steep stairs and alleys and get our feet wet at a shoreline stacked with little, coloured fishing boats.

But after the villages of Maiori and Minori, we've stopped high-fiving. If the roads aren't already narrow enough for motorists, shopkeepers spill their wares on to the road, stealing precious bitumen.

Heading inland up a steep, narrow, winding road to Ravello for the best views of the coast, our car almost topples down a ravine of lemon groves, urged on by a bus with only centimetres to pass. My wife wants to be rescued. Sniff, sniff. I want to be rescued.

For the spirited, there is the sparkle of the Mediterranean at the bottom of plunging cliffs with tiny beaches that cry out for you to stop, tiers of coloured houses perched on hills and the romantic towns of Amalfi and Positano to explore. Italy's most stunning coastline is one of the world best drives. Just add a little faith to the fuel mix.
See amalfitouristoffice.it.
- Rob Dunlop

Wild times at Yellowstone, US
It's a traffic jam, Wyoming-style - but instead of shouting abuse, drivers lean out car windows with glee, cameras snapping wildly. Oblivious to the kerfuffle, the protagonists - a herd of bison with heads the size of Honda hatchbacks - meander blithely between stationary vehicles, kings of the road in brute strength and by law.

It's encounters like this that make the drive from Jackson Hole to Yellowstone National Park such a memorable experience. In fact, the more stops forced by wayward bison, moose, elk, deer and bear, the better.

We begin our trip before dawn, heading north on the I-89. Photo opportunities appear thick and fast: a coyote crossing the road, magnificent in his nervous defiance; a herd of elk, shyly peeking from the trees; and nature's dance of seven veils as the sun pierces the mist, striking the craggy peaks of the Grand Tetons.

Named by French fur trappers with overactive imaginations, the Grand Tetons ("large teats") is one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world, perfect in symmetry and offering countless reflections on still waters. A diversion to Jenny Lake, outside the town of Moose, maximises the oohs and aahs before we hit the southern gateway of Yellowstone National Park, a pine-clad, geothermal cauldron of incredible diversity.

The lower loop road of the US's oldest national park provides optimum sightseeing opportunities - Old Faithful, ejaculating joyously every 90 minutes; acidic blue boiling pools surrounded by sulphurous carvings; and thundering waterfalls, rainbows illuminating the spray.

The round trip should take the best part of a day, depending on traffic hazards; or maximise the magic by stopping overnight in one of the historic lodges in the heart of the national park.
See yellowstonecountry.org; wyomingtourism.org.
- Julie Miller

France to Switzerland with a few twists
Pack your snowboard, the Sound of Music soundtrack, a bag of brie and hit the road for an alpine journey from Chamonix to Verbier. This 58-kilometre northerly road trip boasts the "triple whammy" factor. Not only does the D1506 join two world-class ski resorts, it has an avalanche of history and classic alpine scenery at every turn.

And there are many turns, the road snaking its way though the heart of the Alps, striking the Swiss town of Martigny before slithering up to Verbier.

Busting out of Chamonix, the road passes the hamlets of Argentiere and Vallorcine, flirting with the Swiss border before taking the plunge at Le Chatelard-Frontiere.

At tiny Trient, take a break on the Relais Mont Blanc terrace. At this point you're in the epicentre of the Alps, where rocky mountains fold in upon themselves like granite tissues.

The Trient glacier drips towards the valley floor and orchestras of cow bells provide a symphonic element to this movie-scene setting.

Immediately after Trient, the route zigzags towards the 1500-metre Col de la Forclaz, a track forged by smugglers and war refugees fleeing France. These paths are now used by trekkers and the eagle-eyed will spy yellow arrows directing Camino pilgrims to Santiago in Spain, 1700 kilometres away.

Vertiginous switchbacks lead 17 kilometres down to the 2000-year-old town of Martigny, before pushing back up to the snowy paradise of Verbier. As one adventure ends, another one begins.
- Flip Byrnes

Arctic Scandinavia on Ice
You don't have to be a cross-country skier to explore the snow-covered wilderness of Arctic Scandinavia but you will need winter tyres to steer clear of the reindeer.

At the beginning of May in Swedish Lapland the daylight hours are long and the landscape is dressed in snow.

The town of Kiruna, famous for its Ice Hotel, has a modest airport and ample supply of rental cars. The route north-west along E10 eventually reaches the fiords of Norway, climbing gradually through valleys and mountain ranges en route. For more than 50 kilometres, the highway bends along the frozen shores of Lake Torne, a massive body of water that sits in silence through the winter.

Small huts dot the lake's edge, ready to be dragged out into the open where the locals can drill holes in the ice and go fishing.

Abisko National Park claims a small strip of the lakefront and the Abisko Mountain Station provides shelter for excursions deeper into the wilderness. In winter this is the most reliable place in Europe to view the northern lights.

A lunch stop at Abisko provides a stunning view from the restaurant, or short walks along snow trails.

The ski-resort village of Riksgransen is one more opportunity for food and fuel before leaving Sweden.

Once you cross into Norway the road descends to sea level with views of rugged fiords framed by snow-capped mountains. All this without even leaving the driver's seat.
See visitscandinavia.com.au; www.abisko.nu.
- Ewen Bell

Slow climb to Darjeeling
The Eastern Himalayas rise in a parade of towering blue-green peaks from the city of Siliguri, the last stop on India's steamy Bengal plains before you ascend to the cooler climes of Darjeeling.

In 1835 the British established a hill station at Darjeeling, 2128 metres above sea level, so wilting Europeans could escape Calcutta's sweltering summers.

But getting there wasn't easy: it took an army of men more than four years of hacking through virgin forests to build the road from Siliguri, which was completed in 1842.

At Bagdogra Airport, near Siliguri, we hire a local taxi ($25 one-way) for the 80-kilometre journey. The potholed road twists through dense jungle, climbs unbelievably steep gradients, passes a picturesque procession of tea gardens and winds through villages where houses are suspended on the almost-vertical mountains above and below the road.

Along the sides of the road are the 610-millimetre-wide narrow-gauge tracks of the World Heritage-listed "Toy Train", built in 1879, which staggers up the steep mountains on its nine-hour journey to Darjeeling.

After an hour on the road we stop at Selim Hill Tea Estate, one of 87 tea plantations in the region, where the temperature has already dropped a refreshing 10 degrees.

Back on the road, which is congested with trucks, jeeps, cows, goats and people, our driver navigates according to what seems a strict local code, tooting at corners and backing up when the road is too narrow for two cars to pass - which is frequently.

We drive at a snail's pace across the debris left by several landslides - gangs of women clear what debris they can, hauling huge rocks from the road.

While it's nerve-racking at times, the drive to Darjeeling is a singular experience. In a few scenic hours you are transported from an India of chaotic cities, dusty villages and rice paddies to a captivating land where the locals - Nepalese, Tibetans, Lepchas and Bhutanese - live on the top of the world.
- Sandy Guy

Fairytale Germany
If you like the sound of picture-book Bavarian towns surrounded by medieval walls and guard towers, take a spin along Germany's Romantic Road.

The Romantische Strasse, as it's called in German, meanders for 350 kilometres between the towns of Wurzburg and Fussen. Along the way it takes in a string of ancient towns and cities - separated by vineyards, forests and river valleys - before ending in the Alps.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a fairytale town with lashings of atmosphere and it's worth spending a few nights here. As well as one of the best Christmas markets in Germany, it has narrow cobbled streets, half-timbered buildings and even a medieval torture museum.

Further south is enchanting Dinkelsbuhl. Stroll through the narrow streets with their colourful houses and wander beside the old city walls guarded by 18 watchtowers.

Another highlight of this former medieval trading route lies even further south - the spectacular Schloss Neuschwanstein.

This striking 19th-century Bavarian palace perched on top of a forested hill inspired the romantic castle in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty - a fairytale end to a romantic drive.
- Marc Llewellyn

Monaco Daydream
It's the final lap and Jenson Button is looming ominously in your rear-view mirror.

You change down to second and scream around the hairpin. Up through the gears and around the tricky right-hander.

The chequered flag is in sight. Button tries to pass, you hold him off, you cross the line, the crowd goes wild.

Commentators around the world scream into their microphones: "It's the upset of the season. An unknown Aussie driving a Citroen C3 rental car has won the Monaco Grand Prix. They'll be talking about this drive for years to come."

Tackling a genuine formula-one circuit is every driver's dream. And where better to live out this fantasy than on the streets of Monaco, a tiny principality at the foot of France that comes alive every May for its annual fixture on the motorsport calendar.

The hairdryer-like whine of your 80kW Citroen might not match the mechanical scream of a formula-one car but you can still get a taste of what it must be like to roar through the famous Monaco tunnel at 270km/h.

Along the 3.3-kilometre street circuit you'll see many of Monaco's most famous sights: the rows of outrageously decadent boats in its sparkling harbour, the Charles Garnier-designed Monte Carlo Casino and streets peppered with Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis.

Bear in mind that several formula-one drivers live here so if you see an Aston Martin with the number plate JB1 looming ominously in your rear-view mirror, it's probably best to let him pass.
See visitmonaco.com.
- Rob McFarland

JohnH4260

Mercedes-Benz Sales Up 45.3% In January 2010
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported January sales of 15,158 vehicles, a 45.3% improvement over January 2009, starting 2010 with robust momentum.
Strong demand in both the Mercedes sedan and light-truck categories fueled the increase in sales volume for the month. In the sedan category, the popularity of the C-Class – the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – maintained its lead as the volume leader with sales of 4,028, up 32.8% over January 2009. The all-new, 9th generation E-Class continued to shine with sales of 3,824, up an astounding 116.3% over January 2009.

As further proof of the Mercedes-Benz competitive presence in the luxury light truck market, the champion M-Class reported sales of 1,927, up 42.2% over last January; the sporty GLK followed suit with sales of 1,803, up 38.7% - beating its launch numbers of 1,300 posted in January 2009.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 6,229 vehicles in January; a 7.8 percent decrease compared to January 2009 with sales of 6,753 vehicles.

JohnH4260

2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S400 Hybrid
You probably have not heard much about the 2010 Mercedes S400 Hybrid with all of the other automakers coming out with hybrid models. But Mercedes-Benz is happy to be in the background as long as the company is making superior cars that the most discerning and distinguished car buyers will notice.

That’s exactly what MB has done with the 2010 S400 Hybrid. Mercedes-Benz is the first automaker to put a next generation lithium-ion battery pack into one of its production hybrids. That gives the car more range than comparable hybrids on the market today.

In addition to that, the S400 is the first Mercedes-Benz hybrid vehicle to get into showrooms. Along with the hybrid technology, the MB S-Class vehicles also have a new look with a refreshed grille, new headlight clusters and new bumpers to make it stand out from previous generations and other models. And besides a couple small badges, you wouldn’t know the S400 Hybrid is actually a hybrid unless you take a look under the hood. The S400 Hybrid includes a 3.5-liter V6 engine with a seven-speed automatic transmission along with an electric motor mounted between the two. The hybrid system “never operates in electric-only mode the way the one in the Toyota Prius does” and the electric motor helps the engine and lets it shut off when the car comes to a stop. That’s something other hybrids just don’t do.

JohnH4260

Mercedes-Benz S-Class AMG Coupe Spy Photos
After getting stuck in a snowbank, our spies have once again caught the S-Class AMG Coupe (formerly known as the CL-Class) undergoing winter testing.

As the pictures show, the S-Class Coupe will receive new headlights (with integrated LED day running lights), redesigned bumpers, a more upright grille (similar to the one used on the SLS AMG), and restyled taillights. Inside, the car will likely feature minor styling changes and some new technology.

Under the hood, engine options will carry over from the facelifted 2010 S-Class. This means we can expect a 5.5-liter V8, a 6.3-liter (6208cc) V8, a biturbo 6.0-liter V12, and an AMG-tuned 6.0-liter biturbo V12. Should those fail to satisfy your needs, Mercedes will also offer a 3.0-liter diesel and possibly a hybridized 3.5-liter V6 (from the S400 Hybrid).

JohnH4260

2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Spied
With the car at an early stage of its test development, it is still wearing heavy camouflage. As a result it is hard to draw any definitive conclusions about its styling. However, it is safe to assume that the protruding headlights are a decoy, as they wouldn't pass pedestrian impact regulations.

However, Mercedes previously showed the F700 concept as long ago as the 2007 Frankfurt motor show. The S-class-sized saloon had several exaggerated styling features, including a low roof and huge, elongated cabin, but details such as smaller headlights and an upright grille could make production.

It's also known that Mercedes is planning a plug-in hybrid S-class. With the anticipated weight reductions and aerodynamic improvements, the plug-in version is likely to turn in impressive economy figures: over 80mpg and less than 100g/km of CO2 are being talked about by insiders.

There won’t be a purely electric version, though.

Less expensive versions of the next S-class will also be offered with Mercedes’ next generation of six and eight-cylinder petrol engines. All will have direct injection, use stop-start and will be capable of being turbocharged or used in conjunction with electric motors. The company claims they will provide 10 per cent more power, 25 per cent more torque and 25 per cent better economy than existing petrol motors.

JohnH4260

Mercedes-Benz World Facility Brooklands
Mercedes-Benz World is located 30 kilometres or so southwest of London. It attracts 300,000 visitors a year and over a million visitors already made the trip since the facility opened in 2006. Visitors can get hands-on with the latest Mercedes-Benz cars by taking test drives around the famous Brooklands’ handling circuit and/or put both the car and your driving skills to the test with one of several Driving Experiences.

While visiting, you can also take a walk around the exhibitions and get up close with a Gullwing and Maybach or take a seat in the cinema to learn about the history of Mercedes-Benz.

Admission to Mercedes-Benz World is free, but you’ll need to open your wallet for other adventures such as the driving course experiences; they range from $50 for a ride in an AMG Mercedes to $800 to drive an AMG for a half day. For a nice review of the facility, read Dave Halliday’s write up for Canwest News Service on the Times Colonist website here: http://www.timescolonist.com/Benz+Wo...426/story.html

Mercedes22

Yes i live in Weybridge which is 10 minutes from Brooklands. I have my S-Class and C43AMG serviced there and the MBclub UK Forum meet there every month.

It is a great place to visit,they have concert's there the last one was Elton John and lots of other events.

E92-Lighting

interesting information to know

CL55_Serge

I'm happy with the name change back to S-Class coupe from CL. I think the CL name was confusing - you had to own one to understand it's not a C-class. There is a certain pride in owning an S-Class, and I always found that the CL name misrepresented the car.

JohnH4260

RENNtech Mercedes-Benz Speed Record
Two separate 1/4 mile records were made by two very impressive RENNtech cars at Palm Beach International Raceway on Wednesday February 10th, 2010.

The first record was made by a customer’s CL65. The vehicle was recently upgraded with newly developed RENNtech modifications which created substantial power and torque improvements. A World Record quarter mile pass of 10.62 seconds @ 133.7 mph was clocked on the cars final pass of the night.

While everyone was celebrating the CL65’s record pass, Hartmut Feyhl, owner of RENNtech, set a new record with his very own C63. The vehicle is fully equipped with RENNtech engine, driveline, suspension, and braking modifications, as well as a few other prototype products under development. Hartmut ran 11.6 seconds @ 125.3 mph, which is the Worlds quickest trap speed recorded for the C63.

JohnH4260

Spycam: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Next Flagship to Shed Pounds, Gain Three Hybrid Powertrains
February 2010

After five years on the market, the current Mercedes S-Class is nearing the end of its product cycle. Despite its age, the technology-laden Benz flagship remains formidable, having bested the BMW 750Li and Audi A8 in a recent comparison of ours. Nevertheless, the engineers are working away at the next iteration S-Class, which our spy photographers caught testing in Europe.

The mule shown here is wearing parts from the current model and strategically placed camouflage, making details hard to spot. The most apparent change is the gap of the rear doors, which has a much different shape from the current car. We hear other changes will include smaller front lights and an upright grill, though the exterior surely won't be as radical as the F700 concept shown at the Frankfurt auto show in 2007.

Lightness is reportedly sought, but so are improved space, safety, and technology additions, which will certainly limit any major weight savings. Rumors say that engines will be downsized and hybrid offerings will be threefold: Mild, full, and plug-in. If that sounds a little extraneous, remember that the current S-Class has six different engines offerings in the U.S., and five more in diesel-friendly Europe.

We expect the next S-Class to surface sometime in 2012.

K-A

"After 5 years on the market" ??

JohnH4260

Came out in 2006 in Europe.

K-A

Ah. Wow, feels like it just came out still too.

CL55_Serge

came out in '07 in US, to be refreshed in 2013 - so we are in the middle of the cycle. Don't worry - your S will still look new for the next 5 years or so...