Geneva Preshow: Brabus Unleashes its Tune for the New Mercedes-Benz CLS

The arrival of the second generation Mercedes-Benz CLS has Brabus getting ready to present its tuning program for the sports sedan at next week's Geneva Motor Show. For the 2012 CLS, the German tuning house prepared a variety of aero-enhancements, interior goods and performance upgrades. Aesthetically, the Mercedes-Benz tuning specialist offers a new front bumper add-on that can be further upgraded with LED daytime running lights with either dark or chrome surrounds, fender gills, side skirts, a discrete boot lid spoiler and a rear apron with custom cutouts for the for the four tailpipes of the available sport exhaust system. There are plenty of choices for the alloy wheels as Brabus offers six different designs in sizes ranging from 8.5Jx17" to 10.5Jx20". The largest tires supplied by the company's partners Pirelli and YOKOHAMA for these wheels come in size 255/30 ZR 20 in front and in size 305/25 ZR 20 for the rear axle. Inside, the options range from a new sports steering wheel in a variety of leather and wood designs, to custom leather or Alcantara upholsteries and aluminum and carbon fiber trim components. For the time being, the German tuning firm's engine kits are limited to the diesel models. The CLS 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY's 2.1-liter turbo diesel engine equipped with the performance kit delivers an additional 31 hp for a total of 235HP and a peak torque of 560 Nm (413 lb-ft). The Brabus-tuned CLS 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY gets a new kit which offers two different modes. In the ‘Eco’ setting, only peak torque is increased from 620 Nm to 690 Nm (457 to 509 lb-ft) between 1,600 and 2,400 rpm, with the maximum output remaining unchanged. If the driver selects the ‘Sport’ mode, both peak torque and output are increased, with power jumping from 265HP to 313HP. Using this setting, the tuned CLS sprints from 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 seconds, while top speed is limited electronically to 250 km/h (155 mph). A sports exhaust system that promises to optimize power yield and produce a throaty exhaust note is available for all CLS engine variants. Finally, to improve handling, the tuner offers a number of solutions ranging from new sport springs for a 30mm (1.2-in.) lower ride-height to a complete sports suspension.

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U Spy: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster Convoy Scooped in Spain

Carscoop reader Frank Jonas hit the Mercedes-Benz jackpot when travelling in Spain last week, he stumbled upon a convoy of camo'ed SL prototypes, which were accompanied by several other vehicles with the star on their bonnet including an example of the current generation of the German firm's hardtop roadster model. "On my trip to the south of Spain last week I had the opportunity to take some pictures of a heavily camouflaged Mercedes-Benz Coupe/Cabriolet, most probably the next SL," Frank told Carscoop. Although Mercedes has done its best to disguise the SL by covering it in heavy cladding, we can see that the new generation model keeps its predecessor's two-piece folding hard top, while the styling is expected to adopt the German firm's more "artsy" design philosophy as seen on the latest CLS and recent concept models such as the F800 Style, along with a more in-your-face front grille. Being that the 2012 SL was developed alongside the SLS Gullwing, the two models are likely to share certain key components such as the suspension bits and electrical systems. Information regarding the engine range remains scarce, but buyers should expect a entry-level V6 and the usual lineup of V8 units including Merc's newly developed 5.5-liter bi-turbo V8 for the AMG model, and possibly, an upgraded V12 for the flagship version. Hat tip to Frank for the scoop!
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Pagani Zonda F Driver Survives 199mph - 320 km/h Crash After Spinning Out of Control

There are very few (if any) people that can lose control of their car at 199mph or 320km/h and live another day to tell the tale. But that's exactly what happened to a 28-year-old German driver of a black Pagani Zonda F and his 21-year-old [sic...] Lithuanian passenger, after the young man lost control of the $1.5 million supercar earlier this week on Italy's A10 autostrada. According to reports from Italy, the driver was going around 320 km/h (198.8 mph) when the car spun out of control hitting a guardrail on the right, losing a wheel, overturning and then colliding with a Mercedes, with which the driver was allegedly racing on the highway. Both the driver and the passenger of the supercar, as well as the driver of the Mercedes, came out unscathed. Italian daily Corriere Della Sera also reported that the owner of the Pagani Zonda F had been fined last April on the same highway after he was clocked traveling in a Lamborghini at triple digit speed. Via: Jalopnik , Sources: Corriere & ilsecoloxix


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The Fantastic Life of Mercedes Art Cars

As the title sponsor of Berlin’s Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz placed some of its own designs into striking art installations meant to represent the eras in which the cars were built.
As part of the “Recollection Quartett,” staged by Mercedes-Benz and MoMu Fashion Museum, Antwerp, Belgian artist and photographer Frederik Heyman placed four cars amidst updated stereotypes of the years between 1967 and 1991.
For instance, though the SL roadster shown above was built in Germany, the artist said it came into its own on Sunset Boulevard during the freewheeling 1970s. Though we seem to recall gas lines, Watergate and skyrocketing interest rates, Heyman and fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm pay tribute to those who spent the entire Carter administration on a mattress at Plato’s Retreat.
Interestingly, the 1980s-era W123 wagon best known in the United States for shuttling wealthy suburbanites between tennis lessons and the pool at the club was popular among West German lumberjacks, tradesmen and outdoors enthusiasts. Mannequins in shoulder pads surrounding an S-Class coupe underneath fragments of a globe made from a chess board represent wealth and power in the late ’80s, while the models’ long shadows show they’re also pawns in that game.
About the only installation we can instantly relate to is the one surrounding the rock-solid W115. Faceless businesspeople in gray flannel suits look like they’ve stepped straight out of a Magritte painting, while a secretary in the front seat types out an advertisement in Arabic that reads “Taxi for sale,” a nod to the livery service the venerable “Stroke 8″ models have offered around the world.
While the settings are certainly high-concept, they’re also proof that cars are as much a product of their respective eras as they are representative of those times.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz

The W115 was popular among business types and cab drivers in far-flung locales
Bobby Brown drove a 560 SEC, and so did world power players in the late '80s.

By Keith Barry January 21, 2011

VIDEO: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe

We've already had an in-depth look at the new 2012 C-Class Coupe, but Mercedes-Benz has published the first official video of the two-door model before its official debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. You can hit the jump to watch the clip for yourself. In Europe, the Stuttgart-based automaker's Audi A5 Coupe rival will come with a choice of up to of five direct-injection engines including 1.8-litre and 3.5-litre petrols ranging in power from 156 to 306HP, and two 2.1-liter diesels delivering from 171HP and 204HP. Buyers in the United States will have to make do with two gasoline engine choices, 1.8-liter unit with 201HP and a 3.5-liter V6 with 302HP.

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Mercedes-Benz USA to Take Over Smart Distribution from Penske, Ditches Plans for Nissan Micra-Based Car

Daimler is planning to end an agreement with Penske Automotive Group regarding the distribution rights of Smart cars in the United States and transfer all activities to Mercedes-Benz USA, starting from the end of the second quarter of 2011. "We are very excited about working toward integration of Smart into the MBUSA organization, and look forward to working with our dealer partners to exceed customer expectations for this unique vehicle," said Mercedes-Benz President and CEO, Ernst Lieb. "The addition of smart, combined with our Autohaus dealer initiative, will help us build upon the tremendous momentum the Mercedes-Benz brand has achieved here in the U.S." Penske began selling the Lilliputian Smart Fortwo in the USA as an independent distributor in January 2008, and partially thanks to sky rocketing gasoline prices at the time as well as the initial shock factor, the company managed to sell close to 25,000 units that year. However, sales plummeted the next two years dipping to 14,600 cars in 2009 and to less than 6,000 units in 2010. "Introducing the smart brand to the U.S. has been a unique opportunity for us," said Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger Penske. "Over the last three years I've experienced the passion consumers express for the brand as we delivered over 45,000 vehicles. Aligning smart distribution with Daimler, as it is worldwide, is the logical next step for the smart brand in the U.S. This alignment will enable the smart brand to grow through the Mercedes-Benz dealership network and lead the way in conservation and meeting future fuel economy standards." The decision to break up with Penske also marks the end of the firm's plans to add a Nissan Micra-based model to Smart's U.S. lineup in late 2011. The company is readying its own five-door model (see our most recent scoop story here) using a new rear-wheel drive platform that is being currently developed in cooperation with the Renault-Nissan Group, but the four seat hatchback isn't expected for another two to three years. Sources: SmartUSA via Autonews (Sub. Required)

MR Car Design Tunes up the Pre-Facelift Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG

The pre-facelift Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG is the object of MR Car Design's latest tuning program. The exterior kit for the hardtop roadster model includes a lightweight carbon fiber hood from Kicherer, smoked up turn signals all around and the rear diffuser from the newer 2009MY SL 65 AMG. A set of shiny 20-inch alloy wheels from Carlsson and custom-made Black Series gauge dials inside complete the styling package. To improve performance, the Germany-based tuning firm optimized the bi-turbocharged V12 engine's ECU and added a custom sports exhaust system, which help lift output by 80HP for a total of 692-horses. The removal of the electronic speed limiter and the addition of an electronic module that lower the roadster model's ride height by 30 mm round off the changes.


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