Mr. Glitterati

It’s convertible season.

Which means it’s time to open things up – and there is an all-new masterpiece from Mercedes-Benz designed to help you do just that. It’s called the E-Class Cabriolet.

An aggressively styled convertible with ample room for you and three companions, this soft-top stunner promises to exceed your expectations at every turn. Whether you elect for the 268-horsepower V6 or the 382-horsepower V8, you’ll find it paired with an advanced, seven-speed automatic that actually adapts to your driving style. Add innovative suspensions engineered for responsiveness, and the result is pure automotive bliss. Especially when there’s no roof overhead.

While you’ll undoubtedly escape down the coast in one shortly, you should know that the E-Class Cabriolet is no fair-weather friend—it’s a convertible for all seasons. In fact, Mercedes-Benz has created exclusive technology called AIRCAP®, which keeps wind and cold out of the cabin by deflecting air up and over the car as you drive. Not to mention the new thermally insulated soft-top that also puts a serious damper on road noise. Or the available AIRSCARF®, which wraps the driver and front passenger in a pocket of warmth to help extend your convertible season.

Just a few seconds behind the wheel of the all-new E-Class Cabriolet will have you experiencing the world in a whole new way.

You might even say it was designed from the ground up for life with the top down.

The Indianapolis 500. The Daytona 500. The 24-Hours of LeMans. What do these three races have in common? They all claim to be the biggest, most important motorsport event in the world. Sorry fans, I beg to disagree. The greatest race in the world is the Monaco Grand Prix.

That news may come as a shock to anyone who knows how difficult it is for modern F1 cars to pass in a corner, thanks (or no thanks) to aerodynamic aids. It may upset folks who are thrilled by high speeds of 200+ mph, learning that the average lap speed at Monaco is a mere 90 miles per hour, and with all due respect to my American racing, I might even suggest that it may be difficult to accept that a European Grand Prix might actually be superior to anything held on this side of the Atlantic.

Before picking up your poison e-pens, hear me out. A great motor race is the sum of all its parts. That includes the location, the atmosphere, the glamour, the history, and the people. Monaco (or Monte Carlo, if you prefer) is arguably the most glamorous place in the world. Beautiful people roam the streets, which themselves twist and turn, climb and fall, on the semi-mountainous territory. Almost everywhere you look a dramatic vista awaits, none more than the harbour itself, with the Royal Palace as backdrop. This, after all, was the home of the late Princess Grace.

The Casino, the Sporting Club with its famed disco, dozens of friendly bistros and fine restaurants, beckon the visitor. If you buy a seat on the circuit’s fastest section, you’ll be facing the sterns of magnificent yachts whose international owners have purchased the right, at great expense, to back onto the race course. Just prior to that, following the left turn at Casino Square and a downhill plunge past the Hotel Mirabeau, the cars race through a curving tunnel at over 140 mph, going from bright sun to deep shadow and out into the sun again, reaching 174 mph before the tight right-hander around the swimming pool.

The first Monaco Grand Prix was held on the 14th of April 1929. La Vie Automobile wrote, “it goes without saying that the track is made up entirely of ends, steep uphill climbs, and fast downhill runs. Any respectable traffic system would have covered the track with ‘Danger’ sign posts left, right and centre.”

The Monaco Grand Prix is, in spite of the tight turns, a dangerous place to race. It is also one of the only races where a competitor, Alberto Ascari, spun off the track and into the harbour. He was rescued from his Ferrari unhurt but wet.

When the race begins May 16th (from a standing start, like all GPs), even knowing that he who enters the first turn first has the best chance of winning, I’ll be on the edge of my seat, living every moment. The long, drawn-out hours of the Indy and Daytona races, not even the drama of 24 high-speed hours at LeMans, can’t begin to compare.

Monaco is truly the crême de la crême of motor racing.

Spontaneity has a way of making good things great.

Like that time you went out for a quick drink, and we didn’t see you for three days, and then you were muttering something about champagne, skinny dipping and “the sunlight in Paris.”

And now: a quiet week in the Southwest that might just turn into a death-defying battle of speed and wits.

Welcome to the SuperLite Championship Series Arrive and Drive Program, which lets you rent a real-life race truck on a moment’s notice, racing now.

Basically, it’s as if Formula One started accepting walk-ins. So long as you possess raw talent and unbridled moxie—check, check—you can join up with a touring band of race truck drivers with only a few days’ notice. Your steed: a supercharged light truck (tended to by your own pit crew), and your tracks include some of the same ones used by NASCAR. (Trophy wife for the pit not provided.)

So here’s what you do: first, watch Days of Thunder and Talladega Nights back-to-back. Then call a day or two ahead to reserve a truck—for you, for your buddy getting married this summer, for that guy you’re afraid to carpool with. You’ll be squaring off against all manner of X Games champs and an attractive lass named Corry Weller, before a crowd befitting your advanced driving skills, all at speeds of about 100 miles an hour. Your price of admission is a not inconsiderable $7,500, but you’ll also be competing for $80,000 in prize money.

And you can’t put a price on glory.

STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz may launch its next-generation A- and B-Class compacts in the U.S. in 2012 as part of a broader strategy to bolster its small-car portfolio in North America.

The plan has been under consideration for more than a year, and this week, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the company plans to sell one or more of its new compacts in the U.S. The new A- and B-Class lineup will be introduced in Europe in late 2011.

The smaller Mercedes models would compete against such European rivals as the Audi A3 and the BMW 1 Series.

The automaker also will decide in the next two months whether to shift some production of the C-Class sedan to its U.S. plant in Vance, Alabama, according to Automotive News. The industry journal is also reporting that a redesigned C-Class is due in 2013.

Mercedes is reshaping its small-car plans for North America even as U.S. sales of the Smart Fortwo subcompact have fallen well below expectations.

Smart sales totaled only 661 units in October, down more than 70 percent from October 2008 and the lowest for any month since the car made its U.S. debut. For the first time, Smart is offering cut-rate financing on the car in the hope of boosting demand.

Most gasoline-electric hybrids are all about fuel economy, cars that resolutely eschew any notion of driving pleasure for the intangible satisfaction of big MPGs. That’s not so much the case with the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6, a four-door, fastback-styled “sports activity coupe” that has no qualms about piling on the power. Providing the motivation is BMW’s now-familiar twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine with direct injection, producing a very stout 400 horsepower, and a pair of electric synchronous motors, delivering an additional 91 and 86 horsepower, respectively. Total system output of 480 horsepower and 575 foot-pounds of torque reaches the pavement through a sophisticated seven-speed transmission and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system.

The ActiveHybrid X6’s performance, no surprise, is decidedly un-hybrid-like: zero to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. For those trips where maximum velocity isn’t a top priority, however, the ActiveHybrid is quite happy to waft along on electric power alone at speeds up to 37 mph and for as far as 1.6 miles. Official EPA fuel economy numbers are forthcoming, but BMW is claiming a 20-percent improvement over the non-hybrid X6 xDrive50i, or about 22 mpg on the highway. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but look for the ActiveHybrid X6 to command a healthy premium over the $66,650 X6 xDrive50i when it lands in American showrooms late this year. (bmwusa.com)

I have to admit. Lexuses have never interested me. They’re solid cars that know how to coddle their drivers with understated (if not a little bland) luxury, but they’re not exactly thrill-enducing or even exciting from a design standpoint in a way, say, Mercedes are.

And so when I saw the first Lexus LFA supercar concept that debuted way back in 2005 at the Detroit Auto Show, I thought, like so many fanciful concepts that don’t necessarily fit a company’s image, they’ll never make this thing. But I was wrong. And I’m here to report: It’s a beast.

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Whether you’re talking about a bespoke smoking jacket, an electronic tennis racket or a top-of-the-line German sports car, substance trumps style every time.

In other words, if it’s only pretty to look at, it’s not really worth your money (this is especially true in the case of the electronic tennis racket, because of all the competition out there).

Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about this with the new Porsche 911. It’s the fastest, most fuel-efficient Porsche 911 ever.

I’m going to be frank with you (after all, it is a German sports car we’re talking about): this automobile was meant to be—no, deserves to be—driven every day. So if you’re just looking for some kind of driveway ornament to pull out for quickie joyrides on the weekends, you’re barking up the wrong tree. It’s not that kind of car.

See: this is the first Porsche 911 to be equipped with two racing-inspired technologies—DFI or Direct Fuel Injection, and PDK or Porsche Doppelkupplung. The first leads to an extremely obedient gas pedal, and the second helps you rip through seven gears (yes, we said seven) with racetrack-level speed and power. The result is a Porsche that grabs 27mpg highway, while topping out at 188mph and going from a dead stop to 60mph in about four seconds.

All of which you need. You absolutely need.

The successor to the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing from the 1950s (and replacement for the SLR) has finally been officially revealed today with a new batch of high-resolution photos after months of drip-fed teasers, spy shots, and recently, leaked details and photos. Picking up the official title of SLS AMG–a nod to its exclusive development by Mercedes’ official in-house tuner, AMG–the latest model is set to grace the stands at next week’s 2009 Frankfurt auto show before going on sale early next year.

In true gullwing style, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG features a pair of vertically lifting doors that almost resemble wings once fully extended. These are bolted to a new aluminum spaceframe, which provides an almost perfect front-to-rear weight distribution of 48-to-52%.





Power comes from a revised version of AMG’s now-familiar 6.2L V-8 mated to an all-new 7-speed dual-clutch transmission mounted on the rear axle. Peak output stands at 571 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Changes to the engine include a new magnesium intake with eight separate velocity stacks, two electronically controlled throttle plates, a high-flow exhaust and a new dry-sump lubrication system.





The engine is located up front but is mounted behind the front axle for better weight distribution. The SLS AMG’s final curb weight is 3,571 pounds, 47% of which rests on the front axle, 53% on the rear. With the V-8 mill it’s claimed to accelerate from 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 197 mph. Fuel efficiency is 17.8 mpg in the European combined cycle.





As for the new dual-clutch gearbox, the unit was developed by AMG and boasts fast gear changes with no loss of tractive force. The driver has a choice of four different driving modes, ranging from comfortable to extremely sporty, as well as a ‘RACESTART’ function. The suspension set-up is equally advanced, with double wishbones and hub carriers made of lightweight forged aluminum. Stopping power comes from carbon-ceramic discs, and these are mounted within 19 inch light-alloy wheels.





The car’s dimensions have also been revealed, measuring in at 4.65 m in length, 1.95 m across and just 1.25 m in height. The wheelbase stretches just 2.7 m.





Standard features includes the COMAND APS, leather trim, an electronic parking brake, headlamp assist, keyless ignition, PARKTRONIC, rain sensors, heated seats, AMG floor mats, cruise control, sports pedals and THERMOTRONIC. Optional goodies include a 6-disc DVD charger, Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG sound system, alarm, and several AMG paint schemes include the special Alubeam Silver.





AMG is also offering several performance modifications including a carbon-fiber bonnet, carbon side mirrors, carbon trim, stiffer suspension settings, forged 10-spoke wheels, sports bucket seats and a performance steering wheel finished in leather and Alcantara.





The starting price in Germany is set at €177,310 (approximately $257,232). U.S. pricing should be revealed closer to the car’s sales launch, pegged for early next year as a 2010 model.

It may never reach showrooms, but the “Thousand Kilogram” concept points the way to future Ferraris designed to do more with less.

What We Know About the 2010 Ferrari Millechilli

The concept Millechilli stirred journalists’ juices when unveiled during Ferrari’s recent 60th anniversary festivities. Why? Because though it’s only a foam mock-up, with cardboard “wheels” and no interior or running gear, the Millechilli (MEE-lay KEE-lay) embodies the new design philosophy of future Ferrari road cars, starting with a reborn “Dino” that’s expected to premiere at the spring 2008 Geneva Auto Show in Switzerland.

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Basically, Ferrari has decided its future cars must do more with less, just like one of its Formula One racers. The storied Italian company believes it’s the only way to keep its cars relevant–and legal–in the face of global warming, dwindling fossil-fuel reserves, and new government regulations sparked by such concerns. In particular, Ferrari is responding to a hotly debated proposal by the European Union to cap vehicle carbon-dioxide emissions at 120 grams per kilometer. No current Ferrari could hope to meet that standard. Ditto other high-performance cars. But the EU seems likely to pass some sort of tough limit, so Ferrari wants to be prepared. It also knows its “clients” will still demand traditional Prancing Horse performance and roadability, plus practical space and comfort.

Because weight is the enemy of performance, fuel economy, and greenhouse-gas emissions, Ferrari sees its future cars as much lighter and smaller than today’s models, more high-tech and aerodynamically efficient, yet no less spacious. The Millechilli is meant to show what’s possible. At a glance, it looks like Ferrari’s mid-engine Enzo supercar, but a pared-down nose and tail slash overall length to 152.8 inches, five inches shorter than a Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky roadster. Even more important, the reduced size and extensive use of exotic lightweight materials drop curb weight by some 800 pounds to a projected 2205 pounds. That equates to 1000 kilograms–mille chilli in Italian. Cockpit and powertrain space are virtually unchanged, however, thanks in part to a relatively long 104.3-inch wheelbase.

Moreover, a lighter Ferrari can use a smaller, more efficient engine to provide the same performance and likely better fuel economy too. The Millechilli looks to have room for the 483-horsepower 4.3-liter V8 from today’s Ferrari F430, which in coupe form weighs close to 3200 pounds yet does 0-60 mph in about 3.5 seconds. The concept could also easily package a turbocharged V6 of, say, 3.0-liters. Either way, it’s quite a change from the Enzo’s potent but thirsty 660-hp V12. Of course, a smaller, lighter car can also use smaller wheels, brakes, and other components, again without compromising performance or safety–provided you have the engineering smarts, as Ferrari definitely does.

Top speed was initially promised to be 407 km/h (253 mph) but test versions were unstable at that speed, forcing a redesign of the aerodynamics. In May, 2005, a prototype Veyron tested at a Volkswagen track near Wolfsburg, Germany recorded an electronically limited top speed of 400 km/h (249 mph). In October, 2005, Car and Driver magazine’s editor Csaba Csere test drove the final production version of the Veyron for the November 2005 issue. This test, at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track, reached a top speed of 407.5 km/h (253.2 mph). The top speed was verified once again by James May on Top Gear, again at Volkswagen’s private test track, when the car hit 407.9 km/h (253 mph), which equated to precisely one-third of supersonic speed at sea level. When getting close to the top speed during the test he said that “the tires will only last for about fifteen minutes, but it’s okay because the fuel runs out in twelve minutes.” He also gave an indication of the power requirements, at 249 km/h (155 mph) the Veyron was using approximately 270 bhp (201 kW), but to get to its rated 407 km/h (253 mph) top speed required far more from the engine.

Aerodynamic friction or drag is proportional to the square of the speed; for example doubling speed quadruples drag. Work is a product of force applied over a distance travelled. Comparing a vehicle travelling at 100 mph (160 km/h) with one travelling at 200 mph (320 km/h), over a given period of time (e.g. 1 second), the faster vehicle must overcome 4 times the aerodynamic drag, and travel twice the distance of the slower one. Thus it does 8 times the work of the slower vehicle in that period of time. As power is work done / time taken it follows that the faster vehicle, travelling at twice the speed requires 8 times the power of the slower one. German inspection officials recorded an average top speed of 408.47 km/h (253.8 mph)[4] during test sessions on the Ehra Lessien test track on April 19, 2005.

The car’s everyday top speed is listed at 375 km/h (233 mph). When the car reaches 220 km/h (137 mph), hydraulics lower the car until it has a ground clearance of about 8.9 cm (3½ inches). At the same time, the wing and spoiler deploy. This is the “handling mode”, in which the wing helps provide 3425 newtons (770 pounds) of downforce, holding the car to the road.[11] The driver must, using a special key (the “Top Speed Key”), toggle the lock to the left of his seat in order to attain the maximum (average) speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). The key functions only when the vehicle is at a stop when a checklist then establishes whether the car—and its driver—are ready to enable ‘top speed’ mode. If all systems are go, the rear spoiler retracts, the front air diffusers close and the ground clearance, normally 12.5 cm (4.9 inches), drops to 6.5 cm (2.6 inches).

Acceleration
The Veyron is one of the quickest production cars to 100km/h (62mph) with a proven time of 2.5 seconds[citation needed]. It reaches 60 mph (97 km/h) in approximately 2.46 seconds. This is an average acceleration of 1.18 g.

The forward acceleration in a Veyron may also be strong enough to cause head-up illusion, which gives passengers the impression of driving up a slope, very much like what is commonly experienced in a jet liner that accelerates for take off. This could arguably lead to false perception of stopping distances.

The Veyron reaches 200 and 300 km/h (124 and 186 mph) in 7.4 and 16.7 seconds respectively. And according to the February 2007 issue of Road & Track Magazine, the Veyron accomplished the quarter mile in 10.2 seconds at a speed of 142.9 mph (230.0 km/h). Other tests, however, have the Veyron hitting 150 mph (240 km/h) in 9.8 seconds (see below), so the quarter mile time is actually faster, making the Veyron the most rapidly accelerating production car in history.