2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing
Used an aluminium spaceframe body the SLS will come with gullwing doors that rise upwards on roof-mounted hinges, just like Mercedes’s 300SL sports car from half a century ago AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid engine developing 420 kW/ 571 hp peak output, 650 Nm of torque and dry sump lubrication, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in a transaxle configuration, sports suspension with aluminium double wishbones and a kerb weight of 1620 kilograms based on the DINstandard.


Successor to the SLR in both position and alphabetical order, the SLS will supposedly be faster, cheaper and easier to love than its predecessor. Instead of aiming for the miniscule hypercar market the SLR was designed for, the SLS will battle against the cream of the crop in the roughly $200,000 range. Expect to see it facing off against everything from the Nissan GT-R to the Porsche 911 GT3 to the Ferrari F430 in both magazine comparisons and bonus-toting executives’ minds.

2010 Mercedes Benz E-Class Coupe

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe is in fact based on the C-Class platform, not on the E-Class after which it is named. This is the very same C-Class platform officially called the W204. Renaming the car that replaced the two-door CLK as an E-Class is interesting to say the least, but it follows Merc's previous production of basing the W209 CLK on the W203 C-Class platform.

The new E-Class sedan uses a platform codenamed W212 which is clearly not W204. Speculation is that the E coupe's platform designation is C207.



The question may arise as to why Merc would rename the car after the E-Class when it's based on another. Ernst Lieb, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA says one of the answers is that the car performs better for its intended purposes with C-Class underpinnings than it would with E-Class architecture. But more telling a reason is that customers will be far more willing to fork out more money for something called an E-Class Coupe rather than one called a C-Class Coupe, especially at the higher end where the margins are bigger.

Weighing about 400lbs (181kg) less than an E-Class sedan and boasting a slicker body, the Coupe will ultimately handle better and be more efficient than its predecessor.



However, due to the growing media attention of this report, MBUSA officials have issued a statement, according to Left Lane News, saying the E-Class coupe shares more than 60 percent of its "components and technology" with the E-Class sedan. In what appears to be an attempt to excercise some damage control and divert some of the attention back to the E-Class the statement fails to address the inner body structure or platform as being W212 or W204.

We tend to believe the original report was accurate and the E-Class Coupe is indeed based on the W204 C-Class despite its common componentry with the W212 E-Class.

Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Widebody

This isn't an SUV--it's a rocketship. Under the hood lies the first application of a new, AMG-developed, 32-valve 6.3-liter V-8 engine that utilizes four continuously variable overhead camshafts to help produce a stunning 503 horsepower at 6800 rpm and 465 pound-feet of torque at 5200. Compared with the previous ML55 AMG, that's a 46 percent increase in power and 23 percent more torque. The potent 6.3-liter mates to an AMG Speedshift 7-speed automatic transmission with three driver-selectable shift modes and shift buttons mounted on the back of the steering wheel. Expect a 0- 60-mph time of under five seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. The ML63 also boasts an AMG-tuned Airmatic suspension, standard 19-inch wheels and tires (20-inchers are optional), and aggressive AMG bodywork. The ML63 arrives in the U.S. this spring.