Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
1928 Mercedes-Benz from Fort Worth wins prestigious vintage car show
The Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives have information on the winning car to offer. It was originally ordered by Mercedes-Benz Comp. Inc., New York, for a Mr. Charles Levine, New York. On 2 August 1928, the chassis was delivered to Saoutchik in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. The company manufactured and mounted the sports two-seater body and charged 72,327.25 French Francs (equalling 11,572.35 Reichsmark) to Daimler-Benz AG in December 1928. The exact date of delivery is not documented, but it is supposed to have happened in December 1928.
Current owners Judy and Paul Andrews of White Settlement, Texas, had the car extensively restored before presenting it to the panel of judges in Pebble Beach. Before that the vehicle had been kept in storage for around 30 years.
The Mercedes-Benz S Type – also known as the 680 S because of its 6.8-litre engine capacity – was launched in 1927 as an evolution of the Mercedes-Benz Model K super sports car. It established the legendary family of heavyweight supercharged cars that included the SS and SSK models from 1928. The cars dominated racing history over the years, but could also be bought as conventional road vehicles. All vehicles in this family had a six-cylinder in-line engine with a supercharger to increase output. Power was also boosted by the dual ignition. Each cylinder had two spark plugs, one fired by a battery ignition and the other by a high-voltage magneto ignition.
Exclusive high-performance sports car
The 6.8-litre engine of the S Type, the model on which all the others were based, produced an output of 120 bhp (88 kW) without a supercharger and 180 bhp (132 kW) with the supercharger engaged. This made the S Type one of the fastest and most sought-after sports cars of its time. Its debut public appearance at the opening race at the Nürburgring in 1927 ended with a threefold victory for Mercedes-Benz. Rudolf Caracciola drove his S Type across the finishing line in first place.
Only 146 of these exclusive high-performance sports cars were ever made, the vast majority of them sold as open-top four-seaters with a Sindelfingen body. A select few, however, such as this year’s Best in Show winner at Pebble Beach, were delivered as a chassis to have their bodywork made by the most famous coachbuilders of the era. For many years now, the Mercedes-Benz S Type has been one of the most popular collector’s cars and also one of the most valuable.
1936 Mercedes-Benz 540k Special Roadster
At a Gooding & Company auction held at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Roadster from 1936 was sold for $11.8 million, setting records for both Mercedes-Benz automobiles and prewar cars sold at auction, though it failed to set a single-car auction price record. “Mercedes-Benz vehicles always achieve top prices at international auctions,” says Michael Bock, Head of Mercedes-Benz Classic. “And the Special Roadster is one of the most coveted cars among prominent collectors.” This particular vehicle has an fascinating history. First bought by an aristocratic Prussian family, it soon passed into the ownership of Baroness Gisela von Krieger. During the Second World War, she took the Special Roadster first to Switzerland and from there to the USA, where it remained unused in a garage for more than 40 years until her death. The car was then restored to immaculate condition.
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in the USA is among the world’s most prestigious classic car shows. This year there was a separate class for the creations of Jacques Saoutchik. Originally from Russia, the cabinetmaker had emigrated to France and established a coachbuilding company that enjoyed widespread fame in the 1920s and 1930s. He produced many extravagant designs for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz cars have a very special place on the hallowed turf of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, winning Best of Show seven times and collecting more than 120 First in Class and Special Awards as part of a long list of successes since 1950.
Did you know …?
At the Goodwood Revival (September 14-16, 2012) Mercedes-Benz Classic will be represented by five original Silver Arrows from the 1930s – and is organising a staged race for them together with Auto Union which will be the biggest gathering of Silver Arrows for a number of decades.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Take a look at this beautiful 2012 Mercedes Benz E350!
Click here for more information
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Mercedes, Record GT40 Head $220 Million Car Auction
Wealthy collectors paid record prices for a Ford GT40 and rarities by desirable marques such as Mercedes, Ferrari and Bentley in California’s classic car sales.
Gooding & Co., RM Auctions, and Bonhams sales ending last night raised in excess of $220 million, 33 percent higher than the $166.7 million generated in the bellwether West Coast sales last year.
Classic cars, like art and wine, have been attracting increased attention from wealthy individuals looking to diversify their investment portfolios. Existing buyers, aware of the worth of rare autos as a store of value in times of economic weakness, are also looking to improve their collections.
“There was a unique number of important cars,” said Dietrich Hatlapa, founder of the Historic Automobile Group International (HAGI), whose Top 50 benchmark index of exceptional classic cars has gained 8.2 percent in the year through July. “The lineup was impressive, the prices were strong.”
The most highly valued lot of the week was a 1936 Mercedes- Benz 540 K Special Roadster offered on the second day of Gooding’s Aug. 17-18 sale at Pebble Beach. One of only 30 built, and featuring the desirable “high-door, long-tail” styling, the car had been tipped by dealers to rival the auction record of $16.4 million set by a Ferrari Testa Rossa at the same venue last year.
Mercedes Record
The Mercedes sold for $11.8 million with fees, underlining the more selective market for high value prewar cars. The price was nonetheless the highest of the week and a record for the marque at auction. A 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe, formerly owned by the Hollywood star Clark Gable, was estimated at more than $9 million and failed to sell.
Gooding’s 122 cars raised $115 million, a record for a two- day sale at the auction house. Gooding offered a 1960 Ferrari “competition” 250 GT California Spyder formerly owned by the late New England collector Sherman M. Wolf.
One of only nine alloy-bodied long wheelbase versions made, it sold for $11.3 million against a valuation of $7 million to $9 million.
A comparable LWB “competition” California Spyder was sold by Gooding two years ago for $7.3 million.
“The prices of the rarest Ferrari road cars from the 1950s and 1960s have really moved up,” Hatlapa said. “The marque continues to lead the market.”
RM achieved $8.6 million for a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder and $8.25 million for a cream-colored 1955 Ferrari 410 S Berlinetta at its Aug. 17-18 sale at Monterey.
American Record
The two-day event raised $96 million with 90 per cent of the 120 offered cars finding buyers, said RM. Twenty cars sold for more than $1 million, the Canadian-based company said.
A 1968 Ford GT40 racer was the star lot at RM, selling on the first day for $11 million -- a record for any American auto at auction.
The Gulf/Mirage, finished in trademark powder blue with a marigold stripe, was estimated to fetch more than $8 million. The car had been raced by Jacky Ickx at Daytona and Le Mans trials in 1968. It was later used as the camera car in Steve McQueen’s 1971 film “Le Mans.”
Earlier on Aug. 17, a restored Ford GT40, formerly owned by the Bolivian tin magnate Jaime Ortiz-Patino, sold for $2.2 million on the second day of a Bonhams auction of classic motorcycles and cars at Quail Lodge, Carmel.
Valued at $2 million to $3 million, the car had been driven by Ortiz-Patino’s godson, Dominique Martin, at Monza and Hockenheim races in 1969 before being damaged by fire.
McLaren Racer
The most highly valued lot at Bonhams was a 1997 GTC Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren F1 GTR racer, again featuring powder blue and marigold livery. Estimated to raise as much as $5 million, it failed to sell in the salesroom and found a buyer shortly afterwards for $3.85 million with fees, Bonhams said.
The London-based auction house raised $10.3 million from successful bids in its Aug. 16-17 auction. Buyers were found for about 50 per cent of its 97 cars. Elsewhere, Mecum Auctions achieved $5.5 million for a 1972 Porsche L&M 917/10 Spyder raced by Can-Am Champion driver George Follmer at a three-day sale in Monterey on Aug. 16-18.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Protect the beauty of your Mercedes-Benz!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
2013 Mercedes-Benz E400 Hybrid Priced
Monday, August 13, 2012
6 common tire myths debunked
1. The tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) in my new car makes sure my tires are adequately inflated. 
- Our Cars
The truth: TPMS isn't required to issue a warning until pressure is 25 percent below the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation. That's "well below the pressure required for safe driving," according to AAA and "barely adequate to carry the vehicle's maximum load," says the Rubber Manufacturers' Association. TPMS is intended as a last-minute warning before imminent tire failure, not as a monitor to make sure your tires are properly inflated.
Buy a quality tire gauge and set your tire pressure to at least the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation, which is found on the driver's door jamb. I'd rather you set your tires 3 or even 5 psi high rather than 1 low. Tire-pressure gauges can be inaccurate, and tires leak as much as 1 psi per month. Higher pressure improves hydroplaning resistance and, if you're like many folks, you may not bother to check your tires again for six months.
2. When replacing only two tires, the new ones go on the front.
The truth: Rear tires provide stability, and without stability, steering or braking on a wet or even damp surface might cause a spin. If you have new tires up front, they will easily disperse water while the half-worn rears will go surfing: The water will literally lift the worn rear tires off the road. If you're in a slight corner or on a crowned road, the car will spin out so fast you won't be able to say, "Oh, fudge!"
There is no "even if" to this one. Whether you own a front-, rear- or all-wheel-drive car, truck, or SUV, the tires with the most tread go on the rear. Don't believe it? Watch this.
3. A tire is in danger of bursting if pressure exceeds the "max press" number on the sidewall.
The truth: The "max press" number has nothing to do with a tire's burst pressure. The "max press" and "max load" numbers indicate the pressure at which the tire will carry the maximum amount of weight. A new, quality tire will not pop at an even multiple of the "max press." I'm sworn to secrecy about the exact burst pressure, but I wouldn't hesitate to double the "max press" of any new passenger-vehicle tire on a new wheel. But hitting a big pothole at super-high pressures may cause a failure.
4. The "max press" is where the tire offers its maximum cornering grip.
The truth: If you didn't read the previous point, do so now. Many law enforcement officers cling rigidly to the misconception that the "max press" is secret code for maximum at-the-limit traction. It's a coincidence that many low-bidder tires offer increased grip at 40 or more psi. But that's all it is: a coincidence. If I were going to race a stock ex-cop Ford Crown Victoria on street tires on a road-racing circuit, 45 psi front, 35 psi rear wouldn't be a bad place to start. (The tail would be, in Nascar lingo, too loose for safe street driving.)
5. Low-profile tires fitted on large-diameter wheels improve handling.
The truth: The short sidewalls of low-profile tires enhance the tires' response when the driver first turns the steering wheel. That gives the driver the (often false) feeling the tire has tons of grip. But after that initial movement, it's the tread compound—the stickiness of the rubber—that determines how well the tire grips the road. Also, the combination of a large-diameter wheel and low-profile tire is usually heavier than the original equipment. This means the suspension may not be able to keep the tire in touch with the pavement.
6. All tires with the same designation are exactly the same size.
The truth: Think all 225/35R19s (or whatever tire size) are exactly 225 millimeters wide and their sidewalls are exactly 35 percent as tall as the tire is wide? Not exactly. And unlike what's commonly believe, these designations are not about production tolerances.
All the tires of a specific part number or stock keeping unit (SKU) can be can be slightly wider or narrower than the nominal width and their profile can be slightly taller or shorter than the stated percentage. Why? A wider, taller tire puts more rubber on the ground, which is good for a performance tire. A shorter, narrower tire uses less material, thus reducing costs in a business where profit margins almost never break into double digits. So tiremakers might scrimp a bit here and there. It's a bit like how a 2 x 4 is not, in fact, 2 by 4.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Marvel in this beauty!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Mercedes Benz global sales increase 5.5% during January-July 2012
The carmaker's smart and Maybach brands increased by 5.1% to 813,966 units during the initial seven months of 2012.
Mercedes-Benz Cars Sales and Marketing executive vice president Dr. Joachim Schmidt said despite many model changes and varying market conditions in Southern Europe, for the year to date, the company is on track to set a new sales record in 2012.
"The response to the new A-Class is excellent with well over 40,000 posted orders since it was released for sale," Schmidt said.
"The gradual introduction of additional new models like the CLS Shooting Brake and the GL-Class will give further momentum to our sales."
During the period, Mercedes Benz's sales in Canada reported 10.1% rise, while in Mexico the company's sales reported more than 26% rise when compared to the same period in 2011.
The company sold nearly 147,905 units in the US during the period reporting a 13.8% rise over the year ago period.
Mercedes Benz has reported sales of 97,327 vehicles during July 2012, when compared to 100,391 units sold during the same month in 2011.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
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