Mercedes-Benz to Produce an All-New Fifth Model at its U.S. Plant in 2015

Daimler, the parent company of German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz, plans to invest US$350 million and create some 400 new jobs at its U.S. plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to build a brand-new, but as of yet, unnamed model.
Currently, Mercedes-Benz manufactures the M-, GL-, and R-Class SUVs in Tuscaloosa, while the German firm will also assemble the next generation of the C-Class series for the North American market beginning 2014.
“This new model from the Tuscaloosa plant is an important element of our growth strategy," Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said Friday in a statement. "It is one of the ten additional models which we will introduce within the next four years alone across all segments."
While there have been reports for a smaller model based on the architecture of the next A-Class, it is believed that the fifth model will be Mercedes-Benz's answer to the BMW X6, a sporty looking crossover with a rakish roofline based on the M-Class.

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VÄTH Unleashes 660-HP Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG

If for some very strange reason you find that the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG lacks some serious punch under its hood, Germany's Vath has developed a new performance package for Stuttgart's sports saloon.

The tuner breaths more fire into the CLS 63 AMGthrough the use of its V63RS engine kit that bumps the 5.5-liter bi-turbocharged V8's output from 525-hp and 700-Nm to 660-horses and a whopping 990Nm or 730 lb-ft of peak torque.
The result is an increase in top speed to 325km/h or 202 mph, with the 0-100km/h (62mph) acceleration trimmed 3.9 seconds, and the 0-200km/h (124mph) sprint completed in just 12.0 seconds. The engine package alone costs €12,800 or US$17,700 in Europe.
Vath also offers an electronic module to lower the suspension height along with an upgrade kit for the brakes and new 20-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped around tires size 265/30ZR20 at the front and 305/25ZR20 at the rear axle.
Available aero parts include a front lip spoiler, a different rear diffuser and a boot lid spoiler, while the company can also modify the CLS 63 AMG's interior with custom leather and trims.

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1960 Mercedes 300 SL Roadster Sold for €405,000 after Sitting in a Greek Garage for 37 Years!

It seems like the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL of the 1960s was a car that wasn't appreciated as much as it should at its time. After the lightweight special edition that was sold aftersitting in a Santa Monica garage for 40 years, another example of Stuttgart’s iconic sports car surfaced, this time in the Greek city of Piraeus.
The model in question is a 1960 300 SL Roadster with an original hard-top, which was rare at the time since most open-top models were sold with the fabric roof.
The 240HP 3.0-liter inline-six-powered Mercedes car belonged to Greek racecar fan Criton Dilaveris who bought it second hand a few years after it was built. Mr Dilaveris died of old age in 1972 and since he left no heirs, all his property along with the car ended up to the city.





It has been sitting in the garage of the Municipality of Piraeus since 1974 and was saved quite a few times from being sent to the scrapyard.
And all for the best as the city decided to auction it off with a starting price of €240,000 ($332,670 US). The highest bidder was German collector Rajna Hildebrandt, who also owns a 300 SL Gullwing and a soft-top Roadster version.
Hildebrand wanted the car so much that he ended up paying €405,000 ($561,303 US). According to the crew over at the Greek auto site High Octane who sent us the story, the photos don’t do justice to the car.





The 300 SL, which has 97,172 km (60,380 miles) on its odometer, is in much better condition than it looks and, as its new owner said, won’t need much work to restore it to its original condition.
Photo & Story credits: Highoctane

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