Golden Car: All that glisters is not gold

Mercedes C63 Gold

Luxury cars barely attract a second glance on the roads of the United Arab Emirates, so in one of Dubai's shopping malls, they decided to one stage further. In a region that has grown rich on the 'liquid gold' that keeps crankshafts turning all around the world, the local sheikhs can afford to splash out.The showroom in downtown Dubai had a range of makes on display, amongst them this Mercedes C63 AMG. A model that would normally cost around 82,000 US dollars – and that's before you start adding on the usual Arab potentate extras. This particular owner managed to make the forecourt price of his car seem like a mere down-payment by commissioning a very special paint job. And here, we're back on the topic of 'liquid gold'. The gold finish probably cost the equivalent of a tankful or two – in fact, it will have cost more than the car itself. After you've taken a look at the gallery, perhaps you'll have your own view of whether they succeeded in making this particular 'Silver Arrow' golden.

Mercedes-Benz: FAB Design SLR Desire

Don't look now, but there's another Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren special on the scene. The latest comes via FAB Design, the tuner that shocked us with their modded SL and CL in Geneva last year. Now they've turned their attention to the SLR and dubbed the result "Desire." If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, desire must be in the loins, and this one leaves us kind of limp. While it isn't as divisively over-the-top as, say, the ASMA Perfectus or the Hamann Volcano, or as garish as the chrome or gold ones we've seen, we'd prefer the SLR 722 GT directly from Mercedes. The carbon fiber rebody is distinctive and bold, and might not be as bad as we implied. It has a certain DTM machismo to it that might appeal to certain SLR fanciers who want something a little different. In its favor, the FAB Design Desire isn't all about looks. It does feature some suspension tweaks and engine mods that bring power up to 750 hp and nearly 800 torques. And all of that bodywork, along with that optional rear wing, are said to increase downforce considerably. Only 15 will be offered and rather amazingly, all are said to be spoken for. There's a full press release after the jump.

New York Auto Show 2009: Mercedes E63 AMG -

AMG is slowly raising the level of every car in the specialty line, and now the E63 AMG takes its place among the truly sporty offerings from Affalterbach. The specs fit the mold of bigger better more, with 518 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, matching the S Class number for number. The thing to pay attention to this time around is the car's sporting cred: a 4.4-second to sixty mph time via the 7-speed dual clutch transmission from the SL63 AMG, 3-stage ESP, AMG Ride Control sports suspension with steel spring struts up front and air springs with electronically-controlled damping out back, and four driving modes. The official press release is after the jump and two galleries of high-res photos are below, one with live shots from the show floor and the other full of new official images released by Mercedes-Benz today.

Even more individuality with tailor-made AMG extras

Customers can select the optional AMG Performance Package, which includes the following: • Lightweight, forged 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels with size 255/35 R 19 tires at the front and 285/30 R 19 at the rear • AMG Performance suspension with stiffer spring rates • AMG rear axle locking differential with 40 percent locking action • AMG Performance steering wheel in a three-spoke design • Top speed raised to 186 mph

New York Auto Show 2009: Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTEC Concept

Mercedes-Benz brought the new E250 BlueTEC concept sedan to the New York Auto Show today, showing the type of clean diesel sedan that could follow in the wake of last year's BlueTEC SUV mini-fleet. The E250 BlueTEC boasts a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine with SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) exhaust technology mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. The small diesel motor produces big power: 369 lb-ft of torque at 1600-1800 rpm. Part of the conceptual clean diesel fun comes from a 25-liter urea solution (AdBlue) tank that sits in the exhaust stream and reduces NOx emissions, which helps make the car 50-state legal. This is key, since the E250 was created just for us Yankees, MB says. The concept would also meet Europe's strict EU6 emissions standards, which won't be enacted until the later part of 2014. Using BlueTEC in the E250 would probably get the car a 28 mpg city and 39 mpg highway rating from the EPA, Mercedes estimates.

Smmary technical data for the E250 BlueTEC:

Engine/cylinders - Diesel/I4 Transmission - 7-speed automaticDisplacement - 2143 cm³ Nominal power output - 204 hp Nominal torque - 369 lb-ft at 1600-1800 r/min U.S. fuel economy* City Highway - 28 mpg 39 mpgU.S. emissions compliance - Bin 5*preliminary figures

New York Auto Show: Mercedes-Benz ML 450 hybrid

The road to production for the Mercedes-Benz ML450 hybrid hasn't always been smooth, but now that the Germans have shown off the new SUV here at the New York Auto Show (following its early debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show), they'll be happy to tell you just how amazing and luxurious this SULEV people-hauler is. The numbers start with a respectable 21 city/24 highway mpg rating. With a 3.5-liter V6 Atkinson cycle engine and a 288V NM battery pack, the ML450 hybrid can go 1.8 miles and up to 34 mph on battery power alone (take that, Toyota Prius!). The hybrid powertrain altogether has a combined output of 335 horsepower, so providing adequate power to move the giant SUV was clearly just as large a priority as fuel economy. The ML450 hybrid features Mercedes' first application of the Two-Mode hybrid powertrain it co-developed with General Motors and Chrysler - similar applications also appear in the Chevrolet Tahoe Two-Mode Hybrid, Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen Hybrids. How does it ride? All we can say for now is, stay tuned. We're about to hop in one and see for ourselves, but in the meantime for more technical details, see Mercedes' spec sheet (page 1, 2) and the complete press release after the jump.

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG says 'Ich bin ein monster'

Mercedes E63 AMG - Click above for high-res image galleryAMG is slowly raising the level of every car in the specialty line, and now the E63 AMG takes its place among the truly sporty offerings from Affalterbach. The specs fit the mold of bigger better more, with 518 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, matching the S Class number for number. The thing to pay attention to this time around is the car's sporting cred: a 4.4-second to sixty mph time via the 7-speed dual clutch transmission from the SL63 AMG, 3-stage ESP, AMG Ride Control sports suspension with steel spring struts up front and air springs with electronically-controlled damping out back, and four driving modes. The official press release is after the jump and two galleries of high-res photos are below, one with live shots from the show floor and the other full of new official images released by Mercedes-Benz today.