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Mercedes-Benz Celebrates 125 years with sculpture, battery patent

Filed under: Hybrid, Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Electric

Aesthetics 125 and 1886 Benz Patent-MotorWagen

Daimler celebrates 125 years since Carl Benz’s Patent-MotorWagen – Click above for high-res image gallery

Back on January 29th of 1886, Karl Benz filed the patent for his “vehicle with gas-engine drive.” It’s an important date in the history of the automobile, and Daimler is looking back at that special day that occurred 125 years ago and also using the anniversary of that day to look towards the future.

Daimler is embarking on a world tour to show off its Mercedes-Benz vehicles powered by fuel-cells. Over the course of 125 days, B-Class vehicles fitted with fuel cells will be touted all over the globe. As a nod to the past, the automaker received a new patent 125 years to the day that the original one was created. The bi-polar flat-cell frame is a brand-new technological development that will aid in the creation of lithium-ion batteries.

Mercedes-Benz took advantage of the 125th-anniversary celebrations to use art as a means of highlighting its own future. Thanks to rapid-prototyping technology, engineers were quickly able to produce a sculpture that started life as data in a computer. Called Aesthetics 125, the piece shows the level of technological sophistication available today while hinting at the design language of tomorrow.

Daimler is excited for the 125th anniversary of Mr. Benz’s wagon, and 2011 is chock full of milestones and further reasons to celebrate. Read all about them in the full press-release posted after the jump.

Gallery: Daimler celebrates the 125th anniversary of Carl Benz’s Patent-MotorWagen

Aesthetics 125 and the Benz Patent-MotorWagen

[Source: Daimler]

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Mercedes-Benz Celebrates 125 years with sculpture, battery patent originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lotus Type 125 makes its track debut

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Lotus, Specialty, Racing

Lotus Exos Type 125

Lotus Exos Type 125 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Lotus has taken the time to put its new civilian Formula One racer through its paces. The company enlisted the help of both Jean Alesi and James Rossiter to test the Exos Type 125 in its first official track outing. Rossiter serves as the company’s official test driver, so he’s been in the seat of some pretty wild machines. Even so, the racer says that the Type 125 is “unique, intense and extremely raw.” On top of that, Rossiter claims the open-wheel beast is as close as a mortal human can get to man-handling the tiller of a genuine F1 car.

There’s no surprise there. The Type 125 packs a 3.5-liter Cosworth V8 at its core with 650 horsepower. The miracle mill is strapped to a six-speed semi-automatic gearbox, and Lotus says that all it takes to wake the beast is a push of the start button. That means that owners won’t require their own personal squad of mechanics just to get out of the paddock. If you like the sound of this machine as much as we do, you better know someone at Lotus. The company is only planning on handing out 15 examples of the Type 125. Hit the jump for the press release.

Gallery: Lotus Exos Type 125

[Source: Lotus]

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Lotus Type 125 makes its track debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Caterham releases Roadsport 125 Monaco

Filed under: Performance, Specialty

Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco

Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco – Click above for high-res image gallery

Lightweight aficionados rejoice! Caterham has announced a new special edition roadster is joining its ever-expanding lineup. Allow us to introduce you to the Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco. The brushed aluminum bodywork looks resplendent alongside the black nose and fenders. The red and white stripes which run up the nose and across the sides of the car represent the Monegasque flag – the official flag of Monaco. The theme continues into the cabin where the black and red color scheme is designed to represent the roulette wheels accessible throughout Casino Square.

The Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco is powered by the same engine and transmission combination found in the Lambretta special edition – a 125 horsepower 1.6-liter Ford-sourced four-cylinder paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. Since Caterham adheres to Colin Chapman’s philosophy of lighter is faster, the 125 hp mill should provide plenty of thrills behind the wheel.

Pricing for the Roadsport 125 Monaco is set at £20,995 or around $33,000 U.S. However, Caterham is offering a discount on the first 20 Monacos sold. If you act early, you can scoop one up for £19,995 which is a hair over $31,000 US.

Gallery: Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco

Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco

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Caterham releases Roadsport 125 Monaco originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Lotus Exos Type 125 debuts in front of crowd that can afford it

Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Racing

2011 Lotus Exos T125 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Our first stop during the annual classic and exotic car feast up in Monterey every year is always the Jet Center Party, more formally known as McCall’s Motorworks Revival. This year was no exception and aside from the copious amounts of food and drink available, there were of course some cars to sate our appetites.

One that immediately caught our eye was sitting right in the middle of the centerpiece Lotus display. It was the just-announced Lotus Exos T125 single-seat racer. Even alongside Takuma Sato’s current Indy Racing League Lotus Dallara, the Exos draws a huge crowd.

This customer car will be available to a select few enthusiasts who wish to part with a million dollars or more to experience the thrills of Formula 1 racing for themselves – or at least a reasonable fascimile. The 650-horsepower Cosworth engine is limited to just 10,300 RPM for longevity, but that should be more than enough to keep the 25 projected customers happy.

We’re hoping Lotus takes this Exos out on the track this week so we can see it in action. If that happens we’ll be sure to bring you more pics, but for now, check out the gallery of photos from Wednesday night’s Jet Center Party below.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Lotus Exos Type 125

Monterey 2010: Lotus Exos Type 125 debuts in front of crowd that can afford it originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lotus 125 track car to debut at Pebble Beach

Filed under: Performance, Lotus, Racing

Lotus Evora Cup Car

Lotus Evora Cup – Click above for high-res image gallery

Lotus will be more active than usual during next week’s festivities around the Monterey historic races and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Along with the North American Debuts of the Evora Cup race car (above) and Elise RGB edition, Lotus will give us the world debut of the 125 track car.

The new 125 will be unveiled at the Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion at Laguna Seca this weekend and then reappear several times during the week at various events. Lotus hasn’t given any hints of what to expect from the 125 other than it will be the ultimate customer track and racing experience. Stay tuned next week as we’ll share all the details as soon as we have them.

Gallery: Lotus Evora Cup