Tag: fine

RENNtech fine-tunes its Mercedes GLK Pikes Peak Hybrid [w/video]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Motorsports, Hybrid, Performance, SUV, Crossover, Mercedes-Benz, Off-Road, Racing

RENNtech Mercedes-Benz GLK350 Hybrid Pikes Peak Rally Car

RENNtech Mercedes-Benz GLK350 Hybrid Pikes Peak Rally Car – Click above for high-res image gallery

Trucks and racing don’t normally belong in the same sentence, but a few exceptions exist – the NASCAR Craftsman series, the Dakar rally, and, of course, Pikes Peak.

The legendary hill-climb competition has bred some of the most jaw-droppingly monstrous machines known to man. It also inspired the creation of the GLK350 Hybrid Pikes Peak Project which Mercedes-Benz tuner extraordinaire RENNtech unveiled at SEMA in 2008.

Three years later, RENNtech has revisited the concept crossover with a second version, bearing the most aggressive body kit this side of a Star Wars film set and coated in 3M’s carbon-look vinyl wrap. (So, no, the body has not be recreated in actual carbon fiber.) Ostensibly based on the 3.5-liter V6 model, RENNtech’s concept packs an additional electric boost developed in-house.

The show car is going on tour across America before it’s retired to the Mercedes-Benz Classic Vehicle Museum in Irvine, California. Follow the jump for the press blast and video footage, and check out all the images in the mega-gallery below.

Gallery: RENNtech Mercedes-Benz GLK350 Hybrid Pikes Peak Rally Car

[Source: RENNtech]

Continue reading RENNtech fine-tunes its Mercedes GLK Pikes Peak Hybrid [w/video]

RENNtech fine-tunes its Mercedes GLK Pikes Peak Hybrid [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Priory Fine Arts flies the Spirit of Ecstasy with reproduction sculptures

Filed under: Classics, Rolls-Royce, Design/Style, Luxury

Spirit of Ecstasy

Spirit of Ecstasy sculpture by Priory Fine Arts – Click above for high-res image gallery

Though hood ornaments were once commonplace on high-end automobiles, they’ve all but completely gone the way of the dodo. Mercedes-Benz sedans still use the simple but iconic three-pointed star, and its upscale sister brand Maybach has its own Double-M. Some Bentley owners opt for the Flying B ornament, but the Jaguar leaping cat is even less common. Few carry the mantle as proudly as Rolls-Royce though.

The Spirit of Ecstasy has been the Rolls-Royce mascot for decades, and remains so today. Back in its heyday, though, Rolls dealers often displayed oversized sculptures – a couple of feet tall or more – of the Spirit in their showrooms. Afficionados, however, can still get these to display in their homes or offices thanks to an English studio called Priory Fine Arts.

Priory crafts replicas of the classic statuettes out of brass, optionally plated in silver or gold. You can get your hands on one for $3,150. The price is listed as negotiable, but the precious-metal leaf will undoubtedly add a few extra greenbacks. Have a closer look at the continuation sculptures – soon to celebrate the centenary of the 1911 original – in the gallery below, or follow the links to inquire about ordering your own.

Gallery: Spirit of Ecstasy sculpture by Priory Fine Arts

[Source: Priory Fine Arts via Hemmings]

Priory Fine Arts flies the Spirit of Ecstasy with reproduction sculptures originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swedish man may pay largest speeding fine ever

Filed under: Government/Legal, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

Just because major portions of the German Autobahn have no speed limit doesn’t mean you can drive as fast as you want anywhere in Europe. Where there are posted restrictions, most European countries take speeding very seriously and levy hefty fines. The latest case in point is a 37-year-old Swedish man who was clocked at 180 miles per hour on a motorway between Bern and Lausanne in Switzerland.

Unfortunately for this driver of a new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Switzerland doesn’t have fixed fines for speeding. Instead they use a formula similar to that in Finland where the fine is calculated based on the vehicle’s speed and the driver’s income. Back in 2002, Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki had to pay a fine of $103,600 for going 47 mph in a 31 mph zone.

In this latest incident, the driver faces a penalty of just over $1 million for traveling at the highest speed ever recorded on a public road in Switzerland. Apparently the SLS escaped being clocked by several older cameras that are limited to 125 mph before finally being recorded by a new camera with a higher radar speed range. His excuse: The speedometer was faulty.

As far as we know, this is the most expensive speeding ticket ever issued, though there are reports of a kid who last April was caught speeding in his dad’s Bugatti Veyron, the punishment for which was permanent seizure of the vehicle.

Gallery: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

mb-sls-amg-gullwing-large_06mb-sls-amg-gullwing-large_03mb-sls-amg-gullwing-large_05mb-sls-amg-gullwing-large_02

[Source: The Telegraph]

Swedish man may pay largest speeding fine ever originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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