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How long does the Benz Patent Motorwagen need to lap the Nurburgring?

December 23, 2021 in Uncategorized | Permalink

The Benz Patent Motorwagen lapping the Nurburgring? Well, that would be a sight to behold. While Mercedes-AMG has the 4-Door Coupe holding the record for the fastest series production 4-door at the Green Hell, how long would the first-ever car take?

The Benz Patent Motorwagen is the first carriage with no horse traction. Karl Benz built it back in 1886 and his wife, Bertha, started out from Manheim to Pforzheim with the couple’s two sons. Not only did she reach her destination, her parents’ house. But she also managed to return back home.

The Patent Motorwagen was not designed as a sports car, but as the first-ever car. Now it hits the Nurburgring in a virtual lap. YouTube sim racer and IRL race car driver Jimmy Broadbent took the vehicle to the racetrack. The project took ten months to complete and user SATBLAB was the one responsible for the success. He was the one to faithfully recreate the car.

The car sports one horsepower in the game. If it had any less, it wouldn’t have been able to move at all. The real deal had only two-thirds of a horsepower (0.4 kW). These parameters helped roll with a top speed of 13 km/h (8 mph). That is snail speed for the 21-kilometer (13-mile) long racetrack, where ferocious cars and highly-skilled drivers put their abilities to the test.

When going downhill, the three-wheel Benz Patent Motorwagen speeds up thanks to gravity, even hitting 70 km/h (43 mph). Karl Benz would have never dreamed of reaching such speeds. Going uphill though is torture. The vehicle simply stops in steep inclines.

But it eventually manages to put an end to all this… persecution after spending over 80 minutes on a lap on the Nurburgring. 135 years later, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series covered the same route in about 6 minutes and 43 seconds. Times have changed…

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Cinema-like experience. Dolby Atmos Music in the Mercedes-Benz cars

November 2, 2021 in Uncategorized | Permalink

Customers will have a cinema-like experience onboard the Mercedes-Benz cars. The feature will allow them to listen to music to its fullest potential.

The Dolby Atmos experience will be built into the optional Burmester high-end 4D and 3D sound system, but also integrated into the Mercedes-Maybach. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class will follow.

It will make use of 31 loudspeakers and eight sound transducers mounted in the seats. There will also be six 3D speakers that emit the sound from above. Four near-ear speakers will find room in the front seats as well. There will also be an 18.5-liter subwoofer and two amplifiers. The system will feature a 1750-watt power.

“Our customers rightly expect the highest level of music enjoyment in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. Therefore, Mercedes-Benz is one of the first luxury car brands in the world to rely on the ground-breaking Dolby Atmos technology”, says Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG responsible for Sales.

The creators of the system promise an immersive audio experience with more space, clarity and depth to music. It will thus exceed the abilities of the regular mono and stereo systems.

VIP sound experience in the Maybach models with Dolby Atmos Music

One of the first cars in the world to feature the Dolby Atmos feature is – as previously mentioned – the Mercedes-Maybach. It is also the first car of the company’s line-up to receive it. The VIP experience will further expend with the multidimensional sound experience.

John Couling, Senior Vice President Commercial Partnerships, Dolby Laboratories said: “At Dolby we are passionate about extending the Dolby Atmos Music experience, so that consumers can enjoy it anywhere and Mercedes-Benz shares our vision. We are excited to be collaborating with them to accelerate the adoption of this immersive auditory experience in cars. The integration of Dolby Atmos into the S-Class and the Mercedes-Maybach will offer an additional superior feature to customers whether they are in the driving seat or a passenger.”

The system will be available starting the summer of 2022. Mercedes will subsequently integrate the feature in other models when the customers tick the optional MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience).

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Aston Martin world debut: Hypercar Valkyrie Spider

August 12, 2021 in Uncategorized | Permalink

The Valkyrie Spider, marketed as one of the world’s most extreme hypercars, was unveiled August 11 by Aston Martin at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance during Monterey Auto Week.

With off-roof driving and described by the manufacturer as “the most comparable experience to that of an F-1 car not limited to the track,” the Valkyrie Spider will feature a 6.5-liter V12 with revving to more than 11,000 RPM.

Aston Martin has unveiled its new hypercar the Valkyrie Spider.

Aston Martin has unveiled its new hypercar the Valkyrie Spider.

Aston Martin has unveiled its new hypercar the Valkyrie Spider. Image courtesy of Aston Martin.

While the Aston Martin Valkyrie’s unique 1155PS hybrid V12 powertrain remains unchanged, the Valkyrie Spider has received revisions to its carbon-fiber structure.

Plus, Aston Martin has announced a “precise recalibration of both the active aerodynamic and active chassis systems.”

Aston Martin Hypercar Debuts

With its ultra-lightweight construction and high downforce aerodynamics package, the upper body surfaces of the teardrop-shaped cockpit and lower tub contours follow the envelope of space available between the huge full-length Venturi tunnels that run either side of the cockpit floor.

Drawing huge quantities of air beneath the car to feed the rear diffuser, these tunnels are the key to generating Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider’s extraordinary levels of downforce, while keeping the upper body surfaces free from additional aerodynamic devices that would spoil the purity of the open-top styling.

Capable of achieving a vMAX of 330km/h+ with the roof removed (350km/h+ with the roof on), it’s the fastest and most extreme open-top, road-legal Aston Martin ever built.

Delivering LMP1 levels of performance, Valkyrie Spider is simulated to set impressive lap times, not normally achievable in a road-going car.

The same driver-focused cabin sits at the heart of Valkyrie Spider. F1-inspired low hip-to-heel height and near-central seat positioning, along with a 6-point safety harness to keep the occupants safely in the car. A center rear-view camera system along with front and rear parking sensors will aid the driver at both high and low speeds, with displays sitting just above the Instrument Panel.

The Valkyrie Spider features a bespoke, removable lightweight roof comprising of a carbon fiber central panel, latching onto the tub at the rear and to the windscreen surround at the front, along with a pair of polycarbonate roof windows, hinged on either side.

Upon opening the doors, the roof lifts off for stowing. Modifications to the carbon-fiber tub have been made to support the removable roof panels and the open-top layout as well as new doors. The now front-hinged dihedral doors, unique to Valkyrie Spider, have been redesigned to tilt forward.

“The Aston Martin Valkyrie is the product of incredible innovation and technology, but above all it has always been about emotion,” said Tobias Moers, Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer. “With the Valkyrie Spider, we are taking that passion and emotion to the next level. The driving experience promises to be truly sensational.

The 85 examples of the Valkyrie Spider “are over subscribed,” according to Aston Martin. Allocations are pending, with the vehicle available in both left and right-hand drive derivatives. First deliveries are scheduled for 2022.

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Mercedes CLE Cabrio/Coupe: successor for the C/E-Class cabrio/coupe

July 9, 2021 in Uncategorized | Permalink

Mercedes fans were not too excited when they heard that Mercedes would give up C/E/S-Class coupes and convertibles. But here’s the good news: from 2023 comes the new Mercedes CLE Cabrio followed by the CLE Coupe. They replace the former C/E-Class convertible and coupe.

Photo: Auto motor und sport

German magazine auto motor und sport announces that Mercedes will not give up convertibles and coupes. In 2023, the Mercedes CLE will be launched, a four-seater convertible captured in the accompanying spy photos.

Last year, Ola Kallenius, the new head of Mercedes, announced that Mercedes would have to narrow the conventional range in order to allocate additional funds to the new electric range. Thus, Mercedes C-Class convertible and coupe, E-Class convertible and coupe and S-Class convertible and coupe were no longer on the list of models that will receive a successor.

The S-Class Cabrio is indeed dead, but the C-Class Cabrio and E-Class Cabrio will have a successor to be named the Mercedes CLE Cabrio. The truth is that the C-Class convertible and the E-Class convertible were very close in terms of space offer and their design was only slightly different. Therefore, the existence of both models is no longer justified.

This is not the first time that Mercedes has launched models between classes. In the past there was a Mercedes CLK Coupe which was in fact the C-Class coupe and was placed placed between the C-Class and the E. Then, Mercedes had another E-Class Coupe that was actually made on the former C-Class platform.

Mercedes CLE convertible will be launched in 2023 because the next generation E-Class will be presented in 2023. The good news is that there will be also a coupe version.
As a price positioning, the Mercedes CLE Coupe will not be placed between the C-Class and the E-Class but will be more expensive than the E-Class. Auto motor und sport estimates that the Mercedes CLE convertible version will cost over 60,000 euros.

From the first spy photos presented by auto motor und sport magazine it is observed the mirrors are placed on the door sill while at sedan they are housed in the triangular window. The body line goes up to the back and the soft-top roof extends quite a bit to the rear while the trunk lid is very short. The design will be inspired more by the C-Class than the E-Class because Mercedes wants to imprint the sportier line of the new C-Class on the new coupe/convertible. We expect the coupe version not to have a B-pillar, a traditional design detail for Mercedes coupes from the last half century.

No surprise inside where the future convertible will take over the new dashboard from the C-Class with the portrait screen of the multimedia system that had a minimum diagonal of 9.5 inches (optional 11.9 inches). Like the C-Class, the new convertible will be built on the MRA II platform and will have only 4-cylinder engines. The top versions will be AMG C 43 and C 63e (PHEV).

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Best Global Brands 2020 – Mercedes-Benz is world’s most valuable luxury automotive brand

October 21, 2020 in Uncategorized | Permalink

Mercedes-Benz is once again the world’s most valuable luxury automotive brand. In the overall ranking, the car with the star stood its ground in the eighth place.

Mercedes-Benz has an estimated brand value of 49,268 billion US dollars. The premium car maker is the only European brand that gets a position among the first ten in the ranking.

“The entire Mercedes-Benz team is proud to once again be among the top ten ‘Best Global Brands’ this year. And to defend our position as the world’s most valuable luxury automotive brand for the fourth year in a row”, says Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Marketing at Mercedes-Benz AG.

The highest level of innovation and the luxury mobility that Mercedes-Benz focuses on have once again drawn the award like a magnet. Such features provide the brand with the long-term loyalty of the customers.

The US brand consultancy Interbrand has been making research and setting up rankings of the world’s most valuable brands since 1999. The criteria the juries examine are: Financial performance of the brand’s products or service, Role of the brand in the purchase decision process and Strength of the brand with regard to securing future corporate earnings.

The American company was the first that ever developed a brand valuation method, certified in compliance with the ISO 10668 standard.

What other car makers except Mercedes-Benz join the Best Global Brands 2020?

There are several car makers recognized as Best Global Brands 2020. Mercedes-Benz is the world’s most valuable luxury automotive brand and the eighth in the overall ranking. It comes with an estimated value of 49,268 billion dollars. In the seventh spot, there is Toyota, with 51,595 billion dollars.

Most valuable brands 2020

BMW ranks eleventh with 39,756 billion dollars, while Honda stands in the 20th position with 21,694 billion dollars.

Apple takes the lead this year as well, with an estimated worth of 322,999 billion dollars. Amazon and Microsoft keep the IT giant company, while Google and Samsung follow them closely.

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Mercedes-AMG SL in tests on the racetrack

October 19, 2020 in Uncategorized | Permalink

The future Mercedes SL is going in a new direction. It will be developed by AMG, will have up to 800 HP and a 2 + 2 seater configuration with textile roof. After several spy photos, Mercedes-AMG also published the first photos on the street. Recently, Mercedes SL was caught in the first spy photos on the racetrack.

Foto: Auto motor und sport

As we have informed since March 2020, the new Mercedes SL is being developed by the AMG division in Affalterbach. After the digital design period, dinamic tests began. Mercedes-AMG informs that “Following extensive digital development steps, test stand runs and simulator trials the new sports car is now entering a scheduled phase of wide-ranging dynamic driving tests – thus far at the Group’s own Test and Technology Center in Immendingen – and now also on public roads in some cases”.

The new Mercedes SL will be much sportier than the current model but will continue to offer a high level of comfort corresponding to a luxury GT. Because the future Mercedes SL is developed on the same platform as the AMG GT, Mercedes wants to avoid cannibalizing the two models.
Thus, Mercedes SL will have a 2 + 2 seat configuration with textile roof while AMG GT Cabrio will keep the solution with 2 strict seats. The AMG GT will continue to be the uncompromising sports car while the Mercedes SL will offer more comfort.

Mercedes-AMG SL 2021

From the first camouflaged photos you can see the new design: the Panamericana front grille framed by narrow headlights. The sideline of the windows rises to the rear and the mirrors are mounted on the doors. In the rear you can see the four rectangular exhaust pipes and the long and narrow taillights.
We cannot know the configuration of the textile roof because it is still strongly camouflaged.

Mercedes-AMG SL 2021

The new modular sports architecture

The current Mercedes SL is built on a platform derived from that of the E-Class. The new model will be based on the new modular sports car architecture (MSA) that it will share with the future AMG GT.

The new architecture has a high percentage of aluminum, being very light and is very flexible both in terms of body types and propulsion types. The new platform will use the transaxle system with the engine located in the front and the gearbox mounted on the rear axle, the transmission being made by means of a carbon cardan shaft.
This constructive solution also allows the electrification of the range and we have already announced that Mercedes has already registered the name Mercedes-AMG SL 73 e.

The new Mercedes SL will be codenamed R323 and its top version of the Mercedes-AMG SL 73 e will be powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine and an electric motor that will deliver 816 HP together. This hybrid system was already presented on the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2017 with the occasion of the 50th anniversary of AMG.

Power will be transmitted to all four wheels through the 9-speed automatic transmission. For optimal traction, the rear axle will have the Torque vectoring system. auto motor and sport magazine speculates that Mercedes-AMG SL 73 e will also have full steering. Suspension, brakes and exhaust system are significantly modified compared to the normal SL models and adapted to the increased performance.

Mercedes-AMG SL 73 e will be the top version. But what about other engine versions? The basic version SL 43 will be equipped with the new 3-liter turbo 6 inline engine with mild hybrid technology that will provide at least 390 hp as in the current C 43 AMG. Then comes the SL 53 with the same three liter 6 inline  and a minimum of 435 HP. Then, the SL 63 mild hybrid with 4.0 liter bi-turbo V8 will deliver about 640 HP. The V12 version will disappear and will survive only in the S-Class Maybach.

The textile roof and the high percentage of aluminum will substantially reduce the weight. Our estimates are that the future SL with the base engine will have less than 1.t tone. The current generation SL (R231) weighs between 1730 and 1845 kg.

Inside, the Mercedes SL will have multi-adjustable sports seats, the new sports steering wheel launched on the E-Class, digital cockpit and a the second generation MBUX multimedia.

Mercedes changes strategy. Give up the luxury S-Class Coupe in favor of a GT with certain sporty qualities. The future Mercedes-AMG SL promises to be a sports car that will retain the comfort qualities of a GT.

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Escape the coronavirus at the drive-in in 5 comfortable cars

June 17, 2020 in Uncategorized | Permalink

The movies are classics and there won’t be new releases for a while. But in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, drive-in movie theaters are experiencing another renaissance. Escaping to see a movie in your car is safe entertainment. But certain vehicles make better seats on wheels than others.

Cars.com, the Chicago-based automotive classified website, has released new research detailing that 42 percent in-the-market car shoppers plan to visit a drive-in movie theater this summer.

The Chrysler Pacifica is an ideal vehicle for a drive-in movie during the coronavirus.

The Chrysler Pacifica is an ideal vehicle for a drive-in movie during the coronavirus. Image © James Raia/2019

“Drive-in theaters are making a comeback this summer as the destination of choice for movies, music and other forms of live entertainment that people can experience without ever leaving the safety of their vehicle,” said Matt Schmitz, Cars.com’s assistant managing editor.

Drive-in Movie Theaters: Ideal For Social Distancing

“Since the pandemic began, we’ve found that Americans are using their cars as an extension of their homes. They’ve resurrected the Sunday drive, are using their cars to socialize from a distance through birthday and graduation parades, and now they’re using their cars as a new way to see live entertainment, too.”

Cars.com recommends the following five best cars to take to a drive-in movie:

Volkswagen Atlas: The sensible, sexy Volkswagen Atlas is a three-row SUV that earned Cars.com’s Best of 2018 award and the 2020 Family Car of the Year award. The Atlas comfortably holds seven occupants and boasts a Fender 12-speaker audio system in the SEL Premium trim. Premium sound system upgrades are available for an extra $6,000.

Ram 1500: Chill outside in the Ram 1500’s spacious truck bed with blankets and plenty of fluffy pillows. This pickup truck also has the RamBox. The RamBox Cargo Management System is a massive locking, conveniently lit storage space inside the hull. It’s drainable, perfect for filling with ice to keep snacks, sodas and other movie treats cool.

Chrysler Pacifica: Cars.com’s Best of 2017 sports plenty of mini cubbies and storage nooks in the back for popcorn, soda and sweet snacks. The Stow ‘n Go seats create a huge flat surface in the rear, ideal for settling in for a long night at the moving pictures. Park with the back facing the screen, pop the liftgate and spread out blankets and pillows while sheltered from rain or wind. If the movie isn’t a hit for the entire party, parents can pop in a Blu-ray movie into Chrysler’s Uconnect infotainment system.

Dodge Challenger: Muscle-car fans love the Challenger’s throwback body-style feel and charm. Upgrade to the 717-horsepower SRT Hellcat version for extra power; however, be polite and stay until after the credits roll to avoid drowning out the on-screen dialogue with the rumble under the hood.

Tesla Model X: Tesla’s first all-electric SUV looks like a rocketship from the future with incredible acceleration, over-the-air updates, a roomy cabin and up to 328 miles of range. For movie watching, the Model X’s visibility is spot on with tall side windows and a large windshield that stretches over the first and second rows combined to ensure passengers can see as much of the screen as possible.

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