Mercedes-Benz E-Class revealed

After four years in its present incarnation Mercedes-Benz has announced the new 2014 model year E-Class. Beloved of Chinese businessmen, Turkish cab drivers, Eurocrats and the discrete middle-classes the world over, the E-Class embodies Mercedes-Benz' brand values – comfort, practicality, technology, affordable luxury with a hint of sportiness, plus of course styling that suggests aspirations to higher levels of grandeur. For the 2014 model the exterior is a subtle break with the past whilst the underlying technology is a showcase for the future. This is a conservative market sector...

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Brutal Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Black Series revealed

Due for its public debut at the upcoming Los Angeles motor show, Mercedes-Benz AMG has finally revealed images and details of the SLS Black Series. Ever since the gull-winged wonder was first released in 2010, enthusiasts and schoolboys have been anticipating the inevitable ultimate (road-going) version. It'll come as no surprise that the beast in question is wider, harder, faster, and completely awesome. "The new SLS AMG Black Series is a perfect study in the one hundred percent transfer of technology and engineering from motorsport to road," says Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG....

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Luxury Cars Take Over London

London is a center for finance, media, fashion and culture and as such, it has long been thought of as a destination where one can go to flash their cash! However, even for London’s usual high standards, in the past few weeks the English capital city has seen more than its fair share of luxury cars thanks to an influx of visitors from the rich Arab states. The UK leg of the annual excursion by rich luxury car owners from various Arab states is known as The Season. An array of brightly colored, personalized luxury sports cars have been spotted by residents and visitors...

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McLaren 12C Can-Am Edition concept to debut at Pebble beach

McLaren’s new race manufacturing arm, McLaren GT, is set to make its presence felt at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance by rolling out its 12C Can-Am Edition racing concept. Based on the 12C GT3 race car, the one-off design study is finished in McLaren Orange and satin black, with its U.S. appearance marking the first time a 12C racing variant has ventured outside Europe. As a concept car and therefore not subject to any of the regular racing regulations, the McLaren team was freed up in their attempt to create “the ultimate track car.” With the benefit of some engine calibration...

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McLaren one-off X1 surfaces at Pebble Beach

The Pebble Beach Concours at Monterey is used to seeing the weird and wonderful creations of bespoke vehicle design and craftsmanship, but one of the most surprising entrants this year was from the McLaren Special Operations team. The vehicle, known as the X1 Concept, is an extraordinary mixture of McLaren MP12C road car and an entirely new bodyshell crafted in a style that wouldn't look out of place in a 1930s comic book. Before you imagine that McLaren has hit the crazy button, a little explanation is in order. McLaren only benchmarks itself against one other company: Ferrari; and for several...

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Radial Engine Bike Built by Jesse James

This radial engine motorcycle was built by Jesse James at West Coast Choppers. For those who don’t know, radial engines were used in the past to power aircraft. The engine, 7 cylinder – 110 hp, was manufactured by Rotec Engineering in Australia and was purchased by the owner of the bike, Russell Ballentine from Kansas, who had the crazy idea of building bikes with aircraft engines (he even owns the patent). Ballentine asked mechanic Mike Redpath to modify the engine, bought more parts, and then brought it to Jesse James to build a prototype. The finished bike was painted in green but I also...

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Cool Custom Motorcycle Helmets That Actually Exist

Helmets are a must when riding a motorcycle, but that doesn't mean you have to stick with the same old boring designs you find in stores. Here are ten weird and cool examples to get you inspired, or at least scouring the internet for your next purchase.  10. Halo Helmet 9. Gundam Helmet  8. Predator Helmet  7. Rocketeer Helmet 6. LEGO 5. Stormtrooper 4. Master Chief 3. The Hulk 2. Twisted Metal 1. Bobba Fett ...

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The History of Harley: Over 100 Years of Motorcycle Greatness

If you’re a motorcyclist, you know that the name “Harley Davidson” simply can’t be touched by other names in the business. Harley Davison started out as a pipe dream nearly 110 years ago now, and it’s spent the past century becoming perhaps the most prestigious motorcycle company across the entire globe. Over the course of the past century, Harley Davidson has produced some of the most beloved motorcycles in history. This house name continues to faithfully roll out new, beautiful bikes, all under the same dedication to craft and quality that the original Harley and Davidson stood by. From huge...

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Student-designed Roskva electric motorcycle launched

Five Norwegian engineering students from the University of Life Sciences in Oslo have come together to design and build an electric motorcycle that's a little different from the rest of the field. Rather than construct the vehicle around a steel or aluminum frame (like the Brutus we covered last year, for instance), the Roskva bike features a carbon fiber monocoque frame that reportedly weighs less than 25 kg (55 pounds). Carbon fiber is also the material of choice for the wheels, single-sided swingarm and enclosed driveshaft. The final Roskva design renderings were released in May 2012,...

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Rolls-Royce celebrates Charles Stewart Rolls

We’re used to “special editions” from auto manufacturers trying to lift sales with a lick of paint and some fancy decals, but when Rolls-Royce does a special edition it’s a much more cerebral and artisanal endeavor as befits the mindset of its customers. The Phantom Coupe Aviator recently shown at Pebble Beach is a subtle but rather lovely limited edition inspired by the Rolls-Royce engined Supermarine aircraft of the 1930s; a precursor to the iconic Spitfire and from a time when cars and aircraft engines were actually made by the same company. "Our founding forefather Charles Stewart Rolls...

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Pimped Ferrari comes in gold

the Golden Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano by Hamann sets the road ablaze. Finished in gold, the Ferrari features a new bodykit, subtle Hamann spoilers, an extra 53 HP, new wheels and hp. Indeed, this highly pimped gilded Ferrari would have been a miss where the royals roam....

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£420,000 chrome SLR McLaren

Last year, a chromed out Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was spotted on the roads of Dubai and lately, one super-shiny SLR McLaren has been seen in Manchester, England. The guy behind the wheel was El Hadji Diouf, who plays for Blackburn Rovers Football Club, an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. He has spent a whopping £420,000 (US $636,750) on the blinged-up Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The playmaker is an avid car collector and has been seen previously driving Range Rovers, Lincoln Navigators and Cadillac Escalades. Anyway, he is not the only ...

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Pimped up Bentley Gold for Bling-Lovers

ASI, the Japanese tuner specialized in Bentleys, has released the photos of their latest project - the ASI Bentley Continental GTR Gold. The ASI Bentley Continental GTR Gold is powered by the production 6.0 liter W12 engine that is tuned to deliver 800 hp. For the $800,000 price tag on the ASI Bentley Continental GTR Gold they offer a dry carbon bonnet, boot lid and rear wing, a 1800mm+ wide body kit. The ASI Bentley Continental GTR Gold features hand painted, original Japanese art by Nakamura Tetsue...

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Su Zhongyang’s Ivory Carving Car

We have seen the cars studded with diamonds and plated with gold and now, celebrated Folk art master Su Zhongyang has created a stunning ivory carving masterpiece. His Jiu Jiu Xiang Long ivory carving car is adorned with 99 fortunate dragons. The car is 4.5 meters long, 1.81 meters wide and 1.9 meters high and weighs 2 tons. Most parts of the ivory car are festooned with colossal ivory and yak bone. If ivory only doesn’t impress you that much, the masterpiece is adorned with gold and diamonds too. The incredible ivory carving car is valued at US $2.7 million.&nb...

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Honda bursts onto the electric motorcycle racing scene at IOM

Electric motorcycle racing became a lot more interesting today when the TT Zero race at the Isle of Man was run and the top three riders all finished at average speeds of more than 100 mph. The win went to the Segway MotoCzysz team with Michael Rutter (pictured below) producing a lap of 104.56 mph but the extra strong showing of a 102.215 mph lap on the Mugen (Honda) ridden by John McGuinness indicates the electric bike racing scene is going to become very competitive in the near future. Honda rarely fails when it sets its mind to something, and it is the world's largest manufacturer...

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Four new concepts at GTI Worthersee

It's where the company trotted out its now legendary Golf GTI W12-650 concept in 2007. The concept involved taking the 650 bhp bi-turbo 5,998 cc W12 engine used in the Volkswagen Phaeton and squeezing it into a Golf GTI three-door bodyshell to create the fastest Golf on the planet. The sprint from standstill to 62 mph took just 3.7 seconds and it had a maximum speed of 201.8 mph.This year it showed five new cars: the Golf GTI Cabriolet (which had debuted at Geneva International Motor Show), plus four completely new concept cars in the form of the Polo R-WRC, Polo WRC Street, Golf GTI Black Dynamic...

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