Mercedes celebrates the 60th birthday of its iconic SL roadster with the release of a short clip that chronicles the whole evolution of the model, from 1952’s 300SL all the way up to the recently unveiled R231 version, with its new aluminum bodyshell (a first in Mercedes-Benz’s history).

Just as a quick reminder, the new Mercedes SL comes with a 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 306 hp and 370 Nm of peak torque (for the SL350 version) and a 4.7-litre V8 unit producing 435 hp and 700 Nm (for the SL500). Both engines use a 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission.

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The fifth episode of this Lamborghini documentary focuses on the Gallardo, and in particular on two models: the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Leggera and the Gallardo Spyder.

The Super Leggera’s structure can be summed up in an ultra-light body stretched over a tubular frame, and thanks to the extensive use of carbon fibre this vehicle has been crowned the lightest in the Lamborghini range. With a top speed of 325 km/h (202 mph), the LP 570-4 Super Leggera only comes second to the Aventador in terms of performance.

The Gallardo Spyder was first unveiled at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show as an “al fresco” version of the v10 super sports car. Needless to say, watching this video only makes you wish you could jump immediately in one of these jewels and spend the rest of your life cruising from riviera to riviera.

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The partnership between Mercedes AMG and Ducati is going full speed ahead. After the Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition and the SLK 55 AMG in Ducati Streefighter Yellow, this is latest advert gives us a behind the scenes look of another of their commercials featuring once again the C63 AMG Coupe and the Ducati 848 Evo: two blinding white hot machines that compliment one another and the same two sexy models: what more could one ask for in a commercial?

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American aftermarket company Vorsteiner presents a tuning program called VMS specifically designed and manufactured for Bmw 5-series F10. The package includes a lightweight carbon fiber aerodynamic package developed for vehicles already equipped with the factory M Tech aero package and consists of an add-on front spoiler, rear diffuser and a rear spoiler. To further complement the new sporty character of Bmw’s sports sedan, the tuner has also developed a finely tuned quad sports exhaust system (which Vorsteiner claims to provide the model with a “Formula 1 car tone”) and offers 20″ and 21″ forged wheels options. Aesthetically, the resulting car is not dramatically different from the standard model, but it surely gains points in terms of aggressiveness and sporty attitude. Click on the ‘Continue reading’ link below to see an official video presentation of the tuning issued by Vorsteiner itself.

View the full Bmw 5-Series F10 V-MS by Vorsteiner photo gallery

Continue reading: Bmw 5-Series F10 V-MS by Vorsteiner (with video)

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Recently we have been talking a lot about the new Mercedes SL Roadster, covering basically all steps of the process that eventually led to its virtual launch. Now, after the leaked brochure and photo gallery and the first lot of official videos, Mercedes-Benz just released another couple of videos starring their new model, right before we will finally get to see the car ‘in the metal’ at the upcoming North American International Auto Show (January 9-22), in Detroit. Check out the second video by clicking on the ‘Continue Reading’ link below, where you will also find a 9-minute long clip of the SL driving around uploaded by youtube user TheCarFanatic.

As recently confirmed by the carmaker, the new Mercedes SL will come with a 3.5-litre V6 engine for the SL350 version (producing 306 hp and 370 Nm of peak torque) and a 4.7-litre V8 unit for the SL500 (with an output of 435 hp and 700 Nm). Both engines will come with a 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the model is also the first production Merc to use an aluminum body-shell, a choice that made it considerably lighter and less ‘thirsty’ than its predecessor, and still it boasts better performance figures.

Continue reading: 2013 Mercedes SL: more videos emerge

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Tesla has created a special version of the Roadster called ‘Final Edition’ in order to celebrate the end of the production of this model. In its four-years long career, 2,600 units of the Roadster (the very first production car from the American automaker) have been sold, and now the anticipation is growing for its successor, which should appear in the second quarter of 2012. The new model will be no longer based on a Lotus chassis, it will be the outcome of a brand new project totally engineered by the Californian manufacturer.

Only 15 Roadster Final Edition will be made: 5 for the US market, 5 for Europe and 5 for Asia, all of which will be exactly the same, coming with an Atomic Red paint job with two longitudinal black stripes and charcoal colored wheels. Apart from that, the Roadster Final Edition does not feature any other particular trait, but it will surely find a place in some healthy collection as the standard car it derives from is simply and undeniably a milestone of the electric vehicle industry: this is the model that put Tesla on the map, so to speak, and is bound to go down to the automotive history book as a car that opened a new era.

View the full Tesla Roadster Final Edition photo gallery

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Mercedes-Benz released the first bunch of videos starring their latest creation, the all new Mercedes SL (codenamed R231). The model replaces the successful version that waved the SL flag for a decade, selling 169.434 units and getting out of production just a few weeks ago. This new SL is the sixth generation of the iconic Mercedes roadster, which begun its ride in 1954 with the historic 300SL ‘Gullwing’

These four new videos (see the other three after the jump) provide us with a more comprehensive overview of both interior and exterior of the new SL, which have been covering pretty extensively in the last couple of weeks. As you can see, the car surely lives up to the expectations, retaining that feeling of luxury and exclusivity that characterized all of its predecessors. The new Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster will be officially unveiled at the upcoming North American International Auto Show, this coming January.

Continue reading: 2013 Mercedes SL: official videos surface

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In the wake of the leaks of a bunch of grainy images first and then a full official gallery right after that, Mercedes-Benz made official the last missing details of the new, fully redeveloped SL (code-named R231), which comes out exactly 50 years after the original SL was released. We have already been through some of its most significant innovations such as its brand new aluminum body-shell (first time ever that this solution is adopted by a production Merc), FrontBass system and Magic Vision Control in a previous post, so let’s focus on what we did not know.

First off, the rumors circulating these last few days about the engine range were right: the SL350 will come with a 3.5-litre V6 producing 306 hp and 370 Nm of torque, while the SL500 will use a 4.663 cc V8 unit delivering 435 hp with no less than 700 Nm of maximum torque. The former accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds (three tenths of a second faster than its predecessor), while the latter needs just 4.6 seconds to do that (eight tenths less than the previous SL 500). Besides, as predicted, both engines will come with a 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission, which has been optimized in terms of low fuel consumption and will feature the obvious start/stop function.

Thanks in most part to the new aluminum structure, the new SL350 weighs in at 1,685 kg and the new SL500 at 1,785 kg, making them 140 kg and 125 kg lighter than the models they are about to replace, respectively. Still in comparison with the previous range, the new generation of the SL is quite bigger, measuring in length 4,612 mm (+50 mm) and 1,877 mm in width(+57 mm), providing more room for more comfort in the interior, too. Shoulder room (+37 mm) and elbow room (+28 mm) have been increased, exceeding the dimensions normally found in this vehicle class.

View the full 2013 Mercedes Benz SL Roadster photo gallery

Continue reading: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL last details officially confirmed

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Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez has confirmed in an interview to GT Spirit that a new Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster will eventually be introduced in 2012. Apparently, the new model will draw inspiration from both V8 Vantage Roadster and V12 Vantage Coupe (pictured), and should come with a 6.0-litre V12 unit producing 510 hp and 570 Nm of maximum torque, delivering a top speed of 305 km/h (190 mph) and 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 4.2 seconds.

The new Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster could make its first appearance as soon as next March at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. We will be waiting for some confirmation on the subject.

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Just a few hours after a handful of grainy images of the model leaked on the internet through GermanCarForum.com, the same website has unleashed a massive official photo gallery of the long-awaited Mercedes SL Roadster, now exposed to the world in all of its glory. The aesthetics of the SL are quite different from the model it is about to replace, bearing some resemblance with both its smaller sister SLK and the SLS AMG. Please note the upright grille, the shape of the light cluster and the overall boxier sheetmetal. As for the cabin, we see a nice mix of modern materials, leather and genuine wood trim. Besides, we have no doubt that all sorts of entertainment and connectivity options that you would expect in a car of this rank will not be missing.

At the moment it is still unclear which sort of engine range will equip the newborn SL (although rumor has it that it will include a 3.5 litre V6 unit for the SL350 and a turbocharged 4.6-litre V8 for the SL500), but we do know for a fact that the car will be no less than 140 kg lighter (308 pounds) than its predecessor, thanks in most part to its brand new aluminum bodyshell. The new SL is also the first mainstream Merc ever to use this solution - which we had extensively introduced in a dedicated post we published a while ago - and it will surely be beneficial to the car’s handling, accuracy, stability, fuel efficiency and performance as well.

Mercedes-Benz will officially unveil the new SL m.y. 2013 at the upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detroit, in January. As for now, quite obviously, no word on price. Click on the ‘Continue reading’ link below to find out more about the new SL roadster.

View the full 2013 Mercedes Benz SL Roadster official photo gallery

Continue reading: 2013 Mercedes SL Roadster: official photo gallery available

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