06 Diamond Silver Clk-350 3.5l V6 Convertible *premium Package *h/k Cd Changer on 2040-cars

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The hottest modern sports cars rendered as rally racers

The modern-day World Rally Championship a monumental amount of fun to watch – I should know, as I recently was lucky enough to head to the UK to watch WRC Wales Rally GB – but even the most monstrous of the current WRC cars are based on fairly pedestrian European hatchbacks. Back in the heyday of rally, the Group B era in the 1980s, much hotter cars were the basis of even more incredible competition machines, for the most part. Take the exotic Ford RS200, or the Lancia Delta S4 with its twin-charged engine. And the hatchback-based Group B cars were bonkers, too. So what would some of our favorite modern cars look like if Group B had never ended? A British site named CarWow hired an artist to reimagine everything from the Rolls-Royce Wraith to the Porsche 911 as a retro-inspired rally car, and they were kind enough to let us share the results in the gallery above. The gallery features an Alfa Romeo Giulia in Martini livery, an Audi TT in classic Ur-Quattro colors, a Fiat 500 Abarth sporting massive flares and a hood blister full of auxiliary lights, a new Ford Mustang in RS200 livery, a Lancia Delta in Alitalia colors, a Porsche 911 in Rothmans livery, a Renault-Alpine in classic blue, a Rolls-Royce Wraith tribute to the Jules cologne Corniche Coupe, and a relatively modern-looking VW Touran. So far, the favorite around the office is the incredible Mercedes-Benz S-Class that is an homage to the wonderful 300 SEL 6.8 AMG "Red Pig" that essentially put AMG on the map. Check out the gallery above and see which one you like the best. Related Video:

2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class caught totally undisguised

Based on the lightly camouflaged spy shots of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class we've seen lately, it hasn't taken a vivid imagination to picture what the next iteration of this big luxury sedan will look like. Even so, we now we have our first unobstructed views of the redesigned S-Class, codenamed W222, as it has just been caught out flaunting for some promo shots.
The first thing we notice about the new S-Class design is the disappearance of the last generation's flared wheel arches. Yet the new design adds even more character with bodyside creases similar to the CLS-Class and some elements reminiscent of 2007's F700 Concept, including the massive grille and vertical LED taillights. Other key details include a large panoramic roof and the narrow exhaust outlets, but the large LED-trimmed headlights and the aggressive front fascia are probably the biggest departure from the current design. With these spy shots, we also catch a blurry shot of the interior, but we've seen a practically uncovered look at the new S-Class' cabin back in January.
Overall, the next S-Class sports an expressive and premium new look, but as far as all-new designs go, it's quite conservative - a move no doubt fitting for these lean financial times.

Mercedes recalling 33k C-Class and CLS-Class models in separate campaigns

Mercedes-Benz is recalling over 33,000 vehicles in the US in separate actions affecting two of its model lines. The larger campaign covers 30,141 examples of the 2015 CLS400 and CLS400 4Matic; 2012-2015 CLS550 and CLS550 4Matic; 2012-2014 CLS63 AMG and 2014-2015 CLS63P AMG. On these vehicles, the LED taillights do not sufficiently illuminate around the sides, and therefore they run afoul of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. According to documents posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (as a PDF, here), "this is due to a software coding issue which leads to the non-activation of a certain LED in both taillamp units." An update of the programming by the dealer fixes the problem. The other recall covers 3,039 units of the 2015 C300 4Matic and C400 4Matic for two possible problems with the fuel delivery module of the fuel tank. First, the locking plate for the part might loosen on some of these vehicles, and that can cause a fuel leak, which is obviously dangerous. Also, the electric wires going into the component might be pinched, which can lead to failure of the fuel pump. Dealers will inspect the models for both issues and will repair any faults they find. Mercedes did not tell NHTSA when owners would receive notification about either of these campaigns when the company submitted the documentation to the agency on March 10. Autoblog reached out to company spokesperson Christian Bokich via email for more information. "We currently expect to be in touch with customers by late March. Customers may continue to drive their vehicles until the recall is performed," he said. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Rear Side Marker Illumination/FMVSS 108 Report Receipt Date: MAR 10, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V137000 Component(s): EXTERIOR LIGHTING Potential Number of Units Affected: 30,141 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) MERCEDES BENZ CLS400 2015 MERCEDES BENZ CLS550 2012-2015 MERCEDES BENZ CLS63 2012-2015 Details Manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. SUMMARY: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2015 CLS 400 and CLS 400 4matic, 2012-2015 CLS 550 and CLS 550 4matic, 2012-2013 CLS 63, 2014 CLS 63, and 2014-2015 CLS 63P. The affected vehicles have LED tail lights that may not light on the sides, reducing the rear side visibility of the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No.