Stunning Amg Clk55 Convertible Black V8 Scroll Down For More Photos!!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes introduces the details of the C450 AMG 4Matic

We saw the AMG Sport models joining the C-Class line in Detroit, but Mercedes has waited until the press launch of the Mercedes-AMG C63 to give us the details. In case you've forgotten about how this new puzzle piece fits, there's Mercedes-Benz, there's Mercedes-AMG, then there's the Mercedes-Benz AMG Sport line slotted in between for those who want sporty luxury but not too much of either. This is the second variant in that line-up, and also the second to get V6 power, following the GLE450 AMG Coupe. In the case of the C450 AMG 4Matic, that means a twin-turbo six-cylinder with 367 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 38 hp and 29 lb-ft over the C400 4Matic on which it's based. It goes much closer to proper AMG territory with its looks and features, with that sharp, chrome-trimmed lip in front, the oblong lower intakes, lightweight wheels, and a "special AMG badge" on the front fenders. In back, the sedan gets a spoiler on the trunk, the wagon gets a roof spoiler. There's a suspension highly derivative of that on the C63 AMG, with three-stage dampers. So too the five drive modes laid out like on traditional AMGs, the 7G-Tronic automatic transmission, the ESP with Curve Dynamic Assist, and it will even sound close to an Affalterbach special thanks to a sports exhaust. Cabin occupants can play the real deal with sport seats and a flat-bottomed wheel with red cross-stitching. We don't have a price yet, but there will probably be plenty of room between the price of the AMG C63 and the $48,950 C400 4Matic to make buyers happy. The press release below has all the info. Related Video: The new C-Class models from Mercedes-AMG: Mercedes-AMG C 63 and Mercedes-Benz C 450 AMG 4MATIC Mercedes-Benz C 450 AMG 4MATIC: Second AMG sports model with V6 power Driving Performance – the AMG brand claim and typical character traits can now be experienced by an even broader target group. The new C 450 AMG 4MATIC expands the product range of the sports car and performance brand within Mercedes-Benz with another new AMG sports model. As an attractive entry into the world of AMG, the C 450 AMG 4MATIC combines a 270 kW (367 hp) 3.0-litre V6 biturbo engine with a permanent Performance all-wheel-drive system and sophisticated suspension technology adopted from the Mercedes-AMG C 63. This all results in fascinating driving performance and the hallmark emotional expressiveness of the brand.

Ecclestone wonders if F1's upcoming turbo V6s should get augmented sound [w/videos]

While every team on the Formula One grid is worried about making a good showing in this year's championship at the same time as they develop a brand-new car for next year's championship, Bernie Ecclestone and F1 circuit promoters have a different concern: how next year's cars will sound. The current cars use 2.4-liter, naturally-aspirated V8s that can reach 18,000 revolutions per minute and employ dual exhaust, next year's engine formula calls for 1.4-liter turbocharged V6s that are capped at 15,000 rpm and are constrained to a single exhaust outlet. Ecclestone and promoters like Ron Walker believe the new engines sound like lawnmowers and that the less thrilling audio will keep people from coming to races. If Walker's Australian Grand Prix really is shelling out almost $57 million to hold the race, every ticket counts. As a fix, according to a report in Autoweek, Ecclestone "suggests that the only way to guarantee [a good sound] may be to artificially adjust the tone of the V6s."
However, neither the manufacturers nor the governing body of F1, the FIA, think there will be a problem. Ecclestone fears that if the manufacturers "don't get it right" they'll simply leave the sport, but the only three carmakers and engine builders left next year, Renault (its 2014 "power unit" is pictured), Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari are so embedded that it would stretch belief to think they'd leave the table over an audio hiccup - if said hiccup even occurs. And frankly, these issues always precede changes to engine formulas, as they did when the formula switched from V10 to V8; fans, though, are probably less focused on the engines and more on the mandated standardization of the sport and the spec-series overtones that have come with it.
No one knows yet what next year's engines will sound like, but we've assembled a few videos below to help us all start guessing. The first is an engine check on an Eighties-era John Player Special Renault with a 1.5-liter V6 turbo, after that is Ayrton Senna qualifying in 1986 in the Lotus 98T that also had a 1.5-liter V6 turbo, then you'll find a short with a manufactured range of potential V6 engine notes, and then the sound of turbocharged V6 Indycars testing last year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Any, or none of them, could be Formula One's future.

Mercedes rules out hybrid supercar, promises SLS successor

The recent Geneva Motor Show was a festival of hypercars, with the presence of not one, but three over-the-top debuts: the Lamborghini Veneno, McLaren P1 and Ferrari LeFerrari. The latter two have hitched their carbon fiber bumpers to the electrification bandwagon by using hybrid-electric powertrains not entirely unlike the propulsion systems we've come to know in cars like the Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt. Does that mean the flow of electrons up the four-wheeled food chain will eventually consume our hallowed supercars? Not if AMG has anything to say about it.
AMG Director of Vehicle Development Tobias Moers recently confirmed that not only will there be a successor to the Mercedes-Benz performance division's SLS AMG, he notes that its internal combustion engine will most definitely not be sharing living quarters with an electric drivetrain. Instead, AMG plans to focus on further pushing the power and efficiency envelope of the internal combustion engine and advancing the use of lightweight materials to achieve their goals. The first example of this effort can be seen in the new SLS AMG Black Series that incorporates many weight-saving techniques to shed some 154 pounds from the SLS AMG GT (above), which itself is lighter than the standard SLS AMG.
Furthermore, Moers remarks that his company is happy to leave the hypercar segment to companies like Ferrari and McLaren. He admits that, "Ferrari in the hyper-car segment is still a different brand than AMG. We have to be honest..." So rather than taking the SLS further upmarket to do battle with bulls and stallions, Moers hinted that the next-generation SLS may be joined by another performance model that fits neatly between itself and the C63 AMG.