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Mercedes celebrates with World Championship edition SL63

Mercedes has plenty to be celebrating at the moment, having just won the Formula One World Championship in spectacular style – taking the constructors' title by a huge margin and the top two slots in the drivers' standings as well. It almost goes without saying that the German outfit would celebrate with a special edition, and that's just what we're looking at here. Presented at a special celebratory Stars & Cars event in Stuttgart in front of 50,000 jubilant fans, the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG World Championship 2014 Collector's Edition is based on Benz's twin-turbo V8-powered roadster but with some choice upgrades. Two versions will be offered: one in black with gold accents (displayed with the Silverstone circuit layout), the other in white with silver accents (and the Hockenheim map). One was designed by Lewis Hamilton, the other by Nico Rosberg. We'll let you sort out which one was done by which, but either way there'll only be 19 examples, each dedicated to a different grand prix circuit in the championship which Mercedes positively dominated – winning all but three, scoring eleven one-two finishes and landing on the podium at each and every one.

Lewis Hamilton wins record sixth British Grand Prix

SILVERSTONE, England — Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton won a record sixth British Grand Prix on Sunday after jumping ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by taking advantage of the safety car being deployed. In front of his home fans, Hamilton made the decisive move to the front in the 20th of the 52 laps by pitting to get new tires. With the safety car still out after Antonio Giovinazzi spun off in his Alfa Romeo, Hamilton rejoined ahead of pole-sitter Bottas. "The safety car came out and it was perfect timing," Hamilton said. Hamilton had initially attacked Bottas on the fourth lap, overtaking but failing to keep position. "It was maybe not my luckiest day," Bottas said after falling 39 points behind Hamilton in the championship standings. "But that's life." After finally moving into the lead, Hamilton avoided pitting again so stayed on hard tires while Bottas was on fresher soft ones but the world champion still set a lap record on the final lap. By beating Bottas by almost 25 seconds, Hamilton extended his championship lead over the Finn to 39 points and moved ahead of Jim Clark and Alain Prost to take the record for British GP victories. "I love you Silverstone," Hamilton said over the team radio in the week when the track's future for the race was secured until at least 2024. It was an 80th career win for Hamilton, of which seven have come in the 10 races this season. "Today was one of the best days I can remember having," Hamilton said. "I have done so many races you would think I would get used to it or the feeling would numb down but it feels as amazing as the first win (at Silverstone in 2008)." Charles Leclerc of Ferrari completed the podium after a crash in the fight for third saw Sebastian Vettel crash into the back of Max Verstappen on lap 38. "It was my mistake," Vettel said. "He passed me and he ran a bit wide which gave me the chance to come back. "I looked for a second he was going for the right and there would be a gap on the left ... but it didn't open and by that time it was already too late." Too late for Vettel to avoid crashing his Ferrari into the back of Verstappen, damaging the floor and diffuser of the Red Bull. "He apologized," Verstappen said. Vettel finished 15th and now trails Hamilton by 100 points in fourth place. Motorsports Ferrari Mercedes-Benz Racing Vehicles F1 Lewis Hamilton british grand prix

U.S. tariff threat hits European automakers' stocks

FRANKFURT, Germany — A U.S. warning that it may introduce tariffs on foreign auto imports hit shares in German carmakers BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen on Thursday, which together have a more than 90 percent share of North America's premium car market. Washington said on Wednesday it had launched an investigation into whether car and truck imports are a national security issue due to signs they had damaged the U.S. auto industry. That could lead to new U.S. tariffs — up to 25 percent — similar to those imposed on imported steel and aluminum in March. BMW and Daimler shares fell as much as 3.1 percent in early Thursday trading, while Volkswagen's dropped as much as 2.5 percent. "(U.S. President) Donald Trump is obviously not thinking about how to prevent a trade war. Import duties on cars would be a nightmare for the German auto industry and would lead to a massive sales impact," said Thomas Altmann at Frankfurt-based asset manager QC Partners. BMW on Thursday condemned the move to consider tariffs. "The BMW Group is committed to free trade worldwide. Barrier-free access to markets is therefore a key factor not only for our business model, but also for growth welfare and employment throughout the global economy," it said. Daimler, which makes Mercedes-Benz cars, and Volkswagen, which makes upmarket Audis and Porsches, were not immediately available for comment. German carmakers produced 804,000 cars at local factories in the United States and exported 657,000 German-made cars into North America last year, according to German auto industry association VDA. China took pains on Thursday to welcome German firms and investments, with Premier Li Keqiang talking up relations after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. BMW and Mercedes have expanded production capacity in the United States, but BMW, Audi, Volkswagen and Daimler have also invested billions to build new factories in Mexico in the hope of selling locally produced cars into the United States. German carmakers hiked vehicle production in Mexico by 46 percent to 620,000 cars last year, while production levels inside the United States fell by 6 percent to 804,000 cars because of a shift to Mexico, according to the VDA. BMW has its biggest factory worldwide in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and is the largest vehicle exporter among all the carmakers in the United States measured by value of goods exported. More than 70 percent of BMW's U.S.-made cars are exported.