2014 Mercedes-benz Glk350 4matic on 2040-cars

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Drive like a prince: Join us for a walk through Monaco's car collection

Small, crowded, and a royal pain in the trunk lid to drive into during rush hour, Monaco sounds like an improbable location for a huge car museum. And yet, this tiny city-state has been closely linked to car culture for over a century. It hosts two major racing events every year, many of its residents would qualify for a frequent shopper card if Rolls-Royce issued one, and Prince Rainier III began assembling a collection of cars in the late 1950s. He opened his collection to the public in 1993 and the museum quickly turned into a popular tourist attraction. The collection continued to grow after his death in April 2005; it moved to a new facility located right on Hercules Port in July 2022. Monaco being Monaco, you'd expect to walk into a room full of the latest, shiniest, and most powerful supercars ever to shred a tire. That's not the case: while there is no shortage of high-horsepower machines, the first cars you see after paying ˆ10 (approximately $11) to get in are pre-war models. In that era, the template for the car as we know it in 2023 hadn't been created, so an eclectic assortment of expensive and dauntingly experimental machines roamed whatever roads were available to them. One is the Leyat Helica, which was built in France in 1921 with a 1.2-liter air-cooled flat-twin sourced from the world of aviation. Fittingly, the two-cylinder spun a massive, plane-like propeller. Government vehicles get a special spot in the museum. They range from a Cadillac Series 6700 with an amusing blend of period-correct French-market yellow headlights and massive fins to a 2011 Lexus LS 600h with a custom-made transparent roof panel that was built by Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet for Prince Albert II's wedding. Here's where it all gets a little weird: you've got a 1952 Austin FX3, a Ghia-bodied 1959 Fiat 500 Jolly, a 1960 BMW Isetta, and a 1971 Lotus Seven. That has to be someone's idea of a perfect four-car garage.  One of the most significant cars in the collection lurks in the far corner of the main hall, which is located a level below the entrance. At first glance, it's a kitted-out Renault 4CV with auxiliary lights, a racing number on the front end, and a period-correct registration number issued in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of France. It doesn't look all that different than the later, unmodified 4CV parked right next to it. Here's what's special about it: this is one of the small handful of Type 1063 models built by Renault for competition.

On Location in Switzerland and France in the 2016 Mercedes GLC

Our first test drive of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC was a flat-out European adventure. We spent two days driving through Switzerland and France, with a brief stop in Germany. The twisty roads took us through vineyards, farmland, and villages that are centuries old. The historic setting stood in contrast with the sleek, contemporary GLC. It's Mercedes' newest small crossover and replaces the GLK in the company's portfolio. While we soaked in the culture, we also got a taste of the GLC's abilities. This is not a simple refresh of the GLK. The GLC has delicate curves, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and a new wave of Mercedes technology. The changes are sweeping, and the GLC looks and drives much differently than the edgy, V6-powered GLK. Admittedly, we liked the GLK's rough-hewn feel, though we warmed to the GLC's more subtle charm. This evolution may have occurred as we crossed the Alsatian region of France. Or maybe in Amsterdam, where we contemplated the GLC's merits and our travel plans for getting back across the Atlantic. Regardless, over the course of our trip we reached a conclusion: the GLC is more in-step with what today's consumers want in their crossovers. It took a long drive over some of Europe's oldest roads for us to arrive at Mercedes' new way of thinking. Related Video:

Volvo, Others to Assume Liability for Driverless Cars | Autoblog Minute

Self-driving cars could make our commutes a breeze but what happens when something goes wrong? Three industry leaders step up with an answer. Autoblog's Adam Morath reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute. .FW Mercedes-Benz Volvo Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video john krafcik Hakan Samuelsson