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'The best Lewis' Hamilton faces resurgent Ferrari in F1

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton has raised his game but whether the Mercedes driver can deny Ferrari a second successive win of the season in China this weekend remains to be seen. On paper, the triple world champion is still the man to beat -- the most successful driver by far in Shanghai with four wins to date. "Lewis is the best Lewis that I've seen in the last four years, both on and off the track," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after the Briton started on pole and finished second to Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in the Australian season-opener. "He has become a pillar of this team and he proved that in Melbourne." But Vettel is leading the championship, the first time a non-Mercedes driver has done that since he took his fourth title with Red Bull in 2013, and once-dominant Mercedes have a fight on their hands. Mercedes, who have taken both the drivers and constructors' titles for the last three years, have won four of the last five races in China. As Melbourne showed, however, past form may count for little in a season of sweeping rule change. "If you think you are going to cruise to victory in the future, based on a track record of success, you'll be proven wrong very quickly," said Wolff. "Australia was a weekend full of lessons, now we go to China ready and excited for another battle." Ferrari have not started a season with consecutive wins since 2004 at the peak of the Michael Schumacher era, the Italian team taking 15 victories from 18 races that season. Vettel's win in Australia ended a victory drought for Ferrari stretching back to September 2015, and drew rare praise from company chairman Sergio Marchionne, but they must now prove they can be genuine contenders. "You really have to go step by step," said Vettel. "It's good to know that we have a great car but it's just the beginning: new regulations, new generations of cars so there will be a lot of progress." The cars this year are longer and wider, sporting fatter tires and more swept-back bodywork as part of a rules shake-up aimed at making them faster, more spectacular to watch and harder to drive. But overtaking has also become more difficult, with Australia raising concern about the lack of real moves. The long straights and wide sweeps of the Shanghai circuit saw 128 passes last year, more than at any other track, and should provide a more definitive verdict.

Mercedes Vision Tokyo Concept is a minivan for millennials [w/video]

Mercedes-Benz believes that the next generation of drivers would much rather interact digitally with their machines than actually be behind the wheel. To satiate the desires of these tech-obsessed passengers, the company reimagines the minivan as a rolling, autonomous lounge called the Vision Tokyo Concept. The silver lozenge debuts at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. With its rounded edges, plentiful glass, and satiny Alubeam paint, the Vision Tokyo looks like a minivan from the high-tech future out of a William Gibson story. Up front, the windshield wraps all the way around, and the side glass is screen-printed in silver for privacy. The massive grille is illuminated and can even show the sound pattern of the music playing inside. Meanwhile at the rear, red LED lights surround the oval window. While the exterior is fairly minimalist, the Vision Tokyo puts its biggest emphasis on pampering the five passengers inside. They enter through a massive gullwing door in the concept's side, and rather than traditional rows of seats, there's a wraparound couch. Once comfortable, occupants can use LED screens on the walls, and in a truly sci-fi touch there's a holographic entertainment system in the center. Should someone actually need to drive, a seat can also deploy from the couch, and a steering wheel slides into position. Riding in this metallic chariot at least isn't too bad for the environment. The powertrain combines a hydrogen fuel cell and batteries capable of inductive charging. In total, the combo would offer a claimed range of 609 miles – 118 miles purely on electricity and 491 miles from the H2. That kind of driving distance should keep the digital party inside rocking for quite a wild night. Check out the high-res image gallery above and the video below. And for more, stay tuned for our live coverage from the Tokyo Motor Show. Mobile club lounge for young, urban trendsetters Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo: Connected Lounge Stuttgart/Tokyo. The Vision Tokyo is the latest trailblazing spatial experience to come from Mercedes-Benz: its monolithic structure, futuristic design idiom and unique lounge ambience in the interior define it as luxurious, young and progressive – thus making it a fitting tribute to the sophisticated megacity and trendsetting metropolis that is Tokyo.

Jay Leno tells the story of his Mercedes Gullwing

With all the new and varied machinery stopping by Jay Leno's Garage on a regular basis, it would be all too easy to forget that the former talk show host has one of the largest and most enviable private collections of automobiles in the world. Leno has hundreds of vehicles at his disposal, but the real value of it all is at least as much about quality as it is quantity. Take this gem, for example. Sure, it's a little worse for wear, but it's got a nice patina to it – and it's a work in progress. One look is all it takes to know exactly what it is: a classic Mercedes-Benz 300SL, complete with Gullwing doors. "The McLaren F1 of its day," Jay calls it, and with good reason. Watch the video above to hear the story of the Gullwing he rescued from the desert and is slowly bringing back to life. Related Video: