Mercedes Benz E350 4matic 2008 on 2040-cars

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Petrolicious profiles mustard 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 ready to go anywhere

The Mercedes-Benz sedans of the '70s and early '80s are certainly attractive models, but with their hard lines, the four-doors really don't have the graceful curves usually associated with a beautiful car. Instead, it's much more accurate to call these classic Germans handsome. The W114 chassis especially has a powerful stance about it with an upright grille dominating the front and long, flat surfaces elsewhere. Petrolicious takes a look at one man's journey to restore one of these posh vehicles in its latest video. Bernard Bredehorn grew up in the back of his grandparents' W116-chassis Mercedes 280 SE, and when he eventually got a classic of his own, Bredehorn ended up with a 1972 Mercedes 280. However, the sedan was in need of a complete restoration and sat for years in a friend's garage buried under parts. Bredehorn eventually excavated the car and brought it back to life in a very '70s shade of mustard yellow. Petrolicious shows why this classic Mercedes is now happy eat up many trouble-free miles on Germany's roads.

Mercedes harkens back to tortoise and hare for AMG GT Super Bowl spot

With just six automakers scheduled as advertisers during this year's Super Bowl, they sure aren't trying to keep things a surprise ahead of the kick off. After already teasing its spot days ago, Mercedes-Benz is the latest to fully reveal a minute-long commercial for the game. The whimsical ad modernizes Aesop's age-old fable about the race between the tortoise and the hare with a dose of muscle from the 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S. The spot, titled Fable, starts exactly as you would expect, with a forest full of animals congregating to watch the boastful hare race the steady tortoise. Although, this race apparently takes place in Germany because the turtle eventually stumbles upon the AMG factory and its latest twin-turbocharged sports coupe. The commercial isn't quite as gripping as Mercedes' 2013 Super Bowl ad for the CLA-Class with Kate Upton and Willem Dafoe as the devil, but the new one might be an opportunity for much of the audience to see the GT for the first time. See for yourself, above.

Brabus boosts big Benz plug-in hybrid

With vehicles like the BMW i8 and Porsche 918 Spyder, the Germans have demonstrated as well as anyone that "performance" and "hybrid" can go in the same sentence. And now Brabus is plugging in to the performance hybrid station as well. Though nowhere near as extreme as the aforementioned PHEV sports cars, the Brabus PowerXtra B50 Hybrid performance kit kicks the Mercedes S550 Plug-In Hybrid up a notch. The electric side of the powertrain remains untouched, but the internal combustion engine has been boosted by 51 horsepower and 52 pound-feet of torque. That gives the 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 a total of 385 hp and 405 lb-ft, which is nothing to cough at – but with the electric boost kicking in, the vehicle now packs a combined output of 493 hp and 656 lb-ft. That slots its twist figure in between that of the S600 and S63 AMG. As a result, the big Brabus hybrid will now reach 62 miles per hour from a standstill in just 4.9 seconds (down from 5.2) – almost as quick as the 12-cylinder model but with half the pistons – though the top speed remains pegged at 155 mph. Naturally, Brabus didn't stop there, giving the sedan a new exhaust, aero kit, rolling stock and interior, all catered to the customer's specifications. BRABUS PowerXtra B50 Hybrid with 368 kW / 500 hp (493 bhp) and 890 Nm of torque The eco-friendly performance upgrade for the new Mercedes S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID For more than 35 years, BRABUS has been the synonym for powerful high-performance automobiles and exclusive refinement at the highest level of perfection. One philosophy has always been paramount in all these years: combining top performance with exemplary eco-friendliness, immaculate durability and perfect everyday practicality. With the new BRABUS PowerXtra B50 Hybrid performance kit for the new Mercedes S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID, the engine specialists of the world's largest independent tuner once more demonstrate their unrivalled know-how. The power increase of the V6 engine by 38 kW / 52 hp (51 bhp) and the boost in torque by 70 Nm (52 lb-ft) bumps the system output of the hybrid sedan to 368 kW / 500 hp (493 bhp) and system torque to 890 Nm (656 lb-ft). As a result, the luxury liner sprints from rest to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.9 seconds, and impresses in daily driving with even further enhanced superiority. Due to the hybrid system, the top speed remains electronically limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).