1999 Mercedes-benz Sl-class Sl500 Roadster Hardtop Convertible on 2040-cars

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Russia gives its Olympic medalists new Mercedes

Russian medalists at the recently concluded Sochi Winter Olympics are being rewarded quite handsomely for their service to the Motherland. In addition to the $120,000 being handed out for each gold medal, the $76,000 being awarded for slivers and $52,000 given to bronze winners, now word has come out that each of Russia's medalists will be gifted a new Mercedes-Benz.
As with the prize amounts, the type of Mercedes offered was based on what sort of medal was won. Gold medalists got a new GL-Class, silver medalists were given an ML and bronze medalists were treated to a GLK. As prices for Mercedes are higher in Russia, the cheapest model, the GLK, was the equivalent of $59,500, according to The Moscow Times. The cars were handed out by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, pictured above with figure skating medalist Julia Lipnitskaia.
"I was a bit shocked at the car I was given," Anton Shipulin, a member of the gold-medal biathlon relay team, told RIA-Novosti. "Of course I knew what kind of model it would be, but I didn't totally believe it." For athletes not old enough to drive, like 15-year-old Lipnitskaia, their Mercedes will come complete with a driver.

Online Find of the Day: Lexus-engined Mercedes pickup is a vintage hybrid

You have to love someone who gets incredibly committed to a very weird idea. What you see for sale here is a right-hand drive 1971 Mercedes-Benz 220D in South Africa, but this old Mercedes is now converted into a pickup, complete with bed cover, and there's big secret under the hood, too.
The pickup conversion appears well done based on seller Sedgefield Classic Cars' photos. Even the tonneau cover fits well. You could almost believe that this Mercedes lived its life as a Chevrolet El Camino-like pickup from the very beginning.
However, the rear-quarters conversion might not be the weirdest thing about this Mercedes. The original diesel is gone from the engine bay in favor of a Lexus V8. It seems really odd to pop the hood and find a Japanese mill in this German car, but the photos make it look like a fairly well performed swap. So, bravo to the crazy thinking. According to the seller speaking to Autoblog by email, "as far as we can establish, this was done a few years ago, with all Lexus components."

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.