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2016 Mercedes C-Class Coupe offers S-Class style on a budget

This is the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and it's the new best-looking vehicle in the small, luxury, sport coupe market. Bold praise, you say? Well, check out the live photos up top and let us know if you still disagree. As previously mentioned, the C-Class Coupe uses the same tactic as its four-door brother, aping the look of the flagship S-Class, but on a smaller, far more affordable scale. That means the same bold but sophisticated front fascia, slim, horizontally oriented taillights, and strong character line as the S-Class Coupe. It's a similar deal in the cabin, where Mercedes stuck with the aluminum and leather-heavy styling of the S-Class. It's a handsome cockpit for sure, complete with a meaty, flat-bottomed steering wheel and prominent display atop the dash. Although like its big brother, those backseats are there more for show than anything else, thanks to that plunging, fastback-like roofline. Expect the engine options on the C-Class Coupe to mirror those on the four-door sedan, with a base 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, a twin-turbocharged V6, and eventually, a range-topping, fire-breathing C63 AMG. You can guess which one we're most eager to drive. Rear-wheel drive should be standard, although expect Mercedes' popular 4Matic all-wheel-drive system to be a popular option. Seven-speed automatic transmissions should be the order of the day, while the C63 will get some incarnation of the brand's AMG Speedshift line. As we suggested at the beginning of this story, you should check out our full gallery of photos direct from the floor of the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard is a limo with a bulletproof vest

As fabulously plush as the Mercedes-Maybach Pullman is, there is a certain class of individual for which luxury is only part of the equation. Oligarchs, dictators, kingpins of questionable businesses, and probably some legitimate world leaders all love luxury, but they sometimes face some hairy commutes that demand a bit more protection. For them, the answer to their luxury car needs is the armored Pullman Guard. The Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard tops the line of S-Class Guard models that also includes the Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard and the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard. Like the non-armored Pullman it packs loads of leather, seats with practically infinite adjustability, and redundant gauges for rear passengers. It is also by far the longest S-Class vehicle available, stretching more than 40 inches longer than the next-longest Mercedes-Maybach. This tremendous length allows the Pullman Guard to have four-passenger seating in the rear, with two seats facing two others. It's the perfect place to sign treaties or entertain diplomats. Or, if foreign affairs aren't your speed, it would also be a convenient place to carve up territory, issue ultimatums to enemies, and intimidate dissidents. The Pullman Guard was developed alongside the standard Pullman, and because of that, the added armor does not sacrifice interior space. The armor does affect weight, though. The Pullman Guard weighs over 11,000 pounds. But, in return, the steel plates on the sides and floor, non-Kevlar-brand high-strength fabrics, and polycarbonate-backed windows protect occupants from bullets and explosives. Plus, the Pullman Guard features a twin-turbo V12 that produces 530 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque to haul the added ballast around. If a recognized authority is ordering a Pullman Guard, Mercedes also offers sirens, flashing lights, two-way radios, an emergency starter battery, and a loudspeaker system. These items are sure to be useful when trying to navigate seas of protestors in the streets. All of this extra protection will cost you though, and if you have to ask, you definitely can't afford it. But we'll tell you the price anyway. A standard Pullman will run around $500,000 at current exchange rates. For the Guard model, be prepared to shell out about $1.56 million. It's a steep price for sure, but for those whose pampered lives are in danger, it's probably worth it.

New Die Hard movie wrecked 132 cars in $11 million chase scene [w/video]

It would seem the act of dying hard brings with it lots of wanton destruction of the four-wheeled kind. According to John Moore, director of A Good Day To Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, There were 132 (cars) that could never be used again. Another 518 required a lot of work. And damn right there were some good cars there... That's the fun of it."
Please join us in one great big collective sigh. Done? Okay, let's continue.
"With Die Hard it's about how audacious the action is," says Moore. "So you have to drive over a Lamborghini. An actual one. And yes it hurts me. I'm a car fanatic." Yeah. Sounds like it hurt really bad... though not as bad as the final tally after all the carnage had been counted: "Someone showed me the numbers on the car chase and soup to nuts, you put it all together it was like an $11 million sequence."