2002 Mercedes-benz Cl500 Amg Sport Package on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Brabus shows S65 Rocket 900 Desert Gold Edition in Dubai

If it packs 900 horsepower and it's painted gold, you're probably looking at the Brabus Rocket 900 Desert Gold Edition, an extreme S-Class that debuted at the Dubai motor show. The "normal" S65 sports a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 pumping out 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, and that would have been enough for most. But Brabus is there to satisfy those for whom too much is never enough, and so it revealed the Rocket 900 at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, raising the S65's output to 887 hp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque. Throw in upgraded aero, suspension, rolling stock, exhaust, and a fully refitted interior, and the Rocket 900 amounts to a complete transformation. Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel drive system couldn't handle all the twist from the stock S65, so power is transmitted to the rear wheels alone. What sets the Desert Gold Edition apart from the existing Rocket 900 is its gold color scheme. The exterior is swathed in the deep gold paint, the black wheels have a gold rim on them, and even the interior gets gold updates. If you happen to be at the Dubai Motor Show, go check it out. World premiere at the DUBAI INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW 2015 An homage to the Orient BRABUS ROCKET 900 "DESERT GOLD" Edition V12 with 662 kW / 900 HP, 1,500 Nm and 350 km/h plus BRABUS ROCKET 900 – that is the new reference for high performance in the luxury segment. BRABUS (Brabus-Allee, D-46240 Bottrop, phone +49 / (0) 2041 / 777-0, fax +49 / (0) 2041 / 777 111, Internet www.brabus.com) builds this supercar based on the Mercedes S 65. BRABUS developed the especially exclusive BRABUS ROCKET 900 "DESERT GOLD" Edition, which celebrates its world debut at the DUBAI INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW 2015, as an homage to the Orient, where BRABUS maintains a company branch and a prestigious BRABUS Flagship Store in Dubai. The exclusive high-performance luxury liner is immediately recognizable not only due to its extraordinary "DESERT GOLD" special paintwork. The appearance of this special model is also characterized by BRABUS carbon aerodynamic-enhancement components and shiny black BRABUS Monoblock F "PLATINUM EDITION" 21-inch wheels with gold pin striping. The BRABUS fine leather interior is finished in a combination of gold and black leather. Gold-colored seams in a quilting pattern created specifically for this special model furthermore distinguish the classy interior appointments.

Are future vehicular hacks inevitable?

Before the hack of the Uconnect system in a Jeep Cherokee resulted in a 1.4-million vehicle recall, the potential software vulnerabilities in vehicles were already a hot topic with Congressional inquiries and even proposed legislation in the US. As cars' interconnected systems gain the ability to go online, they become open to a host of new threats. Automakers are trying to stop this, but it might be too late to put the genie back into the bottle. Throughout 2015, the issue of software security in vehicles has become increasingly vital. For example, the recent Jeep case wasn't even the biggest hack this year. In February, a major flaw was discovered in the BMW Connected Drive service that allowed researchers to remotely lock and unlock the doors and potentially affected 2.2 million cars. The fix was an over-the-air patch for the problem. Automakers are actively working to fix the issues. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi reportedly are using encrypted connections and firewalls in their vehicles to prevent hacking. "Absolute, 100-percent safety isn't possible," Daimler spokesperson Benjamin Oberkersch said to Automotive News Europe. "But we develop our systems, tested by internal and external experts, so they're up to date." These vulnerabilities seem to be popping up more often. A successful hack took $14 in parts from Radio Shack in one case. There was also a 60 Minutes report earlier in the year about DARPA's ability to hack into OnStar to take control of a Chevrolet Impala. Experts aren't so sure companies can contend with hackers' advancement. "The difficulty for the carmakers at the moment is the question whether they can keep pace with advances in technology, and especially hacking technology," Rainer Scholz, executive director for telematics consultant EY, said to Automotive News Europe. "We seriously doubt they can." At this point, vehicle hacks are coming more from researchers looking for holes than from those with malicious intent. Still, the vulnerabilities are definitely there. It's up to automakers to keep patching the problems before they become dangerous to drivers. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req.Image Credit: Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post via Getty Images Audi BMW Jeep Mercedes-Benz Safety Technology Emerging Technologies hacking cyber security

Here's what Jay Leno will be working on in 2016

Jay Leno always has a project or five underway in his garage, and since 2015 is practically over, his latest video offers a glimpse at some of the amazing vehicles we might see his team complete in the coming year. Leno's crew certainly has a lot to do next year. Leno's most impressive current undertaking is an effort to modernize a 1914 Detroit Electric with about ten times its original power output. He showed off the vintage EV as just a shell in his last tour of the garage, but his team has now recreated the wood body. They also started the project's bigger challenge of installing a new electric motor and lithium-ion batteries from a Nissan Leaf. If EVs don't interest you, Leno has plenty of other irons in the fire, too. There's a 1971 Porsche 911 that's under restoration to turn it into a solid driver and several motorcycles in various states of repair. Leno even welcomes viewers into his dyno room to check out the work on the Chrysler V8 for his Cunningham. The results of this wrenching and welding on these projects should make for even more compelling videos in 2016.