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2015 Mercedes-Benz CLS400 [w/video]

Rocky IV debuted in 1985 but it was a few years later that I first watched it, on video. I loved every second of that terrible movie. I loved Drago's super-high-tech demonstration of punching power. I loved Rocky training in a Russian barn, with ropes, and yokes, and wagons. But mostly I loved Brigitte Nielsen. My 10-year-old brain sweated her impossible combination of curves and sharp edges, demure eyes, and sculpted bone structure. The perfect woman, but evolved by the power of the dark-hearted Soviet Union (or Denmark, whatever, I was ten). Red Sonja has a lot in common with the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, as I see it. Mercedes created a new market niche with its first four-door coupe, a sedan so well-proportioned, flowing, and femininely curved that it could pull off its inaccurate moniker. The third evolution of the CLS you see here has Nielsened up the shape into something altogether more angular and edgy, but like 1985's Brigitte, retains an undeniable sex appeal. It's a more opinionated piece of auto design than was the original CLS. And also a car that bifurcates the space between luxury coupe and luxury sedan. Ludmilla Drago would undoubtedly understand. Driving Notes For the base engine of a 4,200-pound car, the CLS400's two-turbo V6 does better than just get out of its own way. The full 354 pound-feet of torque is available way down at 1,600 revs, and plateaus until 4,000, giving you a fat band in which to call up power. Acceleration is available in the form of a quiet, gracious, but not aggressive push at just about every speed. From inside the cabin, the engine and exhaust noises are pleasantly rumbling, though muted. But do yourself a favor and try not to listen to the CLS tick over while standing around the driveway. When the car first pulled up in mine, warm from some 40 miles of highway, it still sounded an awful lot like a 2.0T on a mid-March morning. Not to belabor the Brigitte metaphor, but I found as much Neilsenian dichotomy in the ride and handling as I did the exterior styling. Especially with Mercedes' 4Matic system spreading out the grip, I found the CLS to be sharp when pushed, and rather excellent in terms of making quick corrections while under a cornering load. And yet, you've got to push through an initially soft suspension response to reach that hard edge. The CLS will initially resist being tossed around a winding backroad, but press on and she'll do as you ask.

Brabus tunes Mercedes-AMG GT up to 600 horsepower

"You can never have enough power," says Brabus in the statement below, "especially in a sports car." Hence the beast you see here. It's based, as you can plainly see, on the Mercedes-AMG GT. But instead of 469 horsepower in the base model or 503 in S spec, Brabus has boosted it up to 600 metric horsepower. That works out to 591 hp by our standards, a figure backed up by an equally impressive 553 pound-feet of torque – up from 443 or 479. With all that power and twist, the Benz tuner of record says its take on the GT will top out at an autobahn-crunching 201 miles per hour, reaching 62 along the way in 3.6 seconds. Of course, Brabus didn't just tinker with the engine and leave the rest alone. It'll build customer vehicles to individual requirements, but has outfitted this demo vehicle with a full aero kit (in clear carbon fiber), monoblock alloys (20 inches up front, 21 at the back), a retuned suspension dropped by 0.6 inches, and a fully refitted interior. We'll be keeping an eye out for the Brabus GT at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week, but judging from the photos above, it would be hard to miss. Related Video: World premiere at the IAA 2015 BRABUS refines the Mercedes-AMG GT S 441 kW / 600 HP, 750 Nm of torque, a top speed of 325 km/h, carbon components and 21-inch high-tech forged wheels Lending an exclusive car an even more thrilling appearance has been the domain of BRABUS (Brabus-Allee, D-46240 Bottrop, phone + 49 (0) 2041 / 777-0, fax + 49 / (0) 2041 / 777 111, Internet www.brabus.com) for almost four decades. At the IAA 2015 in Frankfurt am Main, the exclusive sports program for the Mercedes-AMG GT and GT S models celebrates its world premiere. With an output increase to 441 kW / 600 HP (591 bhp) and a peak torque of 750 Nm (553 lb-ft), the two-seat car reaches a top speed of 325 km/h (201 mph). From the outside, the sports car with BRABUS design impresses with aerodynamic-enhancement components made from clear-coated carbon, ultra-light BRABUS Monoblock F forged wheels, a sports suspension with a multitude of selectable settings for damping and ride height, and a sports exhaust system made from especially lightweight titanium with electronically controlled sound management. BRABUS fine leather interiors and inlays made from real carbon and precious wood upgrade the cockpit of the two-door car. You can never have enough power, especially in a sports car.

2015 Chinese Grand Prix shines bright sun on the dark days of racing

Yes, we tuned into the Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai China to see a race. But we all know we really tuned in to see if Ferrari, or any other team, could make it a competitive race with Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Based on qualifying, things didn't get off the best of starts: Lewis Hamilton made it four-out-of-four at the front, leading all three Free Practice sessions and then taking pole position in his Mercedes. Nico Rosberg is making the most of his time in the simulator, getting closer to Hamilton as the months go by. This time he lined up in second, just 0.042 in arrears. Ferrari did its best to temper expectations after Malaysia. Even though Sebastian Vettel qualified in third, almost a second behind Hamilton, the Scuderia's race pace is still considered a danger. Kimi Raikkonen's final hot lap went sour in Turn 3 and dropped the Finn to sixth place on the grid. In between the Ferraris, Williams is another team desperately working to maintain its advantage, and both of its drivers capitalized on Raikkonen's misfortune. Felipe Massa took fourth, Valtteri Bottas was in fifth. Daniel Ricciardo led the Infiniti Red Bull Racing charge in seventh, ahead of Romain Grosjean in the Lotus earning a spirits-lifting eighth. The two Saubers continue to show how good the Ferrari engine is, with Felipe Nasr taking ninth position and teammate Marcus Ericsson in tenth. Yet when the lights went out, so did the racing, for the most part. At the end of the first lap, because of some excellent moves by Raikkonen on both Williams' and a terrible start by Ricciardo that dropped him to seventeenth, the order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen, Massa, Bottas, Grosjean, Nasr, Ericsson, and Pastor Maldonado in the Lotus rounding out the top ten. At the end of the race, the only positions that had changed were the final two: Ricciardo had a laps-long battle with Ericsson, passing, getting repassed, then passing again to take ninth for good, with Ericsson finishing tenth. Maldonado suffered the worst in a battle with Jenson Button in the McLaren, when Button misjudged the entry into Turn 1 for a pass and clouted the back of the Lotus. Button was able to finish but Maldonado had to retire. Yes, there were some decent moments in between, like Bottas getting by Massa at the start, then Raikkonen getting past Massa in the first few corners and the Finn's move on Bottas also letting Massa through.