Mercedes-Benz for a Joy Ride While he Was in Jail

Receiving a ticket for running a red light is nothing new - unless, that is, you were in jail and the police had impounded your car at the time, which is the case of 25-year old Rashad Lewis from Queens, New York. Lewis' story started on Friday, August 3, when the 25-year old junior at Berkeley College was pulled over for a traffic violation while driving his luxury Mercedes-Benz CL coupe in New York City.
"The cops said I ran two red lights," Lewis told the NY Post. The police said that while searching his vehicle, they found 13 fake credit cards, and as a result, both Lewis and his friend, Gregg Humphreys, 22, who was sitting on the passenger side, were arrested on charges of criminal possession of a forged instrument and taken to jail. In the meantime, the Mercedes-Benz coupe was impounded by the police.
“I posted bail and was released the next week," said Lewis
About a couple weeks after he posted a $3,500 bail and returned to his home in Queens, Lewis received for running a red light, which allegedly took place on August 4, when he was in prison and his car was supposedly parked at the Springfield Gardens Auto Pound in Queens.
“My first reaction was, ‘Are you guys serious?’ I had a whole bunch of emotions running through my mind. I felt violated. I don’t know if they could have committed a crime in my vehicle. I was really shocked. I was mad,” he told the NY Post.

Spanish Automaker Tramontana Readying 876HP V12

Tramontana, which most literally translates to "north wind," is also the name of the Spanish automaker responsible for the creation pictured above. Dubbed the XTR, the early sketches of this road legal track car take note from Ariel, KTM and Aspid among others makers. What really makes this particular track car extra special is that these crazy Spaniards want to shove an 876bhp (888PS) V12 underneath the hood. Crazy? Yes, but this isn't the first time Tramontana is placing an ungodly amount of horsepower into a car the weight of a large dog.
The former Tramontana R was good for 700bhp thanks to a twin-turbo V12 and only weighed in at around 3,000 lbs (1360 kg). This put the 0-60 mph (96km/h) time at 3.6 seconds and top speed at 214 mph (344 km/h).
The new XTR keeps the same shape as its predecessor, but the Mercedes sourced twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V12 will now be good for the aforementioned 876-horses
The XTR model will be launched by the end of 2012 with a base price of $514,000 (€420,000).

GSC Makes the Mercedes-Benz G-Class

So what if the G-Wagen was initially developed as a military vehicle before Mercedes-Benz began offering it as a rough n' tough civilian model back in 1979; tuners continue to see a street racing potential in the G-Class, despite the fact that everything about this model screams "4x4 off-roader". Then again, Mercedes itself has gone down this path with its insane and utterly pointless AMG variants spearheaded by the new G65 AMG, which sports a…603bhp 6.0-liter bi-turbocharged V12.
Consequently, we doubt anyone will be surprised with this new styling package for the G-Class series from German Custom Specials (GSC). For now, we only get a set of teaser renderings and some initial details, but the tuning company plans to bring it to life within this year.
The package is named GoldStorm after its brassy paintwork and includes a wide body kit made from carbon fiber, new headlamps that reminds us of those found on the Rolls Royce Ghost, new circular tail lamps, and five-spoke alloy wheels wrapped in low profile sport tires.

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Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

German aftermarket specialist Wheelsandmore believes it can convince at least a few of the 500 owners of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione to make the plunge and shop its new tuning package for the Italian sports coupe. First up is the hard-to-miss matte white foil wrap with black and red racing stripes running from bumper to bumper, and the 21-inch 6Sporz2 forged alloy wheels shod in Hankook S1Evo tires size 245/30 21 on the front axle and 345/25 21 on the rear.
The new look is finished off by the black tailpipes of the new hand-made sports exhaust system.
Underneath the 8C Competizione's curvalicious body, Wheelsandmore added a new coilover suspension and tweaked the V8 engine's software to bring output from 444hp (450PS) and 480Nm (354 lb-ft) to 474hp (480PS) and 520Nm (383 lb-ft).
Wheelsandmore did not announce pricing details on the 8C tuning package.

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Aussie Billionaire Wants to Build Titanic II but Refuses to Pay $333

At the end of April, Australian billionaire Clive Palmer made world headlines when he announced plans to launch a full-size replica of the Titanic that will make its maiden voyage from England to New York in 2016. Fast-forward a few weeks to today, and the Australian Mining magnate is once again in the news, but for a very different reason.
The 58-year old businessman from the sunny state of Queensland was ticketed by Australian police back in January for going 87km/h (54mph) in a 60km/h (37mph) zone in his Mercedes-Benz. The police officer issued him an AU$333 (US$329 or €258) fine and deducted four demerit points from his driving license.

Mercedes-Benz Officials Confirm Baby SLS AMG Sports Car

In the very near future, Mercedes-Benz will offer two thoroughbred sports cars as company officials have confirmed the production of a more affordable 'baby' SLS AMG sports model to rival the Porsche 911 and possibly, Jaguar's F-Type. The news comes from two different sources, the head of Mercedes-Benz design Gorden Wagener, who told British magazine Autoexpress that the sports car will be named SLC, and the company's boss, Dieter Zetsche, who told Autocar that the SLC will be a front-engined model sitting under the SLS AMG.
From there on, it's all speculation about the SLC's powertrain and design, though it is possible that the car could be offered with both a V6 and a V8 engine. Don't expect to see the production model before 2015, but a concept version is almost certain to come within the next couple of years.
Wagener also revealed that the name of the production version of the 'baby' SLS Concept Style Coupe is CLA and that the automaker is mulling a sportier styled version of the M-Class to compete against the BMW X6.

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Mercedes-Benz Officially Introduces the New A-Class Hatch

The Geneva Motor Show's second worst kept secret after the Volvo V40, the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback, was finally revealed today. The new A-Class represents both a radical and a conservative departure from the two previous generations of Mercedes-Benz's compact model series.
To explain, conservative, in the sense that it abandons the tall sandwich platform and mini-MPV-like body of the outgoing model for a more traditional hatchback shape, but also a radical departure because of the far more sportier and sexier design inside and out.
Previewed by last year's concept model of the same name, the new five-door A-Class is based on Mercedes' new MFA (modular front architecture) platform. It measures 4,292mm long, 1,780mm wide and 1,433mm tall, which makes it 32mm shorter but 15mm wider and 12mm taller than its main rival, the BMW 1-Series hatchback.
However, unlike the BMW model that uses a rear-wheel drive setup, the A-Class is driven by its front wheels, which means it should provide more ample space inside.
From launch, Mercedes-Benz will offer a broad range of gasoline and diesel engines. The petrol lineup includes three four-cylinder options: the A180 with a 1.6-liter turbocharged unit producing 121hp (122PS), the A200 that uses a 154hp (156PS) version of the 1.6-liter unit and the A250 powered by a 2.0-liter turbo delivering 208hp (211PS)
On the diesel front, we find the A180 CDI with a 1.8-liter engine churning out 108hp (109PS) and 250Nm (184 lb-ft), the A200 CDI with the same unit rated at 134hp (136PS) and 300Nm (221 lb-ft), and the A220 CDI with a 2.2-liter turbocharged four delivering 168hp (170PS) and 350Nm (258 lb-ft).
All engines in the new A-Class come equipped with the ECO start/stop function as standard and can be combined either with a new six-speed manual gearbox or an optional 7G-DCT dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The German company is also planning to introduce a flagship AMG model that will use a turbocharged four-cylinder engine possibly delivering well over 300-horses.
Other highlights include the introduction of a raft of assistance systems such as the Blind Spot Assist and Lane Keeping Assist, an in-house developed app that allows users to integrate their Apple iPhone into the car's infotainment system, and an AMG Sport package with styling as well as chassis upgrades.
The new five-door Mercedes-Benz A-Class will reach European dealership in September. There are no current plans to offer the hatchback model in the States.

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