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Mercedes-Benz Headlines 2012 Mille Miglia

Maria Palma — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:07:48 +0000

A group of 25 SLR. CLUB members, all with their precious SLR vehicles, took the road on May 16th to participate in the Mille Miglia in Rome, which covers a specified route starting from Brescia then Rome then back to the start to cover 1,000 miles (hence the name). The Mille Miglia is a traditional Italian race from way back in 1927. It was held annually until 1957 and then resurfaced in 1977. This year’s race features a parade of classic cars, a field with a total of 382 competitors—including these 25 SLR owners—that will pass through Italy’s famed cities of Bologna, Florence, and Verona. The SLR. CLUB contingent is comprised of the following cars: 3 Roadster 722 S, 5 SLR Coupes, 7 Roadsters, and 10 of the SLR Stirling Moss models. Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche sent off the SLR. CLUB, which is participating in the Mille Miglia for the 8th time in the club’s history. Mercedes-Benz, in its capacity as the event sponsor, will also be participating. The Stuttgart works team has fielded a trio of classics that hearkens back to the heritage of the brand as well as to the automaker’s victories in this same event. There’s a Mercedes-Benz SS, a Mercedes-Benz SSK, and the W196S racing car that won the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season as well as the 1955 edition of the Mille Miglia in record time. Check out images of the cars and of the event in the gallery.

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Mercedes-Benz Headlines 2012 Mille Miglia

DTM: Paffett Hopes for Good Results in Brands Hatch Return

Admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:37:11 +0000

The next race in the 2012 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season is Brands Hatch, considered the home race for HWA Team’s Gary Paffett. Powered by his THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupe, Paffett is currently leading the Drivers’ championship and is looking for a good showing in the third race of the young DTM season. “It’s great to be returning to Brands Hatch for my home race and to be showcasing DTM racing for the British fans,” said Paffett. “In the early stage of my career, I used to compete at Brands Hatch three or four times a year, so I have very fond memories of the circuit and the races there.” Paffett also expressed excitement at the prospect of Jenson Button, driver for the Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team, driving him around in the Mercedes-Benz race taxi. Back to the upcoming race, Paffett recognized that Brands Hatch is “very demanding” and would pose a challenge to the competitors. “A single lap is very short, but we complete almost 100 of them, so it’s a tiring weekend. I aim to send the British fans home satisfied with a result that matches the first two races of the season.” Surely, Paffett and the rest of HWA Team will do their best to extend their respective leads. We’ll keep you posted on the results of the action in Kent.

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DTM: Paffett Hopes for Good Results in Brands Hatch Return

MBFS Continues to Innovate Through Mobile Channels

Admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:38:54 +0000

According to Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, it gets an ample amount of online payment through their mobile channels. The secret lies in the early work done by MBFS to establish itself in the mobile arena, providing customers with mobile apps since 2009. “We quickly recognized that mobile devices were a preferred channel for our customer base,” said MBFS Business to Consumer Marketing Manager Matt Wiethoff. “And we’ve tailored our account management offerings around these platforms.” MBFS says that it received $14.1 million in the first quarter of 2012 alone, and that is more than twice the $6.5 million received over the same period in 2011. The company says that that figure accounts for over 10 percent of its total payments received through its online system. Here’s another interesting tidbit: customer satisfaction index scores for these mobile payment methods are up around 6-7 points, which means MBFS is also constantly finding ways to improve its service even with the number of people who uses this channel increases steadily over time. There’s a recent infographic showing people spend more time on apps than on the mobile web anyway, so MBFS is on the right track here. Kudos to them for providing stellar financial service that makes payments easier for Merc customers.

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MBFS Continues to Innovate Through Mobile Channels

Video: EV West Electric BMW M3 Teaser

Fri, 18 May 2012 03:58:23 +0000

EV West takes the almighty E36 BMW M3 and turns into an exciting race-ready electric vehicle. The 1995 M3 will enter the Race to the Clouds at Pikes Peak. With BMW turning a 1 Series Coupe into an EV, the idea of making an M car run on electric power just seems a bit out of this world. The cool part though is that an electric car with enough power can be a strong contender at Pikes Peak since electric motors don’t suffer from power loss at high altitudes. To get to 420 horsepower, the M3 a Net-Gain HV11 electric motor and an Evnetics Shiva controller. This is not the first electric car to enter the Pikes Peak race. Last year Nissan entered a stock Leaf EV and this year, th legendary hill climber Monster Tajima will also join with an electric vehicle.

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Video: EV West Electric BMW M3 Teaser

Ride Test: 2013 BMW C600 Scooter

Dahcredyns — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:43:51 +0000

Moving away from the usual car test reviews, today we have a different type of test drive. The folks over at Motorcyclist Online and Motorcycle went to Madrid, Spain to test the BMW C600 Scooter on some fun and twisty roads. The C600 is powered by a 2-cylinder inline engine newly developed by BMW Motorrad with a displacement of 647 cc. The rated power output is 44 kW (60 hp) at 7500 rpm, and its max torque of 66 Nm is available at 6000 rpm. The power is transferred via a directly integrated CVT, or continuously variable transmission. The BMW scooter is capable of reaching a top speed of 100 mph and a 0-60mph acceleration time of less than 6 seconds. By comparison, the most powerful Vespa you can buy has an engine less than half as large and makes just 22 horsepower. BMW Motorrad USA vice president Pieter de Waal said the new scooters are a “step in the dark” for the company that has produced motorcycles since 1923. He said BMW expects 70 percent of its scooter sales to come from Italy, France, and Spain, where BMW has garnered “overwhelming support” from the market to produce the two-wheelers. Tech Spec Price na Engine type l-c parallel-twin Valve train DOHC, 8v Displacement 647cc Transmission CVT Claimed horsepower 60 bhp @ 7500 rpm Claimed torque 49 lb.-ft. @ 6000 rpm Frame Tubular steel with single-sided aluminum swingarm Front suspension 40mm inverted fork Rear suspension Single shock Front brake Dual two-piston calipers, 270mm discs with ABS Rear brake Two-piston caliper, 270mm disc with ABS Front tire 120/70-15 Pirelli Sport/Metzeler GT Rear tire 160/60-15 Pirelli Sport/Metzeler GT Seat height 31.9 in. Sport/30.7 in. GT Wheelbase 62.6 in. Fuel capacity 4.2 gal. Claimed curb weight 549 lbs. Sport/575 lbs. GT Here is an excerpt form Motorcyclist Online : At the Madrid press intro, the big, blue C600 was good fun on twisty roads, setting a decent pace and encouraging enthusiastic cornering with pleasantly neutral steering that made dodging traffic easy. On the freeway it cruised at 85-90 mph, effortlessly keeping up with traffic and holding even more power in reserve. Straight-line performance was more than adequate, with the Sport staying very smooth at highway cruising speeds. Top speed is an electronically limited 112 mph. More usefully, the scooter averaged a respectable 40 mpg, and returned over 50 mpg when ridden less enthusiastically. Both scooters share the same chassis. The C600 Sport shown here has lower bars, a shorter Suspension was particularly good: firm enough to allow pretty hard cornering without the wallowing generated by lesser scooters. The only disappointing area was braking, a problem shared by the GT. The front stopper lacked in bite and power, and the rear—controlled by a left-hand lever—felt rather wooden, and too quick to get into the ABS. At a claimed 548 lbs., the Sport is a fair bit heavier than its nearest competitor, Yamaha’s T-Max, with a tall seat height that means shorter riders won’t be able to get both feet down at once. The big seat hinges up to reveal the most innovative part: the FlexCase storage system that allows a flexible bottom of the underseat storage area to open downwards, giving room for a second full-face helmet while parked. Unfortunately, it’s only available on the Sport. And another one from Motorcycle : The sporty part of the Sport is brilliant. I have never enjoyed riding a scooter fast this much – it’s very close in enjoyment to riding a full-on 600cc motorcycle through the corners. As soon as that 647cc engine is spinning, there is lots of torque giving good corner exit speed. Due to the automatic transmission, you do ride differently to a motorbike, particularly mid-corner where you often have to let go completely of the throttle. It gives a peculiar feeling of cruising through mid-corner when in reality you are going as fast as you possibly can. You can’t use the engine to control speed, basically, and the brakes have to be used when you wouldn’t on a motorcycle. The nature of the CVT transmission makes the engine work in a reactive rather than progressive way. The C 600 Sport wears Pirelli Diablo Scooter tires in dimensions 120/70-15 front and 160/60-15 rear. The width and profile is the same dimension as on most motorcycles but are on 15-inch aluminium wheels rather than 17-inchers. The instrument console has a modern feel, and even revs are showed in a small digital graphic. There’s plenty of information, and I particularly enjoyed the outdoor temperature and miles per gallon feature. At top speed it showed around 5.1 litres per 100km (46 mpg), which isn’t bad at all considering the high speed with the windscreen in its upper position. The fuel tank takes 4.23 gallons, and BMW’s solution in opening the fuel tank cap is very clever as you just push the ignition key and switch left to open it. Do the same towards the right and the seat opens. This enables you to stop at the petrol station and open the fuel cap without having to move.

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Ride Test: 2013 BMW C600 Scooter

2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:12:00 +0000

Whether you know trucks or not, the Chevrolet Silverado is likely a familiar vehicle; in a huge swath of variations, it’s the tool of choice for those who need to get things done. From sport trucks to hybrids, and up off-road rigs and heavy-duty models, the Silverado 1500 still stacks up well against rivals—no matter what the…

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2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The Spun Bearing: Leipzig BMW Werk, Active E, and Architecture

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:54:18 +0000

Leipzig BMW Werk The BMW factory at Leipzig is expanding. Leipzig is adding pressing operations for metal panels, molding facilities for the outer skins of the i models, and an assembly area for the CFRP panels needed for the passenger cells in the i3 and i8. Leipzig will, in the very near future, be building the X1, 1ers (including the FWD versions) and both i models. Currently they’re building the X1, E8x 1ers, and F20 1ers. The admin building is slowly being completely surrounded by manufacturing halls. And that’s good for Leipzig. Leipzig uses a fingers and palm approach to final assembly. Automated work, like windshield, sunroof and rear glass installation, take place in the ‘palm’ (the long narrow strip the fingers attach to). Work that requires human activity occurs in the fingers. As the complexity (or steps required) increases the length of the finger can extended. The assembly area is extremely flexible. The expansion of the facility for the i models is underway. BMWBLOG has covered the new CFRP pressing operations, Resin Transfer Molding, here [ http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/ 08/01/bmw-i-the-trouser-press/ ]. What was interesting to hear from Herr Mueller, Corporate and Governmental Affairs Manager Communications – Leipzig, Berlin, Eisenach, is that the aerospace industry has been lining up to see the facility. Seems BMW may be pioneering a production process for CFRP. Active E While in Leipzig I had an opportunity to sample the Active E in a short drive around the perimeter of the facility. The Active E is the test bed for the electric drivetrain to be used in the i3. First, the i3 will be significantly lighter than the Active E and the weight distribution will be optimized in the i3 also. Given those handicaps, the Active E is still very much a BMW. Thanks to healthy amounts of torque, available at 0 RPM, the Active E accelerates well from a standstill to the posted speed limit (around 35 MPH). It has decent steering feel for an electrically assisted rack and it feels like a BMW should. That bodes well for the i3. What took a bit of mental adjustment was the aggressive regenerative braking that occurs when you take your foot completely off the throttle. It decelerates quickly, it is braking, not coasting. In fact, the brake lights come on with lift throttle. And this may be the source of the confusion for the ‘one pedal’ operation. You have to learn to stay on the throttle a bit to coast. Architecture The Ricardo Quarterly showed up in the mailbox whist I was overseas and there was a blurb on VW’s modular transverse construction architecture known as MQB. It utilizes a fixed firewall placement (the distance between the front axle centerline and the firewall is fixed). Wheelbase, track, height and length can all be varied, except for the firewall placement. Since VW is heavily invested in FWD offerings, it makes sense. But BMW doesn’t build cars in the volumes that VW does and they can’t afford to have separate architectures for RWD, FWD, and AWD. They had to find a way to build both FWD/RWD cars from a single architecture and that led to BMW’s unique flexible firewall location being pioneered. Believe it or not, but the 3er and the 1ers (both the RWD 1ers and soon to be Fwd 1ers) are spawned from the same architecture. It this kind of creativity that keeps BMW in business.

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The Spun Bearing: Leipzig BMW Werk, Active E, and Architecture

STANCE WORKS Goes to Laguna Seca With BMW RLL

Admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:06:22 +0000

Mike and Andrew of STANCE WORKS spent some time with the BMW RLL team at the famous Laguna Seca race track. This past weekend, the two BMW M3 GTs finished the six-hour American Le Mans Monterey race in the third and fourth positions. The STANCE WORKS duo went behind the scene and delivered an exciting report and amazing photography. “Andrew and I arrived at the track bright and early on Friday morning, dragging our feet from the 6am wake-up call. We were eager to get through the 7:30am photo meeting so we could situate ourselves trackside. Shortly after our arrival, the team unloaded the twins and pushed them into their respective paddock suites, where the tool chests and countless stacks of tires made them feel right at home. Dawn had hardly lifted before the cars hit the track in a series of practice sessions to work out any kinks and prepare for the big race. The race at Laguna Seca is the third longest of the series at an impressive 6 hours, meaning the cars have to be ready to withstand abuse through the mid-day and into the setting sun, and everything must be perfect. Seemingly every part was greased, tightened, or replaced to make sure nothing would go wrong. Between the practice sessions, even the transmission was disassembled, examined, and who-knows-what-else before being reinstalled. Everything was run over with a fine-toothed comb before the cars were locked away for the night. Alignment was double and triple-checked and clearances were scrutinized before being signed-off by the technicians. Everything from spark plugs to brake pads were numbered, studied, and verified for the main event. The car was cleaned in every possible fashion, and the carbon fiber weave of the body panels was faintly visible through the car’s glossy alpine white paint. After all, the cars have to look the part too. Race day rolled around, and although the car seemed ready to go, the morning’s warm-up session warranted last minute changes. Winning is in the details, and BMW was not about to leave anything in the hands of the Racing Gods; they would win or lose by their own accord.” Click through for the full report

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STANCE WORKS Goes to Laguna Seca With BMW RLL

Sweet Jesus, That’s A Carbon Aston Martin DB4 Zagato [Car Porn]

Horisly — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Okay, so it’s actually an Aston Martin DB7 that’s been cut down to the right size and rebuilt with a carbon fiber DB4 Zagato shell. Same 93″ wheelbase, new V12 and new (comparative) reliability. Do want. More » See the original post: Sweet Jesus, That’s A Carbon Aston Martin DB4 Zagato [Car Porn]

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Sweet Jesus, That’s A Carbon Aston Martin DB4 Zagato [Car Porn]

Apple Patents a Remote Control, Apparently for Cars

Horisly — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:14:46 +0000

An iCar? Not yet. But a steering-wheel-mounted remote control was among the 21 patents granted to Apple this week. We don’t typically track patent applications and grants for the Cupertino-based tech company—it holds or has filed for thousands of them—and came to this one through PatentlyApple.com . The device, as Apple describes it in its paperwork, is pretty simple: A disc with traditional iPod controls can be clamped to the steering wheel rim. It could then, we take it, remotely operate an iPod, iPhone, or iPad. Read full story » Original post: Apple Patents a Remote Control, Apparently for Cars

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Apple Patents a Remote Control, Apparently for Cars