Ouch. Today was the first Press Day so expectations were high. And did they hit the mark? ……Welcome, to the MORGUE.

Okay, maybe a morgue is a bit extreme, but there were some serious things missing. Namely, NISSAN. And with the Leaf coming soon, you have to ask… “WUT UP, NISSAN DOODS?” Now, I did get my fair share of automotive fixations, but I was left a little… dead. Ok, another mortality reference. Wups.

Follow the jump to see the COMPLETE highlights of the show. Not many, but some cool stuff. I decided to make it easy for y’all to understand how I felt about each one. I call it the “SHOCKSWEETSNORESUCK.” That’s the long version. Let’s just call it the “SHNUCK.” The LA Shnuck Show. Yea, I like it….

Continue reading "Fireball does The LA Auto Show… Ouch." »

Ride along with the Mercedes-Benz  CL55 AMG as it drifts through the Nurburgring. The Nurburgring is one of the most challenging tracks in the world for both driver and vehicle. Various turn cambers, slopes, hills, and thrills create an amazing challenge that wears down parts, requires specially built engines, and drivers with intense stamina. Watching the CL55 AMG drift through Nurburgring, you can see how the advanced technology built into the Benz helps it achieve maximum drift angles at mind-boggling speeds.

Mercedes-Benz builds their vehicles with Nurburgring in mind, testing each model for performance and reliability on this course. The close ratio steering, large amounts of low end torque, and high horsepower of the CL55 AMG make it an ideal drifter. Read more about the Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

A good battle with points on both sides, but ultimately the C63 AMG owned the BMW M3 in this week’s Showroom Showdown. Despite not having a clutch, the C63 took home 50 votes versus the M3’s 38 votes. Congrats Mercedes!

This week it’s the battle of the burly autobahn cruisers! The C63 AMG weighs 3,649 pounds and has a 6.2 liter V8 which puts out 451 hp. The M3 Sedan weighs 3,726 pounds and has a 4.0 liter V8 which puts out 414 hp. The BMW is available with either a 6 speed manual or the M Double-clutch tranny. The Mercedes in only available with a 7-speed auto with paddle shifters. Both cars are priced in the mid $50k range. So, which would you choose?

It’s so simple it just makes sense: shut down your engine when you’re at a stop and you’ll save gas. Start-stop technology is already commonplace in hybrids, but it’s coming to more conventional gasoline cars, and may be standard on all vehicles within the next five to ten years. Mercedes has been particularly aggressive, announcing last year that that they would be rolling it out across their entire lineup. And AMG just announced that it will be standard on many AMG cars next year. So now you won’t have to feel guilty sitting in the drive-thru. Via Wired and Autoblog

This car is just plain awesome. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series Beats Up Other NAIAS Show Cars and Takes Their Lunch Money" »

This week’s Showroom Showdown produced some pretty hilarious responses. Many of our readers seem to think that the Jag will have the advantage when it comes to attracting women. But the AMG’s brutal power carried the day, and it easily beat the Brit. Several people referenced the Top Gear comparison test between the C63 AMG, the M3 and the RS4, which is definitely worth watching if you haven’t seen it. The C63 AMG seems like a real beast. I’d love to drive one.

Want style, luxury and gobs of power? This week’s Showroom Showdown features two heavy hitters from Europe. The C63 AMG weighs 3,649 pounds and has a 6.2 liter V8 which puts out 451 hp. The XF weighs 4,194 pounds and has a supercharged 4.2 liter V8 which produces 420 hp. Sadly, neither is available with a manual transmission. The Jag is priced a tad higher at $63k vs. $56k for the AMG, but hey, you’re not paying, you’re just driving. So, which would you choose?

I need to do a little explaining as to why I’m posting a topic that isnt as JDM original as my usual posts. The SL65 AMG Black Series by Mercedes-Benz is not JDM by a classic definition, yet the way the car was tuned embodies what high end JDM tuning is all about, which is indeed what my blogs are all about. If you owned an already great car and wanted to modify it, what could be better than a widebody with 70mm wider fenders and integrated diffusers, a dry carbon roof conversion with a seamlessly integrated roll cage, a V12 Twin Turbo engine, a 550lb weight reduction, and all of the countless other sick nasty modifications that Mercedes-Benz unleashed on their already crazy SL55 and 65s? Continue reading…

Continue reading "SL65 AMG Black Series Widebody V12TT Benz" »

For the last couple of days, some other automotive blogs have been whining and crying about big, bad print magazines breaking photo embargoes. It’s not terribly becoming, and even worse, it’s boring. Didn’t they learn anything from Sissy Fight. Here’s the news:

• Interior shots of the Challenger RT8 have been released, and not everyone is stoked. Personally, I’m just stoked it’ll be available with a stick. Car Scoop
• Looks like it might take a while for Kia to become the next Hyundai. Profits for 2007 fell by a whopping 66 percent. Ouch. Detroit News
• A company in Illinois is promising ethanol at one dollar a gallon, and say they can make it from virtually anything. How far away is Mr Fusion? Wired
• Audi’s TDi racers proved that diesel cars don’t have to be slow. Now AMG is going to start offering  high-performance diesel engines. Auto Express

The concept behind AMG’s the Launch isn’t complex, but it’s still pretty fun. The point? Just get the best start you can. That’s it. I haven’t been good at video game in like 20 years, so predictably, I kind of sucked at it. But the visuals are cool, and the sound of the motor is sick. My best time is 4.772. What’s yours?

After shopping for a couple of hours at a Van Nuys Mercedes dealership the other day, Britney Spears picked up this hot little AMG SL65 convertible. A police escort helped clear the way as she drove it off the lot, though whether the fuzz was there to protect Ms. Spears or the toes of the camera-snapping mob is still unclear. While a lot of professional tsk-tskers have been quick to frown on the not exactly "family-friendly" functionality of the new two-seater, CarDomain thinks that dropping $200,000 on a twin-turbo, 604-horsepower V12 Mercedes is a fabulous way to celebrate a quarterlife crisis, especially for someone as steady and competent behind the wheel as Ms. Spears. The paparazzi would do well to keep their feet tucked in after this.