2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG

Miami's a giant concrete brothel; a municipal madame hosting sweaty assignations that pair every income with its choice of cruise, cuisine, club, narcotic or panorama. We were there on a quest for a quest, anxious Lancelots after a late night run in a Series II E-Type over the A1A – yes, the Vanilla Ice road – had turned into a late, late evening with two Spaniards and three Ecuadorians discussing the merits of Top Gear and flying to Bogota to learn Spanish. That's when Destiny called. Not fate itself, but a ferociously alluring lass with a voice of such fine tenor we had to fight the urge to put the phone down and bow to it whenever she...

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World's oldest running car fetches $4.6 million at auction

The world's oldest running car, an 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trapardoux Dos-A-Dos Steam Runabout, made history Friday, fetching $4.62 million at RM Auctions' Hershey, Pennsylvania event. Before a packed house, the 127-year-old ride quickly eclipsed its $500,000 starting bid. By the time the dust had settled, the gavel fell at $4.2 million. The final price included a ten-percent buyer's premium. The crowd began applauding as soon as the car crept onto the stage and the enthusiasm didn't wane until well after the sale. The Runabout had been in the same family for 81 years prior to the sale, and is one of six De Dion tricycles known to still...

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2,700-hp, $1.7M Corvette-inspired superboat is glorious lunacy

There is no replacement for displacement, whether you're on the road, in the clouds or bursting across wide open water at 180 mph. That's exactly what you could do if you had a cool $1.7 million laying around and felt like making the 2012 ZR48 MTI your very own. The boat features a pair of 1,350-horsepower turbocharged Mercury Marine V8 engines strapped into a carbon fiber hull. That's all run-of-the-mill tech for the superboat crowd, but what sets this craft apart from the fleet is its complete Chevrolet Corvette interior. Why transplant the worst part of one of the best performance buys in the automotive market into your million-dollar...

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2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG

How AMG Does Suburban Winter Assault No one needs a 503-horsepower SUV capable of 155 miles per hour. In the real world, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG makes no sense whatsoever. But you want one all the same. We understand. All it took was one glance at its massive tailpipes out back for us to fall in love. The ML63 is fitted with equal parts absurdity and brilliance, and almost immediately, our minds filled with images of blasting the AMG SUV along the snowy roads of southeastern Michigan, its 6.2-liter V8 bellowing at full volume, ricocheting off the concrete overpasses looming above metro Detroit's Interstate 696. Senior editor Damon...

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2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550

Mercedes-Benz has a long history of setting trends, which includes being the first company to develop technologies we take for granted today, like traction control systems, airbags and anti-lock brakes. It also kicked off the trend of propelling vehicles with motors, having built and sold the first automobile back in 1885. But it's not usually known for setting styling trends, which is exactly what the company did when it launched the CLS-Class back in 2004. Despite four doors staring you right in the face, the CLS was officially dubbed a coupe by Mercedes because of the car's sleek coupe-like roofline. Semantics aside,...

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1989 BMW Z1

We had ventured out to California for a BMW event tied to the huge Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and there it sat, unapologetically sassy. It was there and then that we decided it was time to finally drive one of BMW's ultimate curio cars, the plastic fantastic Z1 built between 1989 and 1991. Officially, 8,000 examples of the Z1 were made, nearly 6,500 of them sold in Germany. No Z1s could be imported through normal channels to the United States due primarily to the car's side-impact crash capabilities – or, more to the point, incapabilities. The 154.4-inch long Z1 was built on a somewhat dedicated chassis using significant bits from...

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2011 Alfa Romeo 4C Concept Shapes with Fluid & Liquid Pigment Combined with Base Creates Silvery Reflecting Effect

Alfa Romeo 4C Concept is “Ambassador DNA Technology” Unveiled in a world premier at the Geneva Motor Show last April and voted “Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year” by the readers of the German magazine, Auto Bild, the Alfa Romeo 4C Concept exhibited in Frankfurt is distinguished by a new and exclusive “Fluid Metal” exterior colour. This new livery, like a sheet of forged metal, perfectly fits on the 4C Concept shapes with a fluid and liquid pigment that combined with the base creates a silvery reflecting effect and by dynamically running down the sinuous line of the car enhances its force and technicality. Planned to go on sale during...

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2012 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 16 kWh Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Feeds the 150 PS Electric Drive Unit 25-50 Miles of Electric Operation

SURPRISE DEBUT PLUS TWO FRANKFURT PREMIERES FOR VAUXHALL - Experimental vehicle to be unveiled at Frankfurt Show - World debuts of Astra GTC and Zafira Tourer - Production version of Ampera ready for European retail launch - First showing of seven new ecoFLEX models Luton – Vauxhall is set to unveil two new cars at this year’s Frankfurt Show (September 15-25) in addition to the surprise debut of an experimental car that will emphasise the company’s passion for driver-focused vehicles. The Astra GTC and Zafira Tourer will each receive their world debuts on Opel/Vauhall’s all-new show stand in Hall 8, with the press conference taking place...

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2012 Spyker C8 Aileron GT Race Car

* Spyker Squadron dedicates resources to developing 2012 racer * C8 Aileron GT racing car will be designed to new GTE regulations * Discussions underway to supply race cars to customer teams Zeewolde, The Netherlands, 1 March 2011 – Spyker Squadron, the factory racing division of luxury supercar manufacturer, Spyker, will focus its resources this year on the development of a next generation GT race car for 2012. Based on Spyker’s new flagship C8 Aileron luxury supercar, the new GT racer will be designed and developed to the ACO’s new GTE specifications and will be ready for the start of the 2012 motorsport season. Development activities will...

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2012 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition The Most Luxurious Range Rover Ever Debuts at Geneva Motor Show

THE NEW RANGE ROVER AUTOBIOGRAPHY ULTIMATE EDITION • The most luxurious Range Rover ever debuts at Geneva Motor Show • First class levels of luxury for both driver and passengers • Rear cabin now includes Apple iPads* as standard • Hand crafted finest soft feel leathers and machined aluminium detailing • Super yacht inspired teak loadspace floor • Choice of the advanced LR-TDV8 or the effortless LR-V8 Supercharged Gaydon, Warwickshire, 9th February 2011, the new Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition, a hand-finished exclusive addition, will make its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The flagship model adds a handcrafted luxury...

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