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Will the AMG SL65 Black Series live up to our expectations? The corporate goal was to create the ultimate Black Series, a vehicle of outstanding prowess on track and off, whose every line and detail underscores its dominance and top-level performance a vehicle to appeal to each of the five senses.

While development officially began in 2006, AMG Mercedes claims the SL 65 AMG Black Series is the culmination of more than 40 years of AMG engineering, motorsports and steadfast dedication to performance - a descendant of its forbearers if you will.

Click here for full details concerning the new AMG SL 65 Black Series (press release from AMG Mercedes-Benz).

Like the SLK 55 AMG Black Series and the CLK 63 AMG Black Series before it, the SL 65 AMG Black Series was also developed in the AMG PERFORMANCE STUDIO, which opened in 2006. The first vehicles will be delivered to customers, starting in November 2008.

You can view multiple images of the SL 65 AMG Black Series on the homepage of the Private Lounge. The promo also includes desktop wallpaper images for your computer and cell phone.

Stuttgart - With the delivery of the 500,000th vehicle since its market launch in 1996, Mercedes-Benz has now reached another milestone with the successful SLK compact roadster. All in all, about 310,000 customers opted for a model from the first generation of this dynamic two-seater, and its successor has now sold 190,000 units since its market launch in March 2004.

"With the launch of the SLK in 1996, Mercedes-Benz successfully established the premium segment for compact roadsters. Thanks to innovative technology such as the vario-roof and the neck-level heating system AIRSCARF, the SLK has long been recognized as a cult car of modern times,” expains Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Mercedes-Benz Cars, responsible for Sales and Marketing. “The new-generation SLK models, which we are delivering to customers since April 2008, are sportier than ever. I’m confident that the dynamic looks and performance of the new SLK will again set pulses racing among sports cars enthusiasts around the world."

In Western Europe, by far the most important sales market for the SLK, the two-seater was once again the market leader for its segment in 2007. The compact roadster enjoys the greatest popularity in Germany, with over one-third of all SLK drivers coming from the home market of the brand with the star. The rest of Western Europe accounts for a further one-third of sales. Moreover, one in every five SLK customers comes from the U.S. The most popular model among customers is the SLK 200, which is selected by half of all SLK owners worldwide and by more than two-thirds in Germany. Also in strong demand is the SLK 280, which is driven by over one-quarter of all SLK owners.

The new-generation SLK, which celebrated its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January, inspires imagination especially with its sportier looks and the promise of an even more emotional driving experience. The most important changes in the vehicle’s appearance include redesigned front and back views, as well as a carefully modified interior, featuring a new combination instrument panel and a three-spoke steering wheel. Three enhanced engines underscore the two-seater’s dynamic character. Engineers have devoted particular attention to the V6 sports engine. Despite a considerable increase in power in some instances, all the engines use significantly less fuel. For example, the SLK 350 with manual transmission consumes 1.1 liters per 100 kilometers less than its predecessor, despite an added 33 horsepower, for a new total of 305 horsepower.

If desired, the SLK is also available with the newly developed direct-steer system and new-generation audio and telematics features. Like its predecessor, the latest SLK is manufactured in the Mercedes-Benz Bremen plant, the brand’s center of excellence for its open-top vehicles.

Our friend and colleague, John Olson, recently launched the SL Market Mercedes-Benz SL News website. John is the publisher and author of the book, The SL Experience - Five Decades of the Mercedes-Benz SL (which you have seen for sale on our sites). He is also publisher & editor of the SL Market Letter, which was founded in 1982. The SL Market Letter is a premier publication for aficionados of Mercedes' most collectible cars - the Mercedes-Benz SL.

You can find sample articles and news features on this site; several were originally published in his SL Market Letter (subscription based newsletter). John also reviews high quality products and services that enhance the Mercedes-Benz experience.

About
The SL Market is a comprehensive resource for information pertaining to the Mercedes-Benz SL. We provide newsletters, special reports, products, and services to the Mercedes-Benz enthusiast. You will find concise summaries of Mercedes-Benz information not easily found elsewhere: SL Market News

Let's hope this isn't a record Daimler repeats in 2008. The automaker paid a heavy fine in 2007 for failing to meet federal fuel-efficiency standards. The NY Times today published an article with more info - an excerpt and link to the full article follows:

DaimlerChrysler paid a $30 million fine in 2007, the most ever by an automaker, for failing to meet federal fuel-efficiency standards, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The penalty was assessed for DaimlerChrysler’s imported fleet of cars from the 2006 model year, which failed to meet the corporate average fuel economy standard of 27.5 miles per gallon, an agency spokesman, Eric Bolton, said Wednesday.

DaimlerChrysler, now known as Daimler, topped the record of $28 million set by BMW in 2002. The United States has collected $735 million in fines since 1985 from automakers whose fleets failed to meet car and light-truck mileage standards, now at 27.5 mpg and 22.2 mpg. << Read the full article here >>

The 57th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance names Duesenberg SJ Special (also known as the Mormon Meteor) Best of Show. Classic Cars from 12 Countries and throughout the U.S. were showcased during the competition:

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (Aug. 19, 2007) – The 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links® hosted some of the world’s rarest vintage vehicles and thousands of spectators Sunday at the 57th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The Concours competition, which included judging in 24 classes, culminated when a 1935 Duesenberg SJ Special, owned by Harry Yeaggy from Cincinnati, Ohio, was named “Best of Show.”
<< Full Press Release Here >>
Photos can be found here.

McCluggage received the Mercedes-Benz Star Driver Award: Denise McCluggage was recognized with the Star Driver award at the Mercedes-Benz's annual dinner at Pebble Beach. She is the only journalist in the Automotive Hall of Fame. The LA Times has a brief news piece here.

Autoblog has a few pics of the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster with Mayfair bodywork sold at the RM Auction.

The South African Star has a nice piece on the S63 AMG:

Break Free to Dream
The S63 AMG has big shoes to fill, but it's the stuff of which legends are made, writes Brendan Seery

August 18, 2007: Back in the 1970s, the staid Daimler Benz company, purveyors of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, produced a hooligan hot rod which was cloaked in the metal of its 300SE series. Only the small "6.3" badge at the back gave any indication of its muscle. << MORE BREAK FREE TO DREAM >>

The Most Dangerous Deal in America
If you like Wall Street reading, Daniel Roth's well written article in the Sept. 2007 issue of Conde Nast, Portfolio.com, provides a look inside the secretive world of Cerberus Capital­­­—and why its plan to save Chrysler spooks Wall Street. Read about Cerberus Capital and their CEO, Stephen Feinberg. Here's an excerpt:

Stephen Feinberg currently sits on top of a collection of companies that employs roughly 250,000 people and generates annual revenue of more than $120 bil­lion. If you added them all up, they would form the ninth-largest business in the U.S., with sales greater than those of Pfizer, Microsoft, and United Airlines combined. Feinberg runs multiple private equity and hedge funds under the Cerberus umbrella, and these have produced outsize returns, consistently beating the performance of rival funds.

Remember the 1978 Mercedes 350 SLC AMG LeMans Car? AMG only built two of these cars and one is owned by Mercedes-AMG. It appears the other car is up for sale but is this car for real? According to the folks at "Bring a Trailer" it is!

 
1978 Mercedes 350 SLC AMG LeMans Car
August 4, 2007: Bringatrailer.com claims they were contacted by the seller in Germany who has informed them that this car is still available. The owner will have the car at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring and the car will be available immediately after the event.

MBUSA has a few press releases out for the C-Class. Visit the following "For Wheels" site for a nice post on the C-Class Estate (C63 AMG Estate):

Mercedes-Benz W204 C-Class Wagon

Looking much like a scaled down version of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, these are some images of the upcoming C-Class Estate, set to debut at the Frankfurt International Motorshow 2007.

MBUSA and DaimlerChrysler Global Media both provide news releases on a regular basis. Here's a quick summary of the current news:

DaimlerChrysler Closes Transaction on Transfer of Majority Interest in Chrysler to Cerberus
Stuttgart, Aug 3, 2007 - DaimlerChrysler completed the closing for the transfer of a majority interest in the Chrysler Group and for the related financial services business in NAFTA to a subsidiary of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., a private-equity company based in New York.
[AMG Market note: Extraordinary shareholders' meeting to decide on change of name on October 4, 2007.]

Mercedes-Benz Reports 18,586 New Vehicle Sales for July
MONTVALE, N.J. – Aug 1, 2007 - Mercedes-Benz USA reported sales of 18,586 new vehicles for July, bringing the company’s year-to-date total to 136,826 units, a 0.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year and marking the best year-to-date sales volume in its history.

With significant boosts in sales for both the S-Class and CL-Class (12.9 percent and 561.5 percent increases respectively), highlights for July sales include a 12 percent increase in sales of Mercedes-Benz high-end vehicles (S-, SL-, and CL-Classes) as a group.  SUVs also showed growth, with the company’s highly acclaimed M-Class model line’s 23 percent increase (3,015 vs. 2,446 units) for the month. 

Drew Slaven Appointed General Manager, Marketing Services for MBUSA
MONTVALE, N.J. – July 26, 2007 - Mercedes-Benz USA announced the appointment of Drew Slaven to the new position of general manager, marketing services for MBUSA, effective immediately. << MORE >>

AMG Market Note: If you know of a company that would like to promote their products and services on our AMG Mercedes-Benz websites, blogs and newsletter, please let us know or have them contact us. Given the popularity of our AMG blogs are now consistently in the top Google search results for AMG Mercedes-Benz, we are adding a limited number of new sponsors.

Mercedes-Benz announced that their marketing promo "Mixed Tape" - free MP3 files anyone can download - is coming to an end in its current format. The current and last release, Mixed Tape 18, is a compilation of all-time favorites from previous releases.

If you're an avid Mixed Tape fan, you likely have all of the MP3 songs on this final release. Here's the promo I rec'd yesterday:

The cream of the crop: Mixed Tape 18 with 10 all-time favourites from the popular compilation series

All good things come to an end – Mixed Tape 18 will be the last compilation in its current guise. To sweeten the blow, we have compiled a very special best-of edition featuring 10 highlights from our well-stocked archives – available free of charge at www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape.

A delectable distillate of our most promising talents, Mixed Tape 18 throws a spotlight on Norway (R&B singer Kristin Hild), New Zealand (dub producer Tubbs remixed by legendary compatriots Fat Freddy’s Drop), Germany (pop wonders Wagner Love) and the UK (singer/songwriter Bev Lee Harling) to celebrate the wealth of young artists around the world who pursue their own visions. And while this trip to the past marks the end of a popular format, it paves the way for future innovations. Join us in the forum to discuss the next generation of Mixed Tape, scheduled for an autumn relaunch.

Enjoy the mix!

Your Mercedes-Benz Team
www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape

During the course of this Mercedes-Benz marketing promo hundreds of free MP3 songs were released. Unfortunately, you can't download previous releases but search on the web and you might find someone providing access to all of the MP3 files. Enjoy!

Mercedes-Benz is the Marque of the Year for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, which is a vintage race and an extensive car show in Pennsylvania. This year, the Mercedes-Benz Club is hosting StarTrack 2007:

Pittsburgh Section

Pittsburgh Section of Mercedes-Benz Club of America is pleased to host StarTrack 2007. In addition to StarTrack 2007, Mercedes-Benz is also the Marque of the Year for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Please read the explanation of fees below. We expect a strong showing from the 190SL Group, Gullwing Group and Pagoda Group as we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the 300SL Roadster. Pittsburgh Section has planned a full four days of events for concours and driving. Please join us as we celebrate and raise money for the PVGP charities!

 

Basic Schedule

The StarTrack Concours d’Elegance will be held in Schenley Park on Sunday July 15 as part of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Vintage racecars race through the park as we watch them from our show area. Sunday night we will enjoy the StarTrack Black Tie Banquet (black tie is optional) at the Embassy Suites. Monday and Tuesday we move to BeaveRun Motorsports Park for time trials, defensive driving, autocross, and acceleration run. Experienced driving instructors will be available to assist you and help you in all driving events. We will have classes for all levels of abilities and vehicles so you can drive at your comfort level.  Please see the details on technical inspection and helmet requirements on the MBCA website under Rulebook.

StarTrack Sunday participants are welcome and encouraged to attend the Saturday PVGP Marque of the Year Show at no additional charge.

 

Please note that the parade lap scheduled for Sunday morning by the PVGP is subject to time change based on racetrack availability. We will get the lap on Sunday morning but what time is beyond the control of Pittsburgh Section. Therefore we may not be able to accommodate concours cars on the parade lap. Those who place their cars early for concours are encouraged to ride along with other members in this unique MBCA parade.

 

Please register as soon as possible. On-site registration will be accepted, but not all participation options and meals may be available to late registrations.  Your early registration will be appreciated. Please note that your MBCA membership must be current at the time of registration.

 

MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB STARTRACK

Pittsburgh Section Officers, directors, and members are excited to host StarTrack 2007 and are ready to assure that you will enjoy the event. Please contact us with any questions.

 

Bob Speer                 412-848-1149             respeer@comcast.net

Dave Fabyonic        724-327-7361             davidfab@usa.net

 

Please check the Pittsburgh Section Website for updates: www.mbcapitt.org

Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management is purchasing a controlling stake in the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler, which is selling 80 percent of the Chrysler Group for $7.4 billion. The financial genius' at Daimler purchased Chrysler for $36 billion in 1998.

The following is a summary of the deal from DaimlerChrysler.com:

• Affiliate of Cerberus to acquire 80.1% equity interest in new company Chrysler Holding LLC; DaimlerChrysler AG to retain 19.9%
• Obligations for pensions and healthcare costs to be retained by Chrysler companies
• Transaction expected to result in net cash outflow of EUR 0.5 billion for DaimlerChrysler
• DaimlerChrysler’s net profit according to IFRS in 2007 to be reduced in a range of EUR 3-4 billion
• Equity ratio of DaimlerChrysler’s industrial business is expected to be over 40% by the beginning of 2008
• Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting to decide on change of name to Daimler AG
• DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche on the realignment of DaimlerChrysler AG: "We will be the leading manufacturer of premium vehicles and a provider of premium services in every market segment we serve worldwide."
• UAW President Ron Gettelfinger: "The transaction with Cerberus is in the best interests of our UAW members, the Chrysler Group and Daimler."
• Cerberus Capital Management Chairman John Snow: "Cerberus believes in the inherent strength of U.S. manufacturing and of the U.S. auto industry. Most importantly, we believe in Chrysler."

More info is available at DaimlerChrysler.com here.