AC Schnitzer Model

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My most admired car

You see, I really love about BMW Cars. Not because of it prestige but, the design and the performence that make me admired it much.

2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster

Mercedes-Benz debuts its glamorous half-million-dollar SLR McLaren roadster in our inboxes.

Usually, automakers debut important or exciting new cars at a major auto show, all the better to drum up consumer interest, my dear. We expected the same to be true of Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming SLR McLaren roadster.

’Twas not to be, however. Just as the day was winding down and we were rinsing our coffee mugs after another productive day, Outlook perked up with this little tidbit: the first official photos and information on the SLR McLaren roadster.

When we were all partying like it was 1999 (because it was), Mercedes-Benz teased us with not one, but two mouth-watering Vision SLR supercar concepts. One had a roof, the other was a convertible. The Vision SLR coupe eventually became the stupidly fast and stratospherically priced SLR McLaren coupe, which Mercedes-Benz builds with racing partner McLaren Cars.

Now, four years into its product cycle, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren are finally giving their SLR coupe a droptop playmate, to be called the SLR McLaren roadster, and slated for sale this fall.

The just-revealed roadster, built at McLaren’s Formula 1 factory in Woking, England, will spawn one of only a handful of droptops ever to break the 200-mph barrier. It could prove to be the fastest open-topped automobile ever sold in this country by a major manufacturer when it appears on our shores as a 2008 model.

The SLR roadster will be pretty much identical to the current SLR McLaren coupe in terms of its lovely long-nose proportions and front and rear styling. It will also share the hardtop’s carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, carbon-fiber body panels, and cool butterfly doors. A semiautomatic fabric top (opens in fewer than 10 seconds), as opposed to a heavier retractable hardtop, will be fitted in the interest of cost saving.

Good thing, because we figure a premium of about 10 percent over the coupe’s $455,750 starting price. Although we can swing $499,000, once we crest that half-million mark, the missis is going to start nagging about dipping into the kids’ college fund.

Expect little or no diminution of performance from the 617-hp, 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 with 575 pound-feet of torque that powers the SLR hardtop. Mercedes is claiming a 0-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 207 mph for the roadster, with an AMG Speedshift R five-speed automatic transmission.

The carmaker also promises the ability to converse at speeds above 120 mph with the top down, courtesy of its “aeroacoustics.” We imagine such conversations starting with “yeah, baby” and ending with “hope that wasn’t a speed trap.”

As appropriate as it would be to offer the roadster in the intensified 641-hp “722” guise—considering the original 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR racer that Stirling Moss drove to victory in the Mille Miglia three consecutive years was actually a roadster—Mercedes disclosed no such plans.

2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Cabriolet

Add 113 horses to last year’s model.

The current CLK is four years old, so it’s not surprising that the highlight here is the new, AMG-developed 6.2-liter V-8 beast that is spreading throughout Mercedes’ lineup of cranked-up AMG cars. It puts out 475 horsepower in the CLK63, making last year’s 362-hp CLK55 AMG seem somewhat tame. The new engine comes alive right off idle, heaving the tach toward the 7200-rpm redline and singing a refined yet seductive engine snarl that is nothing short of stupendous.

The urge to keep the throttle pinned is almost irresistible but will bring up extra-legal speeds in a hurry: 60 mph arrives in 4.2 seconds, 100 in 9.5, the quarter-mile in 12.5 at 116 mph. That’s 0.6 second quicker through the quarter than the last CLK55 coupe we tested [C/D, May 2004], despite the 4113-pound CLK63 weighing 373 more pounds. Those numbers are also within a sneeze of some intense performers, including the Ferrari F430 and BMW M5, and sufficient to humiliate the 2006 M3.

Inside, the CLK63 is fitted with seriously supportive front buckets, with lumbar, thigh, and bolster adjustments, and one of the sportiest steering wheels we’ve seen in a Benz. Even better, it doesn’t have that weighty feel we’ve become accustomed to in Mercedes products. Still, neither the steering nor the brakes respond quite as sharply as we’d like.

Turn off the stability control and the CLK63 is still as friendly as can be, happily neutral and content to slide around at hero-sized drift angles. Skidpad grip is a decent 0.86 g. But the extra-stiff AMG suspension sends noticeable tremors through the steering wheel and chassis, which makes us yearn for the more solid, sportier coupe that won’t be sold here.

The biggest negative is probably the heart-stopping $92,575 base price, some $45,600 above an entry-level CLK350. That’s also $5100 more than big-brother E63, which seems backward.

At that price, it seems Mercedes’ fabulous new engine is destined to stay rare. That’s a shame.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door convertible

PRICE AS TESTED: $96,655 (base price: $92,575)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 379 cu in, 6208cc
Power (SAE net): 475 bhp @ 6800 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 465 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 7-speed automatic with manumatic shifting

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.9 in
Length: 183.1 in
Width: 68.5 in
Height: 54.4 in
Curb weight: 4113 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 4.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 9.5 sec
Zero to 150 mph: 22.2 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 4.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.5 sec @ 116 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 155 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g

2008 Audi A5 and S5

Coupe scoop! Audi’s new two-doors are based on the next-generation A4 and S4.

Look out, BMW 3-series coupe, Infiniti G37 coupe, and Mercedes-Benz CLK, the 2008 Audi A5 and Audi S5 are poised to make their debuts later this year. Derived from the next-generation A4 platform, dubbed B8, the A5 and S5 coupes have just two doors—go figure—bucking the silly four-door-coupe trend that marketers at other manufacturers have dreamed up recently. By year’s end, the A4 cabriolet is expected to defer to a convertible version of the A5, and there’s even talk of a five-door A5 “spaceback” model sometime thereafter.

The four-seat A5 will have a 3.2-liter FSI (direct injection) V-6. We expect a rating of at least 260 horsepower in U.S. trim. The engine also will be pushed farther behind the front wheels for a more favorable weight distribution. (Rejoice! The next A4 is sure to boost its skidpad numbers.) Although diesel and four-cylinder engines will be offered in Europe, the 3.2-liter is the sole U.S. powerplant. Initially, six-speed manual and continuously variable transmissions (with eight nominal ratios in manual mode) will be offered. U.S. specifications aren’t yet finalized, but we expect front-wheel drive will be standard and all-wheel drive will be optional. As in all recently redesigned and new Audis, power distribution in all-wheel-drive A5 and S5 models will be rear-biased with a nominal 40/60 split.

The S5 will get the same 4.2-liter V-8 found under the hood of the S4 and S4 Avant, updated with direct injection, as found in the current A8, and rated at 354 horsepower. The S5 will route power through a six-speed manual transmission to standard all-wheel drive. The current S4 offers a conventional automatic transmission as an option, and the lack of that option on the S5 lends credence to the rumor that a new sequential manual is in the works. The A5/S5 line would be the first from the brand to mate a dual-clutch sequential manual transmission to a longitudinally mounted engine. Such a transmission also would have to be far more robust than the current sequential manual, which hasn’t been mated to anything more powerful than a 250-hp V-6.

Although the A5’s styling isn’t terribly original, we can find little fault with it—the latest Audi is pretty stunning. As with every other Audi, the A5 wears the corporate single-frame grille. The detailing in the lighting, particularly the optional LED daytime running lamps, recalls the Audi R8 supercar. The upper-body coke-bottle sculpting also reminds us of the R8, although the lower-body rise is a TT-ism. Somewhat surprising, however, are the formal, notched roofline and the thick C-pillars. The rear end reminds some of us of the 3-series coupe, only executed with considerably more elegance. The S5 packs a bit more visual punch in the form of an egg-crate grille insert, a lower stance, a more pronounced integrated trunklid spoiler, and wide-set quad pipes in place of the lesser A5’s duals.

The interior, as expected, is swank. The photos clearly show lots of aluminum trim, Audi-typical gauges, and what appear to be comfortable and supportive sport front seats (but we’ll have to wait until we climb in back to see if we can say the same about the rears). An electronic parking brake and a push-button ignition system will also be standard. And, of course, the capable but complex MMI is there to serve and confuse.

We also wouldn’t be surprised if an RS 5 appeared sometime during the 2009 model year with the RS4’s direct-injected 4.2-liter V-8 with 420 horsepower.

The A5 will be priced between the A4 and A6, so you will be able to scoop one up for between $35,000 and $40,000. Pricing of the forthcoming S5 is less clear, but we expect it to be in the low-$50,000 range to slightly undercut the 400-hp 2008 BMW M3. Oddly enough, the S5 goes on sale first, this October, while the A5 doesn’t make its way here until spring 2008. But one thing is certain: Audi’s new coupe will give empty nesters another alluring option.

Saab Biopower Hybrid Concep

An all-wheel-drive hybrid Saab ragtop with 260 horsepower? Bring it on.

Saab claims its new BioPower Hybrid concept provides V-6 punch from a four-cylinder coupled with zero-emission electric power and the capability of running on bio-ethanol (E100) fuel.

The concept—being showcased at the Detroit show in a Saab 9-3 convertible—uses the two-mode hybrid system that GM is co-developing with DaimlerChrysler and BMW. The first confirmed manifestation of this two-mode system is the 2008 Chevy Tahoe hybrid, but this Saab concept gives us a glimpse of other potential future applications.

In the Saab, a 2.0-liter turbo four works with a trio of electric motors to provide a maximum of 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. That’s a useful step up from the 210-hp and 211 lb-ft delivered by the turbo-four alone. It’s also an improvement on the 250-horsepower and 258 lb-ft that comes from Saab’s 2.8-liter turbo V-6.

2007 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Indy Pace Car Edition

Corvette paces The Race – again. But this time, Chevy lets you share in the glory

For the ninth time in 29 years, Corvette will lap Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the official pace car of the Indy 500. And to celebrate the occasion, Chevrolet will build replicas to sell to collectors, Indy fans, and whomever else gets in line for one of the 500 special ragtops that Chevrolet will roll out of its Bowling Green, Kentucky, assembly plant during the next few months.

The official replica of the official pace car will feature Atomic Orange paint, gold ribbon stripes, a smattering of patriotic Indy 500 badges, sassy silver split-spoke aluminum wheels, and a small rear spoiler, the latter snagged from the Z06 parts bin. Interior modifications include black leather bucket seats with colorful Indy 500 embroidery and orange trim bits. The engine covers are also orange in hue. Keep