Press release:

Carlsson expands its Ultra Light wheel family with the 11-spoke monobloc wheel 1/11 Ultra Light. It is weight-optimized, available exclusively in 21″, and boasts an elegant two-part design. But because looks aren’t everything, it also improves road-handling properties. As one of the world’s lightest wheels of its size in the Mercedes tuning sector – one wheel weighs only 13.8 kg – you’ll notice its positive impact on comfort and handling.

Multispoked designs are ideal for optimizing weight distribution. Even spacing of as many spokes as possible help distribute the forces acting on the wheel equally. This prevents wall thickness of the spokes from being overly high and helps achieve the ideal wheel weight. Our use of the most modern forging techniques result in a wheel weight that is ca. 38% lighter than that of cast wheels with the same size and load. Unsprung mass on the wheel suspension is kept as low as possible.

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Now the SLR is getting old, and they’re less rich men coming to she her do her thing. So the SLR says, “Wait! Look at me now. I’ve lost weight and I’ve taken even more off!” In an effort to get a few more bucks before the SLR gets too old and needs to retire, the Speedster version will debut in 2009. The loss of windows and other creature comforts makes her 440 lb lighter than any other version and should have a top speed of round 220 mph.

As you can tell from our original rendering, she’s still sexy after all these years. Just like a stripper, it will cost a lot to take the SLR home (possibly over $1 million), but you’ll also have a lot of great stories to tell your friends.

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Under the hood there will be the same engine as in the coupe 722: a 5.4-litre, V8 AMG, supercharged engine that delivers about 650 hp and over 580 ft lbs of torque. The 0 to 60 mph sprint will be made in under 3.0 seconds. The special edition roadster gets its name from the famous Stirling Moss victory in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR which raced under the number 722

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Press release after the jump.

Press release

Mercedes-Benz has gotten off to a good start in the “convertible season” with its updated models. Since spring of 2008, the new generation SL-Class has been carrying on the brand’s unparalleled sports car tradition, which began in 1954 with the legendary “gull-wing” 300 SL. The latest - and now the fifth - generation of the SL-Class has so far been chosen by 145,000 customers.

The world’s most popular premium roadster in its class features a new design emphasizing the car’s sporty character, and it offers even more athletic performance and enhanced comfort and safety. Since the beginning of the year, more than 8,000 customers around the world have purchased SL-Class models. Demand for the SL is particularly high in the U.S., where half of all SL-Class roadsters are sold. The SL 500 is by far the most popular model among customers who choose SLs.

The compact SLK-Class roadster also continues to be very popular among customers: Since the roadster’s market introduction in March 2004, Mercedes-Benz has sold about 200,000 vehicles of the latest production series - 20,000 units in this year alone. Since the beginning of April 2008, Mercedes-Benz has been offering an even sportier SLK generation. The SLK is a particularly admired by German customers. One third of all SLK drivers live in the home market of Mercedes-Benz. In Germany the SLK thus continued to defend its position as the market leader in its segment since the beginning of 2008. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz delivers one fifth of its SLK models to the U.S. The best-selling variant worldwide is the SLK 200 Kompressor.

In July 2008 Mercedes-Benz also delivered the 125,000th convertible of the new CLK-Class to a customer. Since the CLK’s market introduction in 2002, more than 700,000 coupes and convertibles have been purchased by customers worldwide. The most important markets for the CLK are Germany and the United States, and the CLK 350 is the favorite model of CLK drivers worldwide.

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The car will be limited to only 75 units and will be priced around €750,000.

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PS: July 4th is an extra-special day for me, because it’s my older son Robert’s birthday — he turns 12 today. Happy birthday, kid — I love you, I’m proud of you, and it’s great to be your dad!

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Design will follow the basic shape of the current generation model adorned with styling elements from the German automaker’s newest cars.

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With the arrival of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel in the fall of 2006, Mercedes-Benz was able to introduce the first diesel clean enough to be meet emissions regulations in all fifty states, the E320 BlueTEC sedan. (Nothing being easy with regard to diesels and regulations, the E320 BlueTEC in fact is available for lease, but not for purchase, in California and the Northeast. Go figure.)

The company’s other current diesel offerings, the ML320 CDI, the GL320 CDI, and the R320 CDI are offered only in 42 states, but come this fall, 2009 Mercedes diesel SUVs will be available from coast to coast (to purchase as well as to lease). The 2009 ML320 BlueTEC, GL320 BlueTEC, and R320 BlueTEC use the same clean, smooth, and potent 3.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injection diesel V-6 as the E320 BlueTEC sedan.

The output and fuel economy of the cleaner BlueTEC engine is virtually the same as the 3.0-liter V-6 in this year’s CDI diesels. Both the five-passenger ML320 SUV and the six-passenger (three-row) R320 minivan/SUV crossover are rated at 18 mpg city/24 highway. We actually saw an indicated 26 mpg on our test drive along two-lane back roads in upstate New York and southern Vermont, a route with few traffic lights and locals who were in no hurry.

Whereas the E320 BlueTEC sedan is genuinely fast - pull out quickly into traffic and the traction control has to intervene to prevent the rear tires from chirping - in the much heavier SUVs, the BlueTEC V-6 isn’t nearly as quick. The ML320, at least, is no slouch, and its advertised 0-to-60-mph time of 8.0 seconds essentially mirrors that of the gasoline V-6-powered ML350 (while easily exceeding the gasoline model’s 15/20 mpg EPA ratings). The ML320 BlueTEC is rated to tow only 5000 pounds, though, which is less than the gasoline V-6’s 7200-pound rating and also, surprisingly, less than the outgoing diesel’s 7200-pound tow rating.

The big GL320 BlueTEC isn’t as quick to gather speed, as indicated by its 9.0-second 0-to-60-mph time, which is notably slower than the gasoline V-8-powered GL450. (A gasoline V-6 is not offered in the GL.) But of all the BlueTEC diesel Mercedes SUVs, the GL makes the biggest fuel economy gains. Its 17/23 mpg EPA ratings crush the 13/18 mpg figures of the gasoline-engine version, even as it matches the V-8’s 7200-pound towing capacity. We saw even better mileage, an indicated 26 mpg, under the same conditions as the ML, which is really impressive for an SUV as big as the GL320.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we could sample the BlueTEC engine in the R-class. That vehicle sits between the ML and the GL in seating capacity (with room for six), weight, and factory-estimated performance. Although the R-class isn’t a bad choice for families needing more than five seats, it’s been a very slow seller, owing mostly to its untraditional appearance; it looks more like a stretched, high-roofed wagon or a minivan than an SU

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