Mercedes-Benz turned a B-Class hatchback invisible to promote its first production fuel-cell that produces only water vapor and heat. Mercedes used almost $263,000 worth of LED mats that covered one side of the car. A camera was mounted on the other side of the vehicle and the LEDs reproduced the image from the side of the vehicle that had the camera on it in order to blend the hatchback in with its surrounding environment in Stuttgart, Germany. Mercedes was able to do this because of a lot of power sources such as computers and other things; which its estimated that all of this power equipment totaled 1,100 lbs. We hope it comes to the States!

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The alliance of Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing has created the perfect sea monster, the Black Series 50’ Marauder Cigarette boat, inspired by the C63 AMG Black Series and introduced at the 2012 Miami Boat Show. The C63 AMG Black Series is one of the most powerful C-class of all time, producing 510 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque from its 6.3-liter V-8 engine. This high-revving beast can accelerate to 60 mph in about 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 186 mph. The C63 will be arriving to U.S dealerships sometime in April, 2012. However, don’t expect your 50’ Marauder to have the same engine or specs as the C63 because it is just an inspiration, not a replication.

The 50’ Marauder features a striking black and white design scheme throughout that matches the C63 and is upholstered with luxurious Alcantara. It also has more than 100 billet aluminum pieces used all over, including the dash, grab handles, seat supports, sound system, and various trim accents. The 50’ Marauder is powered by two Mercury Racing 1350 engines, making 2700 total horsepower. According to Mercedes-Benz press release, “the boat's speed is matched only by its smooth efficiency, running on pump fuel, without headers, with a warranty, combining for an exciting day on the water for the most discerning performance boat aficionado.” In our opinion, the boat looks amazing and it will be interesting to see how well it does on the market.

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Mercedes-Benz has released the official U.S. dollar figure for the 2012 C63 AMG Black Series, pricing it at $105,000, which is a $42,000-plus increase compared to the base 451-hp C63 AMG Coupe and not too far off from our original estimate of $102,000. The price disclosed by Mercedes does not include the destination charge, which has yet to be decided.

As you may recall, the most powerful C-Class ever features a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 producing 510 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. That’s 29 more horsepower than the base C63 AMG Coupe when equipped with the AMG Performance Package and 96 more horsepower than the $60,000 BMW M3 Coupe. Mercedes-Benz also released that car’s estimated weight, which is around 3,700 pounds. The loss of 200 pounds compared to the base C63 AMG Coupe can be contributed to the deletion of the backseat, but for those that would rather forgo the weight savings in order to take carry four, a backseat incorporating individual chairs is optionally available.

The C63 AMG Coupe Black Series is the fourth offering in the ultra-high-performance Black Series line. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series follows the not-for-the-U.S. 2007 SLK55 AMG Black Series, $135,000 2008 CLK63 AMG Black Series, and $300,000 2009 SL65 AMG Black Series. All Black Series models have been offered in extremely limited numbers (100, 300, and 350, respectively, for the aforementioned cars), and we expect nothing different for its latest vehicle.

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More than 2,000 vehicles were auctioned off over a six-day span at the 2012 Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, which ran from January 16–22, 2012, and amounted to a total of $182 million in sales. The Barrett-Jackson Company was the leading seller at the auction with a total of $90.6 million in sales, selling off all but three of its lots. Its top-selling vehicle was a 1948 Tucker Torpedo, one of only 51 produced, which sold for $2,915,000. Another rare find was the one-of-a-kind 1954 Desoto Adventurer II coupe, which sold for $1,430,000. Not every vehicle did as well, though. The original General Lee, also known as Lee 1, sold for only $110,000, much lower than the seller had hoped.

Gooding & Company sold 97 percent of its lots (116 of 118) for a total amount of $39.8 million. Its top-selling vehicle was a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing, which sold for $4,620,000. Russo and Steele sold 63 percent of its lots (401 of 641). Its top-vehicle sold was a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88, which sold for $687,500. The Silver Auctions company had a total of $2.95 million in sales, selling 66 percent of its lots (175 of 267). Its top-selling car was a 1960 Facel Vega HK500 2dr Hardtop, which sold for $93,960. RM Auctions had a total of $24.7 million in total sales, selling 120 of 140 lots, which is about 86 percent. Its top-selling vehicle was a 1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica coupe, which sold for $1,815,000. Last but not least, Bonhams had a cumulative total of $5.7 million in sales, selling about 60 percent of its lots, with its top-selling vehicle being a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet C, which sold for $667,000.

The total amount in sales for all the auction companies combined has risen from 2011 to around $157 million. As we can see, the classics did well this year but the rarer cars were the winners this season. Could this be a sign that the economy is finally turning around?

[via Hagerty]

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Your chance to own the only red 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder in the country is via the upcoming sixth-annual Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance auction being held on Saturday, February 25, 2012. Only 50 of the 333 R8 GT Spyders will make it stateside, and, of those 50, only one has been secured in the color red.

Offering rare or first-production Audi automobiles is nothing new for the Florida event. In 2011, the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance auctioned off the first R8 GT coupe in the country (as well as the first Mercedes-Benz SLS Roadster, which now sits in the duPont REGISTRY showroom). In 2010, one of the first 2011 Audi R8 V-10 Spyders was auctioned off, and, in 2009, the first two Audi R8 V-10s were auctioned. The latter two brought in $500,000 and $350,000, respectively.

Also going to auction are some amazing one-off Shelbys to celebrate 50 years of the Shelby Cobra. The two limited-edition commemorative 2012 models going under the hammer are an 800-hp 2012 Shelby GT500 Super Snake and a 2012 Shelby GT350. Shelby built each of these cars specifically for the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance. Bidders will also have the chance to own the first authentic recreations being offered by Shelby: a 50th-anniversary 1962 Shelby Cobra 289 CSX8992 and two 1965 Shelby Cobra 427s (CSX6063 and CSX6100).

(Yes, the artist representation is in gold.)

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A fleet of exotic supercars were involved in a disastrous crash in Japan on Sunday after one hit a median barrier and spun out of control. The crash included a stunning eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini, and three Mercedes. In total, 14 vehicles were involved. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. The Ferraris appear to include a white 512, a 430 Scuderia, F360s with large rear wings, and F355s. The pack of sports cars was headed to Hiroshima from Kyushu and eclipsing speeds of 90 mph according to initial reports. The accident occurred when one of the Ferraris tried to change lanes on the wet road and crashed into a median barrier, sparking a chain of events that led to the horrific crash. Damages are estimated at $3.8 million.

[via Yahoo! News]

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A 22-year-old engineering graduate, Dhiaa Al-Essa, became the first person in Saudi Arabia to take delivery of the new 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4. To bypass the car’s 18-month waiting list, the youth reportedly paid an additional $71,000 on top of the car’s $387,000 base price. Obviously, Al-Essa is not tight on cash, which may have a lot to do with the £1.5-billion estimated worth of his family.

The Lamborghini is just one of many exotic supercars that Al-Essa owns, which looks like a laundry list of the latest and greatest and includes a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, Koenigsegg Agera, Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe, Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, Ferrari F430, Ferrari 599 GTO, Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari California, Porsche 997 GT3 RS, Porsche 997 Turbo Spyder, Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG, BMW M5, BMW X6M, BMW X5M, Audi R8, and Maybach 62. His collection has an estimated value of $12 million.

Which car does Al-Essa like the most? According to an article posted on Metro.co.uk in 2010 before he acquired at least the Koenigsegg and the Aventador, his favorite ride was the Mercedes SLR McLaren because of the way it looks and drives and its reliability.

[via SWNS.com]

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Maybach death rumors have been swirling for quite so time, but it finally appears that Mercedes-Benz is ready to axe the luxury brand due to stagnant sales. Daimler AG says the Maybach brand will be discontinued by 2013 and replaced by a stretched version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The demise of the resuscitated brand is easy to understand. Maybach delivered 33 cars in the United States in the first 10 months of 2011, a drop of 28 percent compared to the same period in 2010. As a comparison, Rolls-Royce and Bentley delivered 286 and 1,422 vehicles, respectively, for the same region and period.

The move means the S-Class lineup, which will be undergoing a redesign for 2013, will expand out to include six variations of the flagship sedan. One will include an elongated wheelbase (think S600 Pullman without the armor) while a four-door convertible variant is also being rumored.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

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You may have noticed a discrepancy between the window price of duPont REGISTRY’s SLS Roadster and what other outlets were reporting for the topless AMG flagship back in May. At that time, some believed that the SLS Roadster would be priced the same as the 2011 coupe: a base price of $183,000 plus a destination charge of $875. Mercedes-Benz has cleared up this misunderstanding by revealing the official price of the SLS Roadster to the media. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS Roadster will start at $196,100 plus a destination and delivery charge of $875 for a total base price of $196,975. In addition, the SLS Coupe has undergone a price hike of $6,600 to $190,475.

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Steve Chapman, CEO of duPont Publishing Inc., has taken delivery of the very first SLS Roadster in the country, which is now sitting in the company’s headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. Chapman won the unique opportunity to option and take delivery of the very first 2012 SLS AMG Roadster in the United States at the fifth-annual Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance last February.

We were able to take photos of the AMG Alubeam Silver SLS Roadster as it sits in museum / showroom at the duPont REGISTRY. The exclusive nearly $13,000 paint is accented by a red fabric top and Classic Red design Exclusive Leather interior. Options include an indoor car cover ($370), carbon-fiber trim package ($4,500) for the interior, red brake calipers ($1,000), AMG leather / Alcantara steering wheel ($500), 10-spoke alloy rims ($2,400), and Bang & Olufsen 1,000-watt sound system ($6,400). Starting at a base MSRP of $196,100, the car’s total retail price comes out to $226,595.



The 2011 Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance auction—benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County—also sold the opportunity to order the first 2012 R8 GT Coupe and 2012 Mercedes CLS63 AMG Limited Edition "C"—one of only 30 produced.

Like the original 300SL Roadster, the SLS Roadster ditches its fixed roof and classic gullwing doors for an open-top design complete with conventional doors with sedan-style pulls. Another exterior change is the elongated trunk lid. Any safety concerns are snuffed out with the car’s fixed roll hoops for rollover protection.



Other than those exterior modifications, the SLS Roadster will stay true to the SLS AMG’s awesome blend of show car, track toy, and grand-touring vehicle. Power will come from an AMG-built 6.2-liter V-8 engine producing 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. Power is diverted to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Despite losing the car’s top and the 90 or so pounds added from the convertible mechanism, Mercedes-Benz quotes exemplary acceleration statistics, including 0–60 mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 197 mph.

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