Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Happy Leap Day Fans!

Did you know that women are traditionally allowed and even encouraged to propose to men today? This tradition dates all the way back to 5th Century Ireland. Time to pop the question ladies!

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Mercedes-Benz cuts weight in new SL 63 AMG droptop

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Less weight and more horsepower will make the new Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG one of the top performing luxury droptops on the market.

Mercedes revealed the look of the new car today, a prelude to its formal unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show.

The new SL 63 will be 275 pounds lighter due to greater use of aluminum. It will now clock in at 4,059 pounds. And the AMG 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged "biturbo" V-8 engine will deliver 530 horsepower. If that's not enough -- can you really ever have enough? -- there's an optional AMG Performance Package that boosts horsepower to 557. The direct-injected engine has an all-aluminum block, twin turbochargers, four valves per cylinder with variable valve timing, air/water intercooling, alternator management and an "Eco" stop/start system. The exhaust system is tuned to make it sound cool.


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The result is a sports convertible that can bolt from a dead stop to 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds. The lighter weight of the car also helps conserve fuel. Top speed is limited to 186 mph. Yet new model will get 30% better gas mileage than the one it replaces. (At the Chicago Auto Show, Ford unveiled its Shelby GT convertible, electronically limited to 155 mph, but expected to be a whole lot cheaper than the AMG.)

Enhancing the performance is active suspension, speed-sensitive sports steering, high-performance brakes and a seven-speed transmission. Reassuringly, Mercedes says it will be the safest roadster out there.

Courtsey of USA Today.