A Short History of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster

It might not be a widely known fact, but strictly speaking, the Mercedes SLK roadster has a 55-year-old pedigree. Allow us to explain. When the German automaker presented the first SLK concept study in 1994, it was continuing the firm's small roadster tradition which stated back in 1955 with the 190 SL.

The latter was the brainchild of Maximilian Edwin Hoffman, an enterprising American with Austrian roots who imported European cars to the USA. In 1953, after seeing the potential of a more affordable sports car than the 300 SL, he urged Daimler-Benz executives to build one.

The 190 SL was unveiled on February 6, 1954, in New York, alongside the 300 SL “gullwing”. It was designed more as an elegant two-seater touring model than a purebred sports car. It took engineers only five months to develop the open-top car, which used a shortened frame floor assembly from the Mercedes 180 (W120), combined with a single-joint swing axle sourced from the 220 (W180). The front suspension also came from the 180 model.

Under the bonnet, the 190 SL had a newly developed 105HP 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine with an overhead camshaft. Performance was good for the era, as the roadster could complete the 0-to-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint in 14 seconds and reach a top speed of over 170 km/h (106 mph).

Series production began in May 1955 and the 190 SL was available as a soft-top roadster as well as a coupe with removable hardtop, with or without the soft-top as an option.

Between May 1955 and February 1963, 25,881 units rolled off the assembly lines in Sindelfingen, well above the initial estimates.

By Csaba Daradics

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Baldwin-Motion's Brawny 427 and 454 Camaros

Well known hot-rodder and tuner Joel “Mr. Motion” Rosen has teamed up DeNooyer Chevrolet’s Performance Division and Redline Motorsports to build and market a special line of 2011 Chevrolet Camaro coupes. The new MOTION 427 and 454 Camaros are offered in a variety of tunes ranging from 525HP to 800HP. Other upgrades include unique paint schemes and alloy wheels, interior enhancements and chassis improvements. Prices for the Baldwin-Motion Camaros start from around $80,000. More details and photos after the jump.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

M Sport Package comes to the BMW X1

The X1 compact crossover is getting a lot of attention lately from BMW. Following the addition of the firm's new 2.0-liter turbo engine to the range, the Bavarian company officially announced the launch of an M Sport package for smallest member of the X family. The M Sport specification comprises suspension, exterior and interior components specially developed for the X1.

In detail, the package adds 17-inch star-spoke M alloy wheels or optionally, 18-inch rims, sports suspension calibration, an M Aerodynamics package with unique bumpers and side skirts, door sills with the “M” logo and BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line trim for the side window surrounds and roof rails.

Also available in conjunction with the M Sports package are the metallic exterior paint colours Alpine White, Le Mans Blue, Sapphire Black, Space Grey, Vermillion Red and Mineral White.

Inside, X1 gets sports seats upholstered in cloth/alcantara, an M leather-trimmed steering wheel with multifunction buttons and an M footrest for the driver capped off by an anthracite liner, dark cross-brushed aluminium trim, plus the M gearshift lever for vehicles with six-speed manual gearbox and a leather handbrake lever gaiter.

In the UK, prices start at £26,615 OTR for the X1 18d sDrive M Sport and £27,710 for 18d xDrive M Sport.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

FALL: Truck Clearing Snow Devoured by Parking Deck

With all the snow we've been getting lately here on the East Coast (and not only), mishaps are bound to happen. This time, a maintenance truck was caught on tape as it fell through a parking deck while clearing snow from the top level in northwest Georgia. Luckily no one was injured during the incident. Watch the video clip after the break.

Kudos to Marcus for the tip!

Source: Wtoc via Youtube

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

BMW Officially Confirms 2.0-Liter Turbo for Z4 and 5-Series

Earlier this week, BMW unveiled its new 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine which will effectively replace the firm's classic, naturally aspirated straight-six. The force-fed four banger made its debut on the X1 compact crossover, but today, the Bavarian automaker officially confirmed that the new engine will be available in other models "such as the BMW Z4 and 5 Series in due course." While BMW did not give out a launch date, expect to see both models towards the end of the year or early 2012, depending on the market.

In the X1 28xDrive, the new turbocharged twin-scroll engine churns out 245hp and 350Nm torque from just 1,250rpm, with BMW claiming that the four-cylinder unit is lighter and more compact than the equivalent six-cylinder engine, while also returning 16 per cent better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

VIDEO: Honda CR-Z TS-1X Concept Car Walk-Around

Revealed at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon, the Honda CR-Z TS-1X hybrid concept car is an impressive lil' beast with its stealthy matte-black paintjob and extensive aerodynamics package. The automaker’s initial press release was short on details, but, luckily, a walk-around clip (or shall we say talk-around?) has surfaced on Youtube, detailing some of the innovations developed by Honda.

While nothing has changed under the bonnet, the TS-1X is said to offer improved fuel efficiency and better handling car thanks to the aerodynamic enhancements which generate more downforce and reduce drag. Other improvements include a strengthened body, sport suspension and new 4-pot caliper brakes.

By Csaba Daradics

Via: Youtube

_______________________________VIDEO_______________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________