Steve Jobs, AMG, gadgets, Mercedes, Mercedes SL, Offbeat News

Steve Jobs, the charismatic founder of Apple and Pixar, was a man who changed not only the way computers are made and marketed, but also popularized a number of novel products, such as the iPhone and the iPad, which made buyers form long lines outside Apple stores and the competition always play catch-up.

Sadly, Jobs passed away on October 5 at the age of 56. After his death, one of the rumors circulating the web was that of his car’s number plate – or rather its absence.

Some said that he didn’t care about paying the fines, as he surely could afford to, while others claimed that he had somehow obtained a special permit to drive without one.

Jon Callas, who had worked in various security positions at Apple, dismissed all those rumors and revealed the truth to iTWire.

Despite his ingenious inventions, in his personal life, Jobs liked to stick with certain things, like his famous black turtleneck, jeans and sneakers. The same thing applied to his ride: he was always seen driving a silver Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG with no number plates.

Callas said that either Jobs himself or someone close to him discovered a loophole in the California law that gave anyone with a brand-new car a period of six months to put the number plate on the vehicle.

Apparently, Jobs had made an arrangement with the leasing company in which he would change cars every six months, giving back the silver SL 55 AMG and receiving an identical new one.

In classic Jobs style, no one knew the truth or noticed the difference. Presumably, it was a sweet deal for the leasing company as well: every six months, it could put up for sale a barely used silver SL 55 AMG that had been owned by none other than Steve Jobs himself.

So hats off to Steve Jobs who discovered another clever solution even though, he didn’t give it any publicity. May he rest in peace.

SLS AMG GT3, Perhaps Even the E-Cell, But will get the Black Series

If the standard SLS AMG with its 6.3-liter engine and 571-horses is not hot enough for you, you’ll be happy to learn that Mercedes-Benz has told Motor Trend that the company will launch not one, but two hotter versions of its supercar.

“We absolutely have to do a Black Series SLS AMG”, said Tobias Moers who is a member of the board of directors and head of vehicle development at AMG. Although he declined to provide further details, judging from recent Black Series versions such as the C 63 Coupe, we can expect more power and, of course, an impressive aero-kit and race-inspired interior.

The Black Series, however, will look tame compared to the road-legal version of the SLS AMG GT3 racer, which will be created to homologate it for Europe.

Unfortunately, it won't be heading over to this side of the Atlantic due to the massive cost of re-certifying it for the States. “AMG does not make money losing projects. We can’t afford to,” said Moers.

The 2013 SLS E-Cell electric version may be another SLS that may not cross the Atlantic. Mercedes hasn’t yet ruled out bringing the 525HP pure electric supercar to the US, but once again, the company officials are contemplating whether or not the sales volume will justify the cost of the re-certification.

Story Source: Motor Trend

PHOTO GALLERY

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG

Power for the roadster comes from a new naturally-aspirated AMG 5.5-liter V8 engine that delivers 62 more horses and 30Nm more torque than the previous model's eight-cylinder unit, at 422-horses and 540Nm in European-spec, and 415-horses at 6,800 rpm and 398 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm in North American-flavor.

The aluminum V8 engine also features the AMG Cylinder Management system that can shut off four-cylinders from 800 to 3,600 rpm to improve fuel efficiency.

A 7-speed AMG Speedshift automatic transmission featuring three modes (sport, manual and efficiency) transfers power to the rear wheels.

According to the Mercedes, the new SLK 55 AMG completes the standard 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in 4.6 seconds and reaches an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h (155mph).
The roadster returns a combined fuel consumption of 8.5 lt/100 km, which is 3.5lt or 30% less than that of the preceding model with the 360HP V8.

Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series Photos

Since 2008, Mercedes-Benz has been producing a special edition version of the SL65 AMG called the Black Series that comes with a fixed carbon fiber roof, a wide body kit, an upgraded V12 and numerous other performance and styling enhancements. If you happen to like the look of the Black Series but prefer to keep the retractable hardtop of the standard SL65 AMG, you may want to check out Inden Design’s latest tuning package.

The transformation begins on the outside with a new wide body kit that emulates the look of the SL65 AMG Black series with heavily beefed up wheel arches, new front and rear bumpers, boot lid spoiler, side skirts, and a new hood with twin air vents. The blacked out grille and 20-inch alloys shod in tires size 265/30 up front and 325/25 at the rear round off the changes.

Interior appointments are restricted to the flat-bottom steering wheel in Alcantara with the same material partially covering the top part of the instrument panel.

In European guise, the SL65 AMG’s 6.0-liter bi-turbocharged V12 churns out 612-horses and 1,000 Nm of peak torque, but after Inden Design’s new ECU tune, output is lifted to 680HP, while the German firm also removes the electronic speed limiter.

A new exhaust system producing a more sonorous sound and an electronic module that lowers the ride height by around 45 mm are the final touches of Inden Design’s tune.

PHOTO GALLERY

New Hollywood Movie Fast Five Used Nissan 370Z,Mercedes Benz CLK63,BMW X5M,Ford Mustang GT 5.0,Nissan GTR R35 And Dodge Charger Police Car.

Real Life Fast Five: What is the Ultimate Heist Vehicle? [Video]

Inspired by a scene from the upcoming Fast Five film or as some fans refer to it, Fast and Furious 5, in which the protagonists try out different cars to find the right one for a risky heist, the folks over from Autotopia set out to test numerous tuned cars on a race track to see which one is best suited for the task.

The cars they chose for the test include the AE Performance Nissan 370Z used in the movie Fast Five; Autotopias’ Ford Cargo Van; DC Motors Mercedes Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series; Gintani BMW X5M; Heintz Ford Mustang GT 5.0; MFEST E60 BMW M5; OE Tuning Mercedes Benz C63 AMG; Airtiger Express Nissan GTR R35; Tesla Motors Roadster Sport and finally, the Team Wu Dodge Charger Police Car.

The supercharged Dodge Charger Police Car set the baseline time of 5:46:47 minutes, which the rest of the cars had to beat. The getaway drivers had to complete two-laps around the two-and-a-half mile-long track while carrying out various tasks such as picking up an accomplice and shooting out surveillance cameras. Scroll down to watch the video and see how the cars performed.

VIDEO

SLK Roadster Will Cost It's Lovers $55,675.(Prices of Mercedes SLR Roadster 2012 )

We’ve already had our first look at the new-generation SLK roadster and CLS sports sedan lineups, but now, Mercedes-Benz has decided to reveal pricing on both models ahead of their U.S. market launch this summer.

For the time being, the German automaker has announced pricing only for the 2012 SLK350 that will start at $54,800, not including a $875 destination and delivery charge, which raises the cost to $55,675. In comparison, the soon-to-be-replaced 300-horsepower 2011 SLK350 is priced at $54,145 (including transportation fee).

The new hardtop roadster model is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that features direct injection and multi-spark ignition, producing 302 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque for a 0-60mph (96km/h) sprint time of 5.4 sec.

Mercedes-Benz has not yet released pricing info on the base SLK 250 model that is equipped with a 201HP 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine returning a 0-60mph acceleration time of 6.5 seconds and a combined fuel economy of 27mpg combined with the standard 6-speed manual gearbox.

The four-door 2012 CLS will offer U.S. buyers a choice of two models, both powered by Mercedes’ new biturbo, direct-injection V8 engines. The 4.6-liter CLS550 engine produces 402 horsepower and 443 lb-ft. of torque, while the high-performance CLS63 AMG is powered by a 5.5-liter version of the new V8 that's rated at 518HP and 516 lb.-ft of torque.

Pricing –excluding a $875 destination and delivery charge- will start at $71,300 for the CLS550 and at $94,900 for the CLS63 AMG.

2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350

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2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 & CLS63 AMG