Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing crashed, costs 650,000 EUR to repair

Driven by a Mechatronics mechanic

A rare Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing was crashed by a mechanic during a test drive.

The 300SL's owner took his classic car for a check-up to Mechatronics which is a shop specialized in working on vintage and high-end Mercedes-Benz models. A 26-year-old mechanic was in charge and after finalizing the job he took it for a test drive (along with a 19-year-old apprentice) to see how it works.

Due to excessive speed, the driver lost control of the 300SL which eventually left the road and rolled, but luckily the people inside escaped without any serious injuries. However, repairing the car will cost an estimated 650,000 EUR (833,500 USD or 549,000 GBP). The vehicle and Mechatronics have enough insurance to cover the damages, but right now it's unknown if the driver will have to pay for the repairs.

Thanks to Matthias for the tip!

Source: spiegel.de

worldcarfans

Race Bikes and Pin-up Girls: The Artwork of Denis Sire

Denis Sire is a French artist who is well known for creating vintage style images which combine racing  machines and pin-up girls.  His art was first introduced to a US audience in the 1980's, through his collaborations with Playboy and Heavy Metal Magazine.  Born in Saint Nazaire in 1953, Sire was classically trained at ‘L’Ecole des Arts Appliqués in Paris.  He is often labeled as a cartoonist due to the style of his art, but that seems to be selling him a bit short.  Sire's work is much more sophisticated than what you find in the Sunday funny paper.  Plus there are nude women in it, so it must be art!

from riding vintage

1970 PONTIAC GTO CONVERTIBLE

When it comes to classic cars, the Pontiac GTO is an A-lister, the car’s iconic look is probably second only to the Mustang as the most recognisable muscle car ever made (now that was a sentence that’ll get me some all-caps hate mail). 1970 was the first year that a rear anti-roll bar was added to the Pontiac GTO, the front anti-roll bar was also stiffened which improved handling, chassis rigidity and cut back on understeer.

Whilst muscle cars aren’t necessarily known for their cornering ability, the 1970 GTO actually brought some track-credibility to the table. You probably don’t want to tell that to Jeremy Clarkson, or he’ll wave his hands around and make loud noises. Mind you, he’ll probably do that anyway.

This particular Pontiac GTO is a “Judge” model and comes fitted with a matching-numbers 400 cubic inch V8 Ram Air III engine capable of 366HP. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 4 speed manual transmission and this model is reportedly capable of a 14.45 second 1/4 mile in stock form, though the fact that it gets an average of just 9mpg might put some potential owners off.

Other options on this car include rally wheels, a power top, power steering, power front disc brakes, remote driver mirror, a tilt steering wheel, dual exhausts, electric windows, an AM radio, a rear spoiler, front bucket seats, centre console and a remote trunk release. It’s still wearing it’s original gold paint and the interior is still draped in its unmodified black vinyl, this colour combination is just about as ’70s as it comes and actually suits the GTO rather well, but that’s coming from me, a man who still thinks that disco music is kind of catchy.

If you’d like to add this clean example of a 1970 Pontiac GTO drop-top to your collection you’ll need to register with Barrett-Jackson and then head to their Palm Beach Auction on the 4th of April 2013. This car along with many others will be hitting the auction block, though no estimated value has been attached to the GTO, you can probably expect it to go for between $110,000 and $160,000 USD depending on who’s in the room on the day.

Visit Barrett-Jackson here to read more.

from SILODROME

Creators of Ford Figo ads fired

 

 From JWT India, unit of WPP

JWT India employees who were in charge of those controversial Ford Figo ads were fired.
After Ford India apologized for the ads, world's largest advertising group WPP declared those who were responsible for the photos were dismissed. They were working at JWT India (a unit of WPP) but the posters were created by individuals "and did not go through the normal review and oversight process."
 
As a reminder, in one of the ads is former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (charged in Italy for paying money to have sex with a minor) behind the wheel of the Ford Figo while in the trunk he has three women bound and gagged. There's also another poster with Paris Hilton driving a Figo with the Kardashian sisters being held hostage in the cargo compartment. The third and final ad shows Michael Schumacher holding captive Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

In the WPP statement it was specified these posters were never intended for publication and were not requested by Ford. In addition, these "should have never been created, let alone uploaded to the Internet."

Source: reuters.com via Worldcarfans