German

Electronic gadgetry in late-model Mercedes has recently taken its toll-the latest J.D. Power numbers finds Mercedes lagging behind such stalwart marques as Hyundai and Mercury {vsig}2004-10_1445{/vsig} When Mercedes-Benz set out to build the finest sports coupe in the world they came up with the CL500 and its V12-powered sibling, the CL600. Beautifully designed, meticulously constructed,…

Before the Ferrari F40, before the McLaren F1, almost before the term “supercar” was invented, there was the Porsche 959, an expression of extensive development, technical competence, and competitiveness that brought a new excitement to road-going automotive pursuits. The Porsche 959 odyssey started in 1983 and involved many pioneering techniques, most notably molded composite bodywork.…

The 300SE has always been a cult car, and it’s a great choice for a true open four-seater for classic events {vsig}2004-8_1216{/vsig} The Mercedes-Benz’s S-class cabriolet of the late-1960s wore the same timelessly elegant coachwork that debuted in 1959 on the 220SE, and as befitted a top-of-the-range luxury model, came equipped with automatic transmission, air…

Porsche’s all-out racing machines were always mid-engined, dating back to the 550 Spyder of the 1950s. After much racing success with this configuration, Porsche management decided in the late 1960s that its future high-performance road cars would also be mid-engined, due to the inherently better weight distribution. With this theory in mind, Porsche began development…

When you restore one of these, you want to make sure you have found all the holes in the body. {vsig}2004-6_1231{/vsig} There are better cars, and there are better boats, but there is no better way to draw a crowd than with an Amphicar. Designed by Hans Trippel and built in Germany, the Amphicar was…

Its appeal is simple to understand: A turnkey entry into most every exciting historic race and rally, including the Monte Carlo Historic Rally, the Tour Auto in France, the Tour of Spain, and the Rallye des Alpes This ex-works car was one of 14 built in 1963, according to specifications for its export to Sweden,…

Pagoda SL values have been appreciating, and top examples continue to stretch the upper limit of the price envelope The last of a popular and extremely successful line that began with the 230SL of 1963, the Mercedes-Benz 280SL was introduced in 1967. Its overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder engine was entirely new, with horsepower of the fuel-injected unit…

A Turbo Cabriolet is almost a poseur among hard-core Porsche folk, a car to be seen in rather than a car to drive fast in In series production from 1975, the 911 Turbo married a KKK turbocharger to the 3.0-liter engine, a combination that delivered a stunning 260 hp and a top speed of 153…

This one, as they say in real estate, had “great bones” and just a little mechanical sorting over the winter should make it a nice summer cruiser The 190SL was born from the rich tradition of excellence and distinction so firmly adhered to by Mercedes-Benz. After the success of the powerful 300SL series, Mercedes executives…

Restoring a 540K is not for the faint of heart. The chrome bill alone on these cars can run close to $50,000 Mercedes-Benz introduced the 500K in 1934. The “K” designation stood for Kompressor, German for supercharger. With power increasing from 100 hp to 160 hp when the supercharger engaged, the cars were among the…