2013 Mercedes-benz C-class 300 4matic on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin tipped for F1 return with Red Bull, Mercedes

Aston Martin could be plotting a return to Formula One for the first time in over half a century. And not as a backmarker, either. That is, at least, if the latest rumors materialize. While most automakers that participate in F1 do so as either a team owner (like Ferrari and Mercedes) or as an engine supplier (think Renault or Honda), the rumored Aston Martin deal would take a different approach. According to Autosport, the proposal would have the Red Bull Racing team run Aston Martin branding – but not its engines. Those would be provided by Mercedes, just like the engines in the British marque's upcoming slate of road cars. In that regard, the deal would not be unlike the one which Red Bull currently has with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which sees the team running Renault engines and Infiniti branding. Andy Palmer was a pivotal figure in brokering that unusual arrangement when he was working for Carlos Ghosn, and is now tipped to be brokering a similar deal in his new capacity as Aston Martin's CEO. Though Aston has found glory in sports car racing (including Le Mans and its various associated series), it was never much of a contender in grand prix racing. It competed in a handful of races in 1959 and 1960, but never achieved results worth bragging about. Aston was rumored to be plotting a return when David Richards sat as chairman of the company, having run Aston's racing program as well as Honda's F1 team previously. Those rumors, however, never materialized. Whether this time 'round gains any traction remains to be seen - Aston Martin declined to either confirm or deny the reports when reached for comment by Autoblog. Red Bull has been growing increasingly dissatisfied (and increasingly vocal about its dissatisfaction) with Renault engines over the past couple of seasons. Though the two parties won four back-to-back world titles together, things took a noticeable step backward after the new turbo engine regulations took hold for the 2014 season. Nissan/Infiniti and Red Bull are contracted to continue collaborating until the end of next season. After that is when the new Aston deal could take hold, and Mercedes is reportedly keen on the idea so that it could add another customer to its F1 engine supply business and offset the costs of development. That could effectively prove the end of Renault in F1 (at least for the time being). Aside from Red Bull, the French automaker currently supplies only that outfit's sister team Toro Rosso.

Watch this perfectly nice Mercedes get crushed by a front-end loader

In a world where the YouTube hoax continues to thrive, it's hard to know what to think of this little vid, but here are the facts as we know them: a coupe that looks like a first-generation Mercedes-Benz CLK gets crushed by a giant front-end loader. There you have it.
Our questions arise in the aftermath - we know industrial resource machinery is heavy, but the Benz gets squashed so flat we wonder if someone's trying to play a joke on us. We hear that the white coupe may have been the heavy-equipment operator's foreman's car, but who knows? The on-camera interview seems awfully conveniently placed, yes? See for yourself in the video below and then leave us your thoughts in Comments.

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Wagon is one hot hauler [w/video]

Mentioned at the debut of the redesigned Mercedes-Benz E-Class back in January, Mercedes has finally pulled back the curtain on the E63 AMG S, which was on display at the New York Auto Show in wagon guise. The 2014 E63 AMG S ups the ante even more from a "base" E63 AMG, improving the car's performance and styling - not that it needed help with either to begin with.
Our favorite S-model upgrade is the added output tweaked out of the 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 577 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, which represents a substantial gain of 27 hp and 59 lb-ft of torque over the stock E63. In wagon form, the E63 AMG S can run from 0-60 miles per hour in just 3.6 seconds and hit an electronically limited top speed of 186 mph. All 2014 E63 AMGs come with Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, but the S-Model adds in a limited-slip rear differential for improved performance.
Mercedes has made sure that the extra money being spent on the S-Model is instantly noticeable with slightly different design cues and black along with 10-spoke wheels with red brake calipers peeking through. Plenty of silver-chrome and high-gloss black accents finish off the exterior styling, while the interior adds Alcantara on the steering wheel, accent stitching on the leather and contrasting silver seat belts on models with the black interior. Scroll down for an official video and press release.