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Gullwing America turns SLS AMG Roadster into stunning 1955 300 SC redux

Gullwing America specializes in what it calls "retro styling meets modern technology." It's next demonstration of that is the convertible above, a stylized recreation of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC (inset) supported by the structure of a 2012 SLS AMG Roadster. Commissioned by a client in Eastern Europe, the resulting car is called the 300 SLC.
The hand-formed aluminum bodywork required just a few changes to the SLS AMG Roadster, namely reworking the headlights into a stacked arrangement of LEDs and relocating the pop-up spoiler behind the cabin. The retro grille and long, straight hood evoke the past, the custom exhaust, height-adjustable suspension, 21-inch wheels up front and 22-inch wheels in back, however, stray a little further from history. The 300 SLC will come with a hardtop and be one-of-a-kind, making it even rarer than its inspiration, of which 92 were made.
If you have any more questions, they can probably be answered in the high-res photo gallery above and press release below.

Mercedes chief invites Audi, BMW to compete in F1

Mercedes-Benz didn't just win the Formula One World Championship in 2014 – it positively dominated it. The team won all but three of the grands prix this season, scoring a one-two finish at more than half of them and landing at least one car on the podium at every race without exception. It goes without saying, then, that the German automaker thrives on competition, but now it's welcoming even more. Speaking with Germany's Sport Bild at its homecoming celebration in Stuttgart, Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche welcomed Mercedes' biggest rivals Audi and BMW to join it on the F1 grid. Noting that the three German brands share some 80 percent of the market for luxury automobiles, Zetsche said that F1 would make a natural arena of competition for Mercedes, Audi and BMW to fight for top bragging rights. The three currently compete against each other in front of home audiences in the DTM touring car series – effectively Germany's equivalent to NASCAR – but of the ten races held this year, the majority were in Germany itself, and all of them took place in Europe. BMW last competed in F1 when it bought the Sauber team in 2006, but withdrew from the series in 2009. Despite its progenitor Auto Union having fielded the famous Silver Arrows in pre-war grand prix racing, Audi has never been a player in modern F1 racing, though recent rumors have linked it to a potential foray – spurred by the arrival of sister-company Porsche on its home turf at Le Mans, the departure of several of its key endurance drivers and the hiring of former Scuderia Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali. Porsche had similarly considered an F1 program before getting the go-ahead to compete with Audi at Le Mans. As for the prospect of Mercedes competing in other international racing series, Zetsche added that year-long preparations for 24 hours of racing at Le Mans didn't present a good cost-benefit ratio in his estimation, but that Formula E (where Audi currently supports a quasi-works entry) would be worth a closer look.

Mercedes-AMG GT S aggressively priced at $129,900*

Just a few days ago we brought you leaked information regarding pricing for Mercedes' new flagship supercar. Now the German automaker has confirmed that the new Mercedes-AMG GT S will indeed retail for $129,900 (*plus a $925 destination charge). That may seem like a big chunk of change, and by most standards it is. But it starts to fall into reasonable territory when you put it into context. For one thing, it's not the most expensive Mercedes – not by a long shot. The previous SLS AMG fetched around $200k, and most anything else at the top of the AMG range – like the S63, SL63, G63 or GL63 – will set you back more than the new GT S, and don't even get us started on anything with the V12 and the number 65. The new Maybach S600 will set you back nearly $190k, and that bonkers G63 6x6 goes for over half a million. As for its rivals, the pricing places the AMG GT S right on pace with the Porsche 911 GT3 (whose 475 horsepower the Benz neatly trumps with 503 hp) and a good $20k less than the more powerful 911 Turbo. It also comes closer to the $115,900 that Audi charges for an R8 with a V8 than the $153,900 it gets for the ten-cylinder version, although the Benz edges closer to the latter in terms of output. The pricing does make it a fair bit more expensive than even the top end of the Jaguar F-Type range, which (short of the Project 7 speedster) maxes out at under $100k for the R model. Contrary to its predecessor and the SLR that came before, however, Benz is wisely staying out of Ferrari/Lamborghini/McLaren territory this time around. In short, Mercedes has clearly weighed its pricing strategy carefully. But if $130k is still too rich for your blood, the less potent base Mercedes-AMG GT will follow in the spring of 2016 with less power (quoted at 456 hp) and with a list price that's yet to be announced but promises to be a fair bit lower. In the meantime, deliveries of the GT S are scheduled to commence in April of this year. MERCEDES-BENZ ANNOUNCES PRICING ON ALL-NEW MY2016 MERCEDES-AMG GT S New Sports Car to Start at $129,900* January 23, 2015 - MONTVALE, NJ With the new Mercedes-AMG GT model range, the Mercedes-AMG sports car brand is moving into a new segment. As the second sports car developed entirely in-house by Mercedes-AMG, the GT has everything you would expect from an authentic Mercedes-AMG, from the characteristic styling, thoroughbred motorsport technology to the optimum weight distribution.