MERCEDES-BENZ. KARL BENZ MUSEUM

The Dr. Carl Benz Museum was founded in 1996, following a private initiative. More than 70 vehicles and numerous other exhibits illustrate the life of Karl Benz and document the importance of the automobile’s invention for the history of personal mobility, from the early years to the present day.


DR. KARL BENZ of MERCEDES-BENZ

Many will have reacted with amazement in 1908, when the first C. Benz Söhne automobiles began to leave the workshops, which were originally intended for the production of engines. It is all the more fitting that this cradle of mobility should now regain its old splendor as a lovingly restored industrial monument and car museum. It is not only the historic workshop itself that fascinates the visitor: other highlights such as the last two vehicles built in Ladenburg by C. Benz Söhne and biographical exhibits from the life of Karl Benz, for example his former study, make history come alive. In addition, various Benz and Mercedes-Benz vehicles, as well as other historical exhibits, make a valuable contribution to automotive history.

The progress of personal mobility is illustrated at five different stations:

"Dr. Carl Benz Square". Vehicles bearing the brand name C. Benz Söhne and vehicles produced by Benz & Cie. in Mannheim show why Karl Benz became an automotive legend. The exhibits include the world’s first automobile, the Benz Patent Motor Car of 1886, and the last C. Benz Söhne car of 1924, which was driven by Karl Benz himself.

"Mercedes Avenue". This is a bumper-to-bumper display of famous vehicles in automotive history: Mercedes-Benz cars from the early beginnings of Daimler-Benz AG right up to the early 1950s, including a rear-engined 130 and a 170 S convertible.

"Pit stop". Motor racing has always been of particular importance for automotive development at Mercedes-Benz. A number of motor racing legends are shown here in their customary victory pose.

"Auto-Biography". Extensive documentation and numerous exhibits take the visitor on a journey through the history of the automobile and its times.

"Motorcycle Gallery". In parallel with the car, the motorcycle has always played an important part in the history of personal mobility. A fascinating collection of motorcycles from different periods illustrates its development.

That’s Lamborghini!

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini, is an Italian manufacturer of sports cars, based in the small Italian village of Sant'Agata Bolognese, near Bologna. The company was founded in 1963 by businessman Ferruccio Lamborghini, who owned a successful tractor factory, Lamborghini Trattori.

In 1998, Lamborghini became a subsidiary of the German car manufacturer Audi AG, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group.

As a prominent manufacturer of tractors and heating units after World War II, Lamborghini was an enthusiastic owner of sports cars. After owning and driving a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, a Jaguar E-Type, and a Maserati 3500GT, he bought his first Ferrari, a 250GT. He became a Ferrari enthusiast, eventually owning three. However, he had recurring clutch problems with the car, and eventually brought his complaints to Enzo Ferrari.



Ferrari insulted Mr. Lamborghini, effectively stating that a tractor manufacturer was not qualified to criticize his Ferraris. Insulted by Ferrari's reaction, Lamborghini began to repair his clutch himself, at which point he noticed that some of the clutch components were the same as the ones he used on his tractors. Encouraged by the discovery, Ferruccio Lamborghini called upon the talents of Giotto Bizzarrini, Gian Paolo Dallara, Franco Scaglione and Bob Wallace, who worked on what Ferruccio envisioned as his grand tourer to rival Ferrari. The result would eventually become the Lamborghini 350GT and the founding of Lamborghini.

Mercedes SL65 AMG Black

Alex Ovechkin's collection of sweet rides just got even sweeter.
Surrounded by a small crowd of fans and teammates outside KCI this morning was Ovechkin's newest toy: a brand-new, 200-mph Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series. Its price tag is about $250,000, and only 350 are expected to be produced worldwide.
Ovechkin now owns three AMGs (one of which is modded), a Porsche Cayenne GTS and a souped-up BMW M6 (it's in Russia).



While the overdone SLR McLaren is finally going out of production, Mercedes-Benz is putting out the SL65 AMG Black Edition to take its place for a while. Powered by a twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12, it is one serious performance machine, even if it only comes with an automatic transmission.
The turbo V12 makes 661 hp at 5400 rpm, while torque is limited to 999 Nm. Weight has been reduced by adding a carbon-fibre bonnet, fenders and trunk, along with deleting the retractable hard-top in favour of a fixed carbon-fibre roof with an integrated roll cage. Weighing in at 1874 kg, the car can do the 0-100 kph run in 4 seconds, with a top speed of 318 kph.



A total of seven vents spread about the front end are used as air intakes for V12. The standard gearbox is a 5-speed automatic with AMG Speedshift software. The car also comes with a retractable rear spoiler for high-speed stability.
The interior is largely similar to the standard SL65 AMG, with the most noticeable differences being the heavily-bolstered racing seats.Priced at US$ 320,000 in the United States, expect local prices to be closer to Dhs 1.3 million. The car is debuting at the upcoming 2008 Paris Auto Show.