Special Edition Aston Martin DBS and V12 Vantage Carbon Black

The maker of the Cygnet mini has momentarily returned to the business of making exotic supercars as Aston Martin revealed today a pair of special edition versions of the DBS and V12 Vantage. Called Carbon Black, both models feature a bespoke -you guessed it- Carbon Black metallic finish that takes 50 man-hours of hand painting and quality checks to complete.

Both special editions ride on gloss black 10 spoke diamond turned alloy wheels while the V12 Vantage also gets a carbon fiber side strake over a black mesh vent, a bright finished grille and front parking sensors which are normally an option.

The interior of the DBS and V12 Vantage Carbon Black specials are adorned in Obsidian Black leather contrasted by hand stitched silver thread.

The sport seats are formed from Carbon Fibre and Kevlar which saves 17 kg or 37 pounds over the standard seats while other features include the Piano black facia trim, centre stack and centre console, anodised black tread plates and unique sill plaques made out of carbon fiber.

The V12 Vantage gets a standard 700w Premium Audio System while its DBS counterpart is equipped with a Bang & Olufsen Beosound DBS audio system.

Under the skin, everything remains the same with both the DBS and V12 Vantage Carbon Black editions being powered by a 6.0-liter V12 engine churning out 510-horsepower.

Detailed pricing is to be confirmed in January 2010, but Aston Martin said that buyers should expect a 5 per cent increase over the price of the basic models. Deliveries of both models will commence from March.

ATT TEC Styles Up the New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan

If there's one thing we know about German tuners is that they sure love kitting out the domestic market premiums. ATT-TEC's latest object of tuning affection is the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan, for which the company has created a new body kit. Priced at a hefty €6,452 or about US$9,250, the aero pack consists of a front grille, side skirts, new front and rear bumpers as well as a new set of exhaust tips and side air-vents.

Add another €3,869 or US$5,550, and ATT-TEC will throw in a set of 20-inch alloy rims shod in high-performance Hankook rubber size 245/30ZR20 or 285/25 ZR20.

And if that ain't enough, buyers may also opt to enhance the interior as well as the E-Class' suspension and engine with numerous performance upgrades.

Protestors Beware, the New €1 Million Mercedes-Benz-Based Water Cannon 10000 will Soon be There...

It's truly mind-boggling what humans will create to protect / hurt (take your pick) other humans - whatever the reason may be. What looks like a vehicle that came straight from a Hollywood blockbuster sci-fi film, is in fact the new "Water Cannon 10000" or as it will most likely be known, the WaWe 10, and it will be used by both the federal and state police forces in Germany to "water-down" violent riots breaking out at demonstrations and large events.

You'll find it hard to believe, but under all that Transformers-like armor is a Mercedes-Benz Actros 3341 featuring all-wheel drive and something that global warming protesters will surely appreciate -no pun intended- an eco-friendly Euro5 V6 turbo diesel engine producing 408HP.

The almost 10 metres-long (about 32-feet) and 3.70 metres-high (12-feet) WaWe 10 has a technically permissible gross vehicle weight of 33 tonnes.

However, Mercedes claims that even when fully kitted out and manned, the WaWe 10 does not quite reach this weight level as its actual operational weight is around 31 tonnes.

The WaWe 9's replacement has been designed to host a crew of five, comprising driver, commander, observer, and two cannon operators.

The riot-fighting truck comes equipped with a massive 10,000-litre water tank that is housed in the centre of the aluminium body and a Rosenbauer N 35 centrifugal pump with a rated output of 3,500 litres per minute at 10 bar that is accommodated in the rear of vehicle.

The three pumps, two on the front corners of the cab, each with a flow rate of 1200 lt/min, and one on the rear of the vehicle with a flow rate of 900 lt/min, are driven by a separate diesel engine meaning they be operated totally independently from the vehicle.

Other "highlights" include floor spray nozzles beneath the vehicle, designed to protect the chassis against fire, while the cab and body roofs are also fitted with an automatic protection system.

"As far as we are aware this is the most modern vehicle of its kind in the world", said Achim Friedl, Divisional Head at the Federal Ministry of the -we're just dying to crack a joke here but we'll let it pass...- Interior for Federal Police and State Riot Police Technology and Logistics.

The official handover of the keys for the special vehicle, which is worth almost one million euros or close to US$1.45 million at today's exchange rates, was made today at the federal police headquarters in Sankt Augustin.

All in all, the German government is planning to buy 78 identical WaWe 10s and bring them into service by 2019 as part of a total order volume worth 75 million euros or about US$ 110 millio.

Mercedes-Benz said that delivery of the first three series-produced vehicles is scheduled for 2010 following assessment of the prototype model.

Greek Tragedy: Audi R8 Sliced by Guardrail

What you see pictured here is the result of a truly horrifying accident involving an Audi R8 that occurred in Athens, Greece. As you can see, the guardrail, which by the way, is supposed to protect drivers (...), has pierced the German supercar from front to back. We don't have all the details, but it is said that the driver of the car miraculously survived the crash, but not without serious injuries, while the female passenger escaped unhurt.

2010 Chevy Camaro SS Pace Car Heads to Indianapolis 500

General Motors has unveiled the 2010 Camaro SS Pace Car that will take part at next year's Indianapolis 500. The new model's Orange Metallic paint scheme with White Diamond rally stripes that stretch the length of the car, as well as extending to the instrument panel, pays homage to the second Camaro to pace the Indianapolis 500 in 1969.

"We've enjoyed a great partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway throughout the years, and are proud to once again have the privilege of pacing the Indianapolis 500 in a Camaro," said Jim Campbell, General Manager, Chevrolet.

The new Camaro SS pace car packs a stock 6.2-liter V8 engine with 400-horsepower under its hood.

Aside from the RS appearance package and leather interior with Inferno Orange interior accents, the car also comes gets several unique features including 2010 Indianapolis 500 event logos painted on doors and embroidered on driver and passenger headrests, and an all-new front grille insert that Chevrolet says it plans to offer as a future Camaro accessory.
The amber lens tail lamps and a safety strobe light system with custom interior light bar in the rear window round off the upgrades.