W222 Mercedes S-Guard Interior Wrapped in Crocodile Leather

Between making an awesome body kit for the 911 Turbo and tuning the Macan SUV, the Russians at TopCar found time for a Mercedes. It's not just an ordinary Mercedes though. They were commissioned to work on the cabin of the very first W222 S-Class Guard delivered in Russia.

"What's the S-Class Guard?" you ask us. Only the most heavily protected car you can buy, capable of withstanding all sorts of small arms fire and even gas attacks.

Given how tough the S-Guard is, it's perhaps fitting that TopCar's material of choice is the skin of the most resilient reptile on the planet: the crocodile.They've been around for 140 million years and remain relatively unchanged, yet totally relevant from a predatory point of view. This living fossil's skin is also very tough, yet strangely appealing to look at.

TopCar's custom interior combines light beige and a dark blue tone, almost like indigo. It's a classy mix taken to the extreme, as even the floor is covered in quilted leather.  Careful where you step! The sea of cow and reptile hides is only interrupted by Mercedes trim pieces, many of them made from a very light shade of wood. When is the last time you saw grab handles or tablet frames that look like they belong in a palace?

In any case, you can check out the S-Guard crocodile interior in our full photo gallery below. Make sure to let us know if you think the Russians have taken Mercedes interiors to the next level.

About the S-Guard

This amazing luxury tank was revealed at the beginning of August. It's official name is the S600 Guard, which hints at the 6-liter V12 engine under the bonnet. This packs 530 horsepower and 800 Nm of torque, delivered to the ground using special run-flat Michelin PAX tires that can run for up to 30 km (19 miles) even when damaged. Mercedes says the toughness of the S-Guard is down to a secret new type of steel that's been sandwiched between the body shell of the car and the outer skin. Extra protection comes from layers of aramide and polyethylene elements that stop the occupants from being hurt by fire and incoming shrapnel. The car even has its own air supply in the trunk.

Ken Block's Gymkhana 7 Ford Mustang

(Photo Credit: Brenda Priddy and Company) 

When Ken Block releases a new Gymkhana film, everyone snaps to attention. Why? Because they're excellent. Gymkhana 7 was shooting in Los Angeles this weekend, and it involves something that's both old and new: this RTR-branded mid-60s Ford Mustang. Don't confuse this with Vaughn Gittin, Jr's wicked 1969 RTR-X fastback, either. This notchback is is a different and entirely new animal, and it appears to have all the goods needed for a proper Hoonigan production. 

Our spies caught Block tearing up closed-off LA streets in the black pony car over the weekend. They tell us that they counted eight cameramen, a chopper, innumerable GoPros, and a bunch of guys working security. As you can see, that didn't stop 'em from getting their shots. For more images of Block in action with the Mustang. 

As for the Gymkhana 7? Based on these stills, we expect something typically amazing. 

How It Works: The Electric Supercar

(Photo Credit: Volvo) 

When you need a potent engine or a sturdy gearbox for your fantasy supercar, Ricardo should be your first call. This U.K.-based engineering firm has roots reaching back more than a century and branches that cover Europe, Russia, Asia, and the U.S. of A. Ricardo’s expertise can be found across the industry. Among its recent projects is the HyBoost, a Ford Focus fitted with an electrically driven supercharger. Ricardo built this HyBoost with two goals in mind: topping Toyota Prius fuel efficiency while skirting the cost, bulk, and weight of the Prius’s two electric motor/generators and battery pack. The experiment is a timely one—every carmaker sees 2025’s 54.5-mpg CAFE requirement looming, and most need help meeting it. To create the HyBoost, Ricardo replaced the original 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with a 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder and augmented that engine’s turbo with a Valeo electric supercharger. Two years ago [“A Real Electric Charge,” January 2012], we speculated that BMW might use an electric supercharger to sharpen throttle response at low engine speeds. While that has yet to come to fruition, Audi has one under the hood of its RS5 TDI concept car. 



(Illustration by Chris Philpot) 

Essentially a turbo’s compressor mated to a DC electric motor, this supercharger can spin to 70,000 rpm in less than 0.4 second, supplying 8.7 psi of boost before the HyBoost’s larger exhaust-driven turbo wakes up. Ricardo met its goal of increasing the Focus’s fuel efficiency from 39 mpg to 59 in European test cycles. A switch allows acceleration testing with or without the electric blower operating. We used fourth-gear acceleration from 30 to 50 mph and from 50 to 70 mph to gauge the supercharger’s effectiveness. Goose the HyBoost’s throttle and there’s a shuffle under the hood accompanied by a modest increase in forward surge as this device goes to work. The key word is “modest.” The supercharger trimmed the 9.0-second 30-to-50-mph run by only 0.3 second. In the upper speed range, there’s less benefit because there’s sufficient exhaust flow above 2800 rpm to spin the turbo. Despite the HyBoost’s poor showing on the test track, we’re enthusiastic about the Valeo supercharger because it runs cool and can be mounted nearly anywhere under the hood. Count on seeing this device on production models soon. 




(Photo Credit: Michael Simari) 

Hyaboosta: Ricardo’s mpg special ditches the Focus’s 1.6-liter for a 1.0 and its five-speed for a six. It has an electric supercharger and a stop-start system. The blower gets its juice not from a battery, but from 10 supercapacitors that capture energy during deceleration. 

The Electric Supercar Is Here, Just in Time for Computers to Get to Drive It

The Tesla D is what we thought it would be: The D stands for "dual," as in dual electric motors that give the Model S the power of all-wheel-drive, something it had been lacking in comparison to other luxury sedans. Even so, it's hard to grasp the staggering statistics of Elon Musk's new supercar: 691 combined horsepower, a 3.2-second 0 to 60 time, and a quarter-mile time of just 11.8 seconds.

It is, as Musk said at the reveal event last night, bananas. It also costs $120,000. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. This is the EV supercar you're allowed to lust after, but in a few years, computers will be driving it for you.

Tesla's big announcement last night came in two parts. Musk dropped all the absurd performance specs you'd expect from a supercar—the raw acceleration and incredible cornering ability of a true driver's car. But this is 2014, and Tesla Motors is a company that wants to be about the future, so Musk made a turn to talk about autonomy and announced advanced autopilot features. The big reveal last night was automatic lane changes. Activate the turn signal and the car performs the lane change by itself. Very cool.

Performance cars are always marketed with a wink and a nod. Most people who own a smartphone don't take advantage of everything their powerhouse pocket computer could do. But they could. With cars, we salivate over the numbers while knowing full well that 99 percent of the time, real-world owners will be stuck in commuting gridlock or rolling along on a public highway where the speed limit restricts the car to a fraction of what it can do.

And as Musk openly proclaims that the era of the truly autonomous car is only five or six years away, he acknowledges that even that small amount of legal joy you can experience today—accelerating up to interstate speeds faster than you probably should, or grabbing the corners of a great road—is going away. If driving is about to become a spectator sport, then who is all of Tesla's amazing capability for?

No doubt the D versions of the Model S are positioned to succeed in the driving world of the coming decade. This is still a big sedan that many people could use as their everyday car, or at least a second car. It's sexy as hell and only bolsters Tesla's place as the Apple of the automotive world. When and if full automotive autonomy comes, the Tesla's interior will be a posh place to lay back and relax while the car drives itself to your destination. And if you've got the driving skill (and the balls) to tap into that full reservoir of AWD power, then there's always a track day.

Maybe it's just that announcing an incredible driver's car—and subsequently boasting how much it will drive itself—is a weird, unintentional commentary on the state of the automotive art. Thanks to the cult of personality, Musk gets to have it both ways.

The Tesla D announcement is not the dawn of the hybrid or all-electric supercar. It's more carmakers just took the first turn and accelerated into the straightaway—not only Tesla, but even those like Porsche and Ferrari building hybrid powertrains into their next halo cars. It's just too bad, in a way, that the most incredible, technologically advanced cars of all time are coming along right as digital drivers are poised to replace us.

Tough-Looking 2015 Volkswagen Passat R400 Needs to Go into Production!

One of the biggest stories of this week tells us Volkswagen wants to use the R badge on something other than a Golf, namely the Polo and Passat. Since overpowered superminis are common nowadays, we turn our attention to the virtually crafted Passat R400, the digitally re-mastered work of a Hungarian renderer that we definitely approve of.

As the name suggests, the Passat R400 gets its design cues from the Golf R400 Concept shown earlier this year. This means you get carbon fiber inserts for the front bumper and side skirts, as well as neon yellow accents on the front grille.

The Passat is supposed to be a subtle executive car, so adding 19-inch wheels and a body kit doesn't exactly work. But the idea behind this rendering is brilliant, basically an Audi S4 on a budget.

Volkswagen powertrain chief Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser recently revealed that a Passat R is being considered right now. If put into production, this would use a new six-cylinder engine, the first of its kind to be fitted to an MQB car. No further details are available at the moment, but Volkswagen Group is probably developing a 3-litter TSI V6 unit that it wants to use on the US-bound 7-seat crossover scheduled to launch in 2016. For the Passat, this would be tuned to somewhere around 400 hp, sitting right between the output of an Audi S4 and an RS4.

The Golf R400 Concept actually used a 2-liter TSI engine to reach that output. However, it's not feasible to build a small engine with this much boost at the moment. Besides turbo lag, there's also the reliability of the components that needs to be considered, something Volkswagen doesn't want to get wrong.

There are a few problems with the Passat R though, one of them being the cost of developing such a car, which could easily skyrocket. A performance version of the Passat would also appeal only to a small group of VW loyal fans.

Baywatch Star Nicole Eggert Now Drives an Ice Cream Truck

We are all supposed to reinvent ourselves, especially when we see things are not turning out so good in our career. At least that seems to be the case with former Baywatch star Nicole Elizabeth Eggert who has recently announced her fans on Twitter that she’ll be driving a green ice cream truck, as part of her newly opened business.

You might remember her either as Jamie Powell in the television series Charles in Charge or even better as Summer Quinn in the famous TV series Bayawatch. Since then, however, she only got minor roles such as several Christmas movies that premiered on Lifetime or staring in VH1’s reality show Celebrity Fit Club.

After being added to the cast of Splash, the celebrity diving show on ABC, last year, it would seem Eggert decided to take a shot with quite a different venture, opening up her own business. The former Baywatch star began a new career as the owner-operator of an ice-cream truck. She described it as a “family runed business bringing a fun, unique, and innovative twist to the ice cream man.”

Not only does she drive the green truck, but Eggert also posts her next stops on Twitter so fans can know when the ice cream is coming. The 42-year old mother-of-two named her business Scoops and it’s meant to be a shop on wheels that serves ice cream cones and candies.

It turns out not all the actors in Hollywood desperately hold on to their career, some even changed their life completely without caring about what their fans might think. After all, Nicole might not be in her 20s, but she’s probably doing good enough to sell some proper ice cream.

Subaru Impreza Pricing: It's $300 More Than the 2014 Model Year Subaru Impreza

The remodeled US-spec Subaru Impreza now has a price tag and the entire range of models are that slightly more expensive than the 2014 Impreza. In the Japanese automaker's defense, you do get a little more standard equipment for the minor difference.

Sporting botoxed looks, new headlights, as well as a rearview parking camera across the range, the new model year also adds new infotainment systems, the EyeSight Driver Assist suite of technologies, together with the best fuel economy of any gasoline all-wheel drive passenger car thanks to an EPA-rated 28 mpg city, 37 mpg on the highway and 31 mpg combined.

Available as a classic four-door sedan or a five-door hatchback, the least expensive 2015 Impreza starts from $18,195 ($18,990 with destination and delivery), but the entry-level specification isn't really that much to wish for due to its too rarefied standard kit list.

Furthermore, the standard five-speed stick shift isn't really acceptable on a car that's propelled by a 2-liter four-cylinder boxer engine with 148 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque on tap. Besides the 2015 Legacy-like looks, the revised entry-level Impreza benefits from electric power assisted steering.

Our pick would be the sporty and extensively kitted 2.0i Sport Premium CVT. Speaking of CVT, all 2015 Subaru Impreza models with this gearbox add trick hydraulic engine mounts to dampen the boxer mill's vibrations. Want a very good reason why we'd go for the 2.0i Sport Premium CVT and not the 2.0i Sport Limited CVT? The $22,790 Sport Premium CVT can be kitted with only one option - a power moonroof.

For the entire list of trim levels, the equipment offered and pricing, refer to the attached document

Mercedes S63 AMG Coupe Wrapped in Matte Gray by Re-Styling

As far as fresh Mercedes cars are concerned, the S63 AMG 4Matic is like a meringue kiss, fresh from the oven and not even hard yet. This is a machine only a lucky few will ever drive, since its price pushes it close to supercar territory.

Today we turn our attention to the rich people of Russia, one of whom already has taken delivery of the new S63 AMG Coupe with a 4Matic all-wheel drive option pack. However, when Mercedes delivered it to him it was a very understated shade of dark blue. And since somehow understated just doesn't work in Russia, he sent it to be customized.

We've been following the work of Re-Styling for a good couple of years now and apparently they are celebrating their first decade of customization next year. Their clean work was needed to take the S63 AMG Coupe from boring blue to gracious gray. The shade of vinyl chosen is matte, almost like Mercedes' own frozen paint finish. However, while designo paint can be tricky to wash and requires constant attention you can just rip off the vinyl when it goes bad.

This is the first car of its breed to be delivered in the Russian capital of Moscow and we expect more to come soon. With a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 engine at its disposal, the S63 AMG coupe makes short work of the competition. Thanks to 585 PS and 900 Nm of torque, it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under 4 seconds and only stops once the electronic nannies kick in at 250 km/h (155 mph). So what if it weighs over 2 tons? When you travel in this much opulence, fuel consumption and weight mean absolutely nothing.

If excess is a measure of wealth, than this overpowered and frankly quite pointless AMG model is among the best cars in the world.

2015 Zero DS Almost Packs the Best of Both Worlds

If the 2015 Zero DS had wire spoked wheels I could openheartedly say that this electric bike is the perfect zero-emission all-rounder. If you’re really in for some serious off-road adventure around your city, the DS should do if you tread carefully and constantly remember you’re not aboard a KTM EXC. The lightweight cast wheels are really stylish and the absence of the front rotor carrier makes the DS look sleek.

For scrambling purposes, Zero equipped the 2015 DS with Pirelli MT-60 midly-knobbied tires which provide plenty of terrainability on gravel but will also stick well to the asphalt. A popular dual-sport and flat track choice, these tires should also provide you with decent mileage, while looking cool and mean.

Three battery options, money talks

Zero delivers the 2015 DS in three flavors and two colors. While choosing between the white and orange versions (orange and off-road seem to go well together) is easy, deciding how much juice you want to store aboard your new DS is a matter of money. The standard DS is the one equipped with the 9.4 kWh Lithium-ion intelligent Z-Force battery, but extra dough can get you the 12.5 kWh power pack or the extra Power Tank add-on for a max range which can now reach 170 miles (274 km) in the city.

The motor is the same for all the DS versions, a 54 hp, 92 Nm (68 lb-ft) radial flux permanent magnet brushless type, with passive air cooling, regenerative deceleration and which can do 0 t 60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 5.2 seconds. On the top speed side, the 2015 Zero DS will reach 98 mph (158 km/h) but the top cruising speed is 80 mph (129 km/h).

Well-equipped and cheap to ride

Zero understood that in order to get riders into the e-bike world, the machines need to be loaded with fancy technology. That’s why the new DS arrives with switchable ABS, Showa suspensions for both forks and rear monoshock and powerful J-Juan calipers with revised hydraulics. This makes sure the ride is comfy both when streaking through the urban clutter and when tacking the gravel road towards your fav fishing pond, while dependable stopping power is always a finger away.

The new motor and battery tweaks bring in a really neat economy, with the 2015 Zero DS offering 425 MPGe (0.55 l/100 km) and a total recharge cost for the top battery choice of $1.72. The base version will run you $13,345, while the biggest battery choice will need some extra $4,493 from your account. The charger is built-in, but you can also get a quick one for $600.

Hyundai Sonata and Next-Gen Kia Optima to Receive Plug-in Hybrid Versions in 2015

Both Kia and Hyundai are currently displaying new powertrain technology at the Paris Motor Show. These include two new downsized turbo engines, a 1-liter 3-cylinder and a 1.4-liter, the first twin-clutch transmission and natural gas engine. However, the Koreans have even bigger plans on the table, ones that will challenge Toyota and Honda.

According to a report from The Korean Car Blog, R&D vice chairman at Hyundai Motor Group, Yang Woong-Chul, stated that plug-in hybrid versions of the Sonata and Kia K5 (that's an Optima) will be launched next year onto the global market.

“We will roll out a plug-in hybrid model of Sonata and K5 next year. Since we will use locally made engines, inverters and batteries, we expect them to have strong price competitiveness," Yang said.

The Sonata is brand new, a 2015 model year in America. However, the hybrid model that's currently on sale is a older 2014 model year and will be retired soon. Kia, on the other hand, needs to launch an all-new Optima soon, a car they've been testing on all continents.

At the Paris Motor Show, a concept called Optima T-Hybrid is currently on display. It combines their 1.7-liter diesel engine with 15-hp electric motor, a 48-volt lead-carbon battery, and an electric supercharger. That's right, it's one of those e-turbos that Audi wants to use as well.

As impressive as that sounds, it's not a PHEV. To make a true plug-in, the Koreans will probably have to use a much more powerful electric motor that can push the car on its own and a petrol engine (probably a 2.0 Kappa), since diesels are still uncommon in America and China, their two biggest markets.

Why did we say Korea will compete with Toyota and Honda?

Because the Sonata and Optima PHEVs will go up against the Honda Accord PHEV and to a lesser extent the Prius PHEV. Both Japanese brands are experts at making green cars, having started developing hybrids in the 90s.

In order to compete, locally made parts from Korea will be used in order to keep costs down to a minimum.

Range Extended BMW i3 Will Get New Features and Retrofit Upgrades in 2015

To cater to the so-called ‘range anxious’ customers, BMW decided to launch two versions of its first ever EV, the i3 and the range-extended i3 or Rex for short. As it turns out, the latter has some problems the Germans didn’t anticipate.

According to Consumer Reports, during their prolonged time with one such model, they noticed a couple of things that weren’t just annoying but downright unacceptable. 

The difference between the i3 and the REx model is that the latter uses a small 650cc scooter engine (made by Kymco) to recharge the car’s batteries when needed. It’s positioned in the back, right above the rear axle and works in complete silence.

However, as good as it sounds, it does bring some setbacks. For starters, it adds weight to an electric car, damaging its dynamic capabilities. It’s also only going to extend your range by 100 miles or so, therefore still keeping the i3 in the category of cars that doesn’t allow you to go for longer drives.

What’s more, the sprint time is cut down to 7.9 seconds as opposed to 7.2 on the pure-electric model. To top it all off, some states won’t give you all the benefits for driving an zero-emissions car because you actually have an internal combustion engine on board, polluting as it runs.

Sounds disappointing, what’s the advantage, then?

As we pointed out, it will ease some of that range anxiety most EV drivers experience behind the wheel. However, according to Consumer Reports, there are even bigger problems at hand, especially compared to the all-electric i3.

During their tests they found that “after a prolonged use of the throttle with little or no speed varying and no gentle braking to regenerate energy to the battery, acceleration ability falls off dramatically”. To put things in perspective, they claim that the car accelerates from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 27 seconds, at best, times getting down in the 40 seconds territory.

Sure, since the car is built for inner-city usage, such situations are unlikely to occur but they can happen and the problem should be sorted by BMW.

The Germans responded sharply

Consumer Reports, naturally contacted a BMW official and the response was prompt. Matthew Russell, a BMW spokesman said that a software update coming in 2015 will solve such problems and bring new functionality to the cars as well.

The new models will include an indicator of the battery’s charge at all times and an alert prior to experiencing a sudden loss of power. Furthermore, the cars will have a feature that will boost the battery level prior to engaging steep hill climbs, using info from the navigation system. The best news is that all of this will also be installed in i3s that were purchased in 2014.