A 2012 Mercedes ML-Class testing ended in tragedy: a man killed and more cars destroyed. The incident happened on the Autobahn A81 near Rottweil, Germany on April 23rd. A 52-year-old Daimler employee was testing a 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class prototype SUV when he killed a 26-year-old man exiting his vehicle.
It seems that the younger man was involved in a minor accident only minutes before when he collided with the guardrail after there was a small malfunction with his car. Two good samaritans had stopped to help him when all of a sudden, the Mercedes SUV came down the road traveling at a high speed and struck the 26-year-old’s vehicle and a third car at the scene. The SUV then proceeded to flip over on its hood and travel an additional 250 feet.
The young man was killed upon impact and the Daimler driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Neither of the good Samaritans were treated at the hospital for any injuries. Police are still investigating the accident to determine what the cause of it was and who was at fault.
Our thoughts are with the unfortunate victims involved in this accident as well as with their families.
After we have seen the Opel Ampera concept version in 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show, this year Opel is taking a step forward with the unveiling of the first prototype of the production Ampera.
The first prototype has received its first charge of electricity and will be put of test on a long-distance drive from Rüsselsheim to Geneva. The Ampera extended-range electric vehicle will use the energy stored in its 16 kWh lithium-ion battery to drive the first stage of the 600 kilometers journey from Rüsselsheim, Germany, to the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, without emitting CO2.
Press release after the jump.
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You may be familiar with Radical Sportscars for their affordable line of open air track day toys capable of giving larger cars a serious run for their money while using a compact gas burning power plant. However with the new SRZero that was unveiled at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, the English race car builder is rolling out a very ambitious plan to take their electric prototype on a 16,000 mile endurance trip from Argentina to Alaska later on this year in order to become the world’s most focused, fun to drive alternative propulsion vehicle.
The Radical SRZero is powered by the latest in lithium iron phosphate battery technology, linked to a state of the art battery management and systems control unit. Making a total of 400 HP from its twin motors, the lightweight BEV sports car can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 120 MPH. Thanks to regenerative braking units built into the zero emissions race car, the SRZero has an extended range of over 300 miles and can be recharged by an ordinary household electric outlet.
Press release after the jump.
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Porsche Cayman is for sure a car every one has hard about, and many have the chance to drive it. But how many of you know about its predecessor, the Porsche 916? However the car never made it to production, and there were only 11 prototypes produced.
The 916 was to be priced at $14,000 - the most expensive Porsche at that time. That was considerably more than the highest priced 911 which cost around $10,000 and with sales declining, Porsche dropped the idea of building it. The Porsche 916 was intended as a competitor for the Ferrari 246 Dino.
The 916 takes over the raw body from the 914/6. The roof is permanently welded to the body. The fenders must be widened to make enough room for the 7-inch wide light alloy wheels. The 916 is also fitted with the brakes and 2.4 litre motor from the 911 S.
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Do you have an extra $275,000 in your pocket? If you do, Cooper Classics in New York has a ultra rare proposition for you: the sixth "first Porsche" is for sale. We are talking about a rare Porsche 356 prototype built in 1948 - the pre-production version of the later factory 356 cars.
It features an are one-off aluminum body and Metallic Green exterior paint with a Tan Interior.
It carries a unique provenance with ownership history including some of the major players in early Porsche history including M. Debrunner, president of VW AG Switzerland, and Ruprecht von Senger. Von Senger financed and established the early Porsche dealership network in Europe much like Max Hoffman would do later in the U.S. in 1953. The car was last registered in Switzerland in 1959. It was put into storage for some 20 years and eventually sold to Michael Rizzuto, a restoration specialist in the United States . Mr. Rizzuto sold the car in unrestored condition to film producer Monty Montgomery in 1988. Mr. Montgomery commissioned a full restoration and upon completion in 1992 it was exhibited at Pebble Beach.
