Mercedes Benz Ponton

The Ponton was Daimler-Benz's first totally-new Mercedes-Benz series of passenger vehicles produced after World War II. In July 1953, the cars replaced the pre-war-designed Type 170 series and were the bulk of the automaker's production through 1959, though some models lasted through 1962.

The nickname comes from the German word for "pontoon" and refers to one definition of pontoon fenders and a postwar styling trend, subsequently called ponton styling.

The Ponton models were replaced by the "Heckflosse" or "Fintail" models

There were essentially four types of Ponton cars. Note the "D" designates a diesel engine, and the suffix "b" and/or "c" are body variants introduced after the middle of 1959.

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Posted in Marcedes Benz

Mercedes-Benz C216

The Mercedes-Benz C216 is the new platform for the grand tourer Mercedes-Benz CL-Class. It will be replacing the C215 platform. The new platform was presented at the 2006 Mondial de l'Automobile. The first right-handed drive model presented at the 28th Bangkok International Motor Show.

The CL 63 debuted at the Paris Motor Show on September 13, 2006. It features a 6.2 liter AMG V8, the CL 63 AMG is rated at 386 kW (525 hp) and 630 Newton metres of peak torque, resulting in a 0-62 mph time of 4.5 seconds (according to Mercedes-Benz) and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).

As of 2009, Mercedes-Benz will only be offering the CL550 in 4Matic, as a strategy to increase sales in snowy regions. While all the systems are the same, the suspension has been degraded from ABC to Airmatic, as 4Matic is not compatible with ABC. The CL600, CL63 AMG, and CL65 AMG will remain the same rear-wheel drive variants. The CL-Class can be seen as an "S-Class Coupe". Although it doesn't share the same name, it has many cosmetic similarities. In 2009 the first photos of camouflaged facelifted CL's emerged.

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The New Cars

The New Cars was a band formed in 2005 with just two of the original members of the 1970s/1980s new wave band The Cars. The band was composed of Todd Rundgren, drummer Prairie Prince, Kasim Sulton, and original Cars members Greg Hawkes and Elliot Easton. The band performed The Cars' classic songs, Rundgren's solo work, and some new material.

Though no formal announcement has been made with regards to the current status of The New Cars, they would appear to be defunct. Rundgren has resumed his solo career, and The New Cars have not performed any shows since September of 2007. On October 21, 2010, The Cars (Easton, Hawkes, Ric Ocasek and David Robinson) confirmed that they have reunited and are recording their first album in 23 years. Meanwhile, The New Cars' official website was maintained until early 2010, but now appears to have been shut down.

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Posted in The New Cars