Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 2013 News

Afzal Kahn has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds building up one of Britain’s most impressive private plate collections.  And the most desirable of the registrations is his beloved 'F1', which currently sits on the front of his Bugatti Veyron supercar.The entrepreneur caused a stir when, in 2008, he paid a staggering £440,000 ($765,300) for the cherished plate -- a British record. But it’s proven to be a savvy investment with the plate’s value increasing by more than ten times after one ultra-rich individual offered £6million for it.Drivers in the United Arab Emirates are even more fanatical about personal registrations. The single digit ‘1’ sold in February 2008, for £7.25 million ($12.61m) , reportedly to Abu Dhabi businessman Saeed Khouri, then 25.Personal plates can be a good investment, if you make the right choice. VIP 1, which originally belonged to Pope John Paul II’s Popemobile, was bought for £62,000 ($107,840) in 2004 – two years later Roman Abramovich bought it for £285,000 ($495,730).However, Mr Kahn, who runs A Kahn Design in Bradford, rejected the offer believing it is worth considerably more. Indeed, he has no pressing need for new cars, with our pictures also showing him posing with the plate attached to his Mercedes SLR McLaren. Mr Khan's refusal to sell the plate means that he still likely holds the record for spending the most money on a UK registration plate.A spokesman for Mr Khan's company said: 'We have received a significant multi-million pound offer for the F1 plate which we rejected out of hand. Mr Kahn has no interest in selling F1, which is his favourite plate. Cherished number plates, unlike property or other investments tend not to fluctuate in value, they only go up. It really shouldn’t be a shock to people that the number plate is worth millions of pounds.'The 109-year-old registration was on a modest Volvo S80 when Kahn bought the plate in 2008. It was used by the chairman of Essex County Council with the local authority using the funds from the sale to raise money for a charity which aimed to raise the standards for young drivers. 'F1' now makes up part of Mr Kahn’s impressive plate collection which includes the registrations ‘4HRH’ and ‘NO1’.  

But we've beaten him to the prize - a sinister gunmetal grey Benz belter. The SL63 AMG is idling with intent as I arrive in the pit lane that will be the home of Formula One this weekend as the 2013 grand prix season kicks into gear.The final touches are being applied to the course but the SL has already been polished and preened for an early preview of the action. It is strong and eager as I ease onto the main straight and - very, very briefly - uncork its turbocharged V8 power.There is a strict 40km/h speed limit for me, but Doohan will be let completely off the leash when he compete in the Ultimate Speed Comparison this weekend. He is up against his racing mates David Coulthard and Casey Stoner in a contest that's intended to highlight the difference between a regular road car, a V8 Supercar and a full-on F1 car.Stoner is wheeling the V8 this time and Coulthard, a grand prix winner in Australia with McLaren, is sliding into one of last year's Red Bull rockets. "It's a bit of fun," Doohan tells me. "You're never going to beat a Formula One car, even in an AMG Mercedes."I know exactly what he means because I had two years as the road-car rabbit at Albert Park, running BMW M cars against the grand prix greyhounds. I will never forget the first time that Christian Klien blasted his BMW F1 car past me down the front straight, running more than 100km/h quicker in an explosion of noise and violence.I had always though that an M car was fast, but as I applied the brakes for Turn One at around 210km/h he calmly shifted into top gear and zipped in ahead of me trailing a huge wash of dirt and debris from the unused side of the track. It took me a while to get my breath after that one.This time, I know the SL63 and I know Albert Park, and I know the enjoyment that Doohan will be having. He might have won his five world titles on two wheels, but the 500cc tyro loves fast cars and has been an AMG ambassador for more than 10 years.What's he like as a driver? He's fast for sure, as I have seen from the passenger seat, but he's never going to score maximum style points. "The SL63 is a fantastic car.To romp it around the racetrack should be a bit of fun," Doohan says."It's not too serious, but it is still a race. I know Mercedes-Benz wants to win, and so does Red Bull Racing, and Casey. The idea is to have all three cars cross the finish line at exactly the same time. "But you don't want to put the car in the wall."This car is specially built for Doohan's drive, and weighs in with a $409,575 pricetag. When you catch your breath, that means a base price of $381,500 boosted by metallic grey paint that looks like it was peeled off a jet fighter, an AMG performance package that unleashes extra turbo torque, a panoramic sunroof and matt-black alloys that are 19 inches on the nose and 20 inches on the tail.But the most striking difference is Doohan's name on the side windows. And that's what has people staring as Carsguide noses out into ordinary Melbourne traffic in the F1 racer.I have driven the SL63 before, and absolutely loved an early-morning blast last year in southern Spain, but its a revelation on the pockmarked bitumen. It is obviously fast and firm, but also surprisingly cosseting and enjoyable. And even the seven-speed auto can slur for minimal intrusion.For me, it's a better everyday car than the Benz SLS, because it rides smoother and you can also drop the top for sunshine fun. It has more than enough performance with 395 kiloWatts and 800 Newton-metres, even though the SLS is more brutal again with 420kW, and you save big against a gullwing that is priced from at least $468,320.As we head around Albert Park and dodge the workers who are putting the final touches to the course, Doohan's words come back to me. "The only time things get a bit iffy in a road car is if the track is wet. Then you're working," he tells me.This is a bit of a surprise from a bloke who had so much brilliance on a bike. He might have ended his career in an ambulance, but Mighty Mick always rode like he was racing with the devil on his tail. And, even today, he does not play well with others.He has channeled his efforts into a booming aircraft business in jet charters, owns nightclubs and property, and has a matt-black helicopter parked in the shed at his Gold Coast spread.When he pulls on his famous helmet this weekend, he says he is looking to have some fun and a bit of a speed."You can't just stooge or dawdle around. I remember the time that Pedro de la Rosa disappeared under the rear wing of Jaffa, that CLK63 Black Series, as we were coming onto the straight. I just didn't see him," Doohan says."But my job is to be consistent every day. We want to show people the difference in speed between the three types of cars. "It should be good with DC and Casey. We'll be looking across at each other and having a bit of a laugh."This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

...which means AMG will have its go-faster car ready for the road in 2013. Everything points to a subtle body but a muscular engine package sharing the 5.5-litre V8 turbo already installed in the SL63 AMG.

And the images show that the world's oldest car has been back to the beauty parlour for a major makeover to continue its run deep into the 21st century. Mercedes-Benz claims the ancient crown for its SL roadster, which hit the road in the 1950s and has continued along the same path for near-enough to 60 years. But the latest makeover, which will be previewed at Detroit motor show in January and available in Australian showrooms by June, is more than just skin deep. The sixth-generation is the first Mercedes-Benz to be constructed almost entirely from aluminium - there is steel strengthening and magnesium in some places - and it also comes with two developments which are claimed as world firsts. The car has a FrontBass system that Benz claims will turn it into a concert hall with the top up or down, as well as an adaptive windscreen cleaning system called Magic Vision Control. But the SL is really about luxury and style, despite a $242,780 starting price that means only 23 have been sold through the first 11 months of 2011, down from 48 at the same time last year. Despite the small numbers, Benz says the SL is a landmark car for the brand. "It is a flag bearer for us," says David McCarthy, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia. "It's a pretty good indicator of where we're going. It continues the design theme of the SLS and SLK." He is also keen to highlight the longevity of the SL badge, which was first applied to a Benz in 1952 and reached Australia a year later.  "In passenger cars, it is the longest-running nameplate in the world. The only one that comes close is the Chevrolet Suburban, which has a longer history but is an SUV," McCarthy says. "The only other one that came close was the Ford Fairlane, which only lived on in Australia until the 21st century until they chopped it." McCarthy confirms the usual model spread for the upcoming SL, which currently runs from the SL350 to the SL 65 AMG at $519,250, and a sharp bottom line. "We don't expect a big change, price-wise. It will be on sale in the second quarter in 2012 at the earliest for us," he says. On the specification front, apart from the latest technology and a body that is both lighter are larger in most directions, the SL comes with engines that have more power but economy improved by as much as 29 per cent. "There is the new V6, then the V8s and the AMG models. The 350 is currently the biggest seller and we expect that to continue." The car's folding hardtop vario-roof operates in either direction in less than 20 seconds using an electrohydraulic mechanism, and will be available with a painted finish, a glass roof or the Magic Sky system - first fitted on the SLK - which switches from light to dark inside at the touch of a button.