Mercedes-Benz has a long history in grand prix racing. In the inter-war period, it competed with the famous Silver Arrows. After the war, the German automaker returned briefly, only to withdraw again after just one year. It wouldn't be until decades later that they'd come back to the scene, supplying engines first to the Sauber team (later acquired by arch-rival BMW) and then to McLaren, the championship team with which Mercedes has been tied – including a part-ownership and collaboration on the SLR McLaren supercar – since 1995. McLaren and Mercedes won several world championships throughout their fourteen-year history together, but now the two companies have gone their own separate ways. McLaren is building their own supercar – the MP4-12C – and Mercedes the SLS AMG, and now the two have announced a separation on the race track as well.

Although Mercedes will continue to provide McLaren with engines, the automaker has sold its stake back to the racing team. In its place, Benz has acquired a 75% stake in the Brawn GP team – which was previously Honda's, which in turn took over from British American Racing and Tyrrell before that. In its inaugural season, Brawn won both the constructors' title and the drivers' title, and will now be rebranded as Mercedes Grand Prix for the upcoming season. Eager to demonstrate German talent, the new Mercedes team has already signed Nico Rosberg – one of the youngest and most promising talents on the grid – and is preparing to announce its second driver shortly before returning for the 2010 championship in an effort to repeat this year's success.

Expect to see a lot more BMWs, Rolls-Royces and Minis in Hollywood as the German automaker has signed a new deal with one of the world's leading product placement agencies. The firm, Propaganda GEM, represents such brands as Panasonic, Bang & Olufsen and Nokia, to name just a few, but is ending its 13-year tie-in with Audi – which placed its vehicles in such hit films as Iron Man and I, Robot – in favor of a new one with the BMW Group.

BMW is certainly no stranger to product placement, having launched both the Z3 and Z8 roadsters in the Piece Brosnan-era 007 films. The Bavarian automaker also launched a highly successful short-film series called The Hire in 2001 that attracted several guest directors and starred Clive Owen. But now that BMW has pulled out of Formula One, Propaganda plans on using some of the newly-available marketing funds to place BMW products – including the cars and motorcycles as well as Minis and Rolls-Royces – in more films, TV shows, music videos and video games, in addition to sponsoring events like the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London.

See that polo-sporting playboy climbing out of the Ferrari convertible? Look at his shoes. They're probably made by Tod's. The Italian shoemaker has become synonymous with the exotic automaker, and not just because the chairman of the latter sits on the board of the former. Now the two kindred spirits have come together for a special line of driving mocs made by one for the other.

The Tod's for Ferrari line consists of three models – the Leccetto (with laces), the Laccetto Tubi GT (with tassels) and the Mascherina Griglia (with a special emblem styled after the grille of the iconic 250 GTO). The latter two are available in black and brown suede, with the former also available in red and blue (in true Elvis style). Each feature insoles ribbed like the seats of a Ferrari sportscar, and are made in the same time-honored tradition that makes any pair of Tod's loafers indispensable for the playboy lifestyle. They sell for 290 to 320 euros, and are available directly from Ferrari's online store.

Any performance automaker worth its logo has got to have a wristwatch to match. And while a carmaker's choice of wristwatch – think Panerai and Ferrari, Breitling and Bentley, Parmigiani and Bugatti – is meant to reflect the company's image, in some cases (like this PVD titanium one) it's more a reflection of the brand's aspirations. Because Abarth has always been about punching above its weight and taking on vehicles twice its size and ten times its price. So it should stand to reason that, even though its performance hatchbacks sell for relatively modest sums, the Abarth chronograph goes for more than €4,900, or the equivalent of some $7,300.

The timepiece is crafted by none other than Bernard Richards Manufacturer, a watchmaking atelier already known in motor racing circles for their inspiration from automobiles. To top the racing-themed design of the stock V12-T-44 chronograph, BRM has further differentiated the Abarth special edition with such custom touches as chrome hands and red stitching on the Nomex wrist-strap. Only 49 examples will be made available exclusively from BRM's website, making this timepiece considerably more exclusive than the cars its made to accompany.

An electric motorcycle that does 130 mph and looks as good as this seems an impressive enough feat in and of itself, but Mavizen has gone even further with its new TTX02 model, just unveiled at SEMA. Billed as a "laptop on wheels" it features a dedicated IP address, on-board web server, WiFi and Linux. Born of Team Agni's TTXGP race-winning electric motorcycle team, the bike is slated for a limited production of only 50 units, with a price of about $42,000 and a delivery date in early 2010, aimed at race teams who wish to compete in the upcoming eGrand-Prix series. "We are living in a click culture and connectivity is the key, across the board," notes TTXGP founder Azhar Hussain. "Our approach was to find how we could make a laptop go racing."

Used to be if you wanted an exotic Italian automobile, you were looking at a two-door sportscar. Maserati's Quattroporte and Lamborghini's LM002 proved the exceptions, but even the most expensive luxury sport-utility vehicles were boxy, slow-moving machines. Long before Porsche came along with their Cayenne, however, Fornasari was working on a formula for the best of both worlds. For years they produced the three-door RR450 and RR600, but now they've come out with their first five-door sport-ute, and the numbers are unbelievable.

Powered by a 6-liter V8 provided by GM driving 610 horsepower to all four wheels via 60/40 rear split limited-slip differential and six-speed gearbox, Fornasari claims their latest SUV can reach 62 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds and hit 174 mph flat out. All this in a coachbuilt Italian body. Pricing and availability are not yet available, but with an item like this, if you have to ask....

A Porsche is special enough for most, but for those looking for a bit more, there is no shortage of German tuners that specialize in Zuffenhausen's finest who'll be glad to bring it to the next level. Arguably foremost among them is 9ff, the relatively new outfit that made its mark with the record-breaking GT9.

With the Essen aftermarket tuner show coming up next weekend, 9ff has prepared the new Speed9. Based on the latest 911 Turbo convertible, the Speed9 sacrifices its rear seats for a slick profile evocative of the iconic 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster, with enough ground effects to match. Naturally 9ff hasn't stopped at looks alone, boosting the twin-turbo engine up from 473 horsepower to a shocking 650. No official word on price or performance, but you can expect both to exceed expectations.

We've seen the bag of tricks the exotic auto tuners have used on the brand new four-door Porsche Panamera - now how about a bulletproof version? An armored Porsche Panamera Turbo has just been listed for sale in Frankfurt, Germany via global online luxury marketplace JamesList for €295,000, or about $450,000. It comes equipped with armored steel in the doors, posts, overlaps and walls, and ballistic steel in the roof and floor; bulletproof glass; run flat tires; an armored fuel tank; armored battery and radiator protection; and more. Capable of stopping 9mm rounds as well as an assault from an M16 or .44 Magnum, the car's impressive performance is not hampered in any way by its added security measures.

Conventional wisdom used to be that bigger cars got bigger luxury, and smaller cars did without. But as premium buyers have been migrating to smaller cars for easier access to city streets and a lower environmental impact, automakers have been learning that they expect their luxuries to come with them, just in a smaller package.

Aston Martin is planning an exclusive city car based on the Toyota iQ, and now, about half a year after rumors first surfaced, BMW has reportedly confirmed that its two British subsidiaries Mini and Rolls-Royce will be collaborating on an exclusive line of luxury hatchbacks.

Starting off with the Mini Cooper, the Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood would then outfit the retro-hatch with all manner of top-of-the-line leather and wood veneer trim. The premium Minis would be made to order individually according to each customer's specifications, with public confirmation expected to come some time next year.

In the world of high-performance sportscars, lighter means faster. That's why Porsche is preparing to take the wraps off the new Boxster Spyder.

Based on its entry-level roadster, the Boxster Spyder benefits from an aggressive weigh-reduction program to cut some 176 pounds off the stock model's curb weight, thanks in part to a lighter roof mechanism. The German automaker has also pulled an extra ten horses out of the direct-injection 3.4-liter flat six for a total of 320hp, driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to drop the 0-60 time down to 4.6 seconds.

Of course the "less is more" philosophy comes with a commensurately exclusive price tag of $61,200. The 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder will make its debut early next month at the LA Auto Show, but we've got a sneak preview for you right here in the high-resolution image gallery below.

49 watches from the private collection of Prof. F. A. Porsche of the famed sports car marque and his sons will be auctioned by Bonhams on Dec. 2 in London during its Fine Watches and Timepieces sale. Included are timepieces by Eterna, Porsche Design, Rolex, Panerai, Jaeger LeCoultre, Breitling, Chronoswiss, Omega and more. Of particular note are prototypes and unique examples of Eterna and Porsche Design watches custom made for the Porsche family. The latter includes a fine 18 carat gold chronograph (above) made especially by Eterna (now owned by Porsche) and presented to Dr. Ferdinand Oliver Porsche for his 40th birthday, estimated at £4,000 - £6,000. Also included in the collection is a very rare Rolex Explorer with ivory dial (£,5000 -£7,000), a selection of Panerai watches including a Luminor Flyback (£3,000 - £5,000), and an original Jaeger LeCoultre Polaris from 1960 (£5,000 - £7,000).

[via JamesList]

Not so many years ago, driving a exotic supercar while clearly demonstrating the owner's financial wherewithal to own such a vehicle was not always such a pleasant experience. Such cars were typically built by small financially shaky companies that didn't have the resources necessary to properly develop the vehicles to be reliable and robust. The interiors were often poorly built and outfitted and were afflicted by assorted mechanical and electrical glitches.

Then in 1990 things suddenly changed when Honda rolled out the NSX. Instantly people realized that there was no reason why a high performance, mid-engine exotic sports car couldn't be just as a reliable and hospitable as an Accord. By the end of the 1990s exotic car builders like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin had all come under the wing of major automakers like Fiat, Volkswagen Group and Ford and the engineers began tapping into the parents resources to improve their cars.

Lamborghini in particular took advantage of its relationship with Audi to help develop the Gallardo, the best selling Lambo ever. Audi in turn decided to reverse the process with a supercar of its own to celebrate its decade long dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and used the Gallardo as the jumping off point for the R8. We recently got to spend some quality time with the fastest R8, the 5.2 FSI V10 and you can read about it after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Max Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Last month we wrote about the Russian-made $1.5 million Monaco Red Diamond Edition luxury armored SUV, featuring gold and diamond accents and an interior upholstered in whale penis leather. The unnerving upholstery is apparently in tribute to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who had whale penis leather aboard his yacht the Christina. Now pneumatic actress and animal rights activist Pamela Anderson, Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Federation have complained to Dartz, the company responsible, causing them to ditch plans for any whale genitalia to be used in making the insane vehicle. We can't imagine anyone but the Prince of Brothels would ever buy one anyway. Dartz's Leonard F. Yankelovich has now issued an unintentionally hilarious apology of sorts, in Russian-inflected English:

"We have no ideas to kill the whale or something like that," he insists. "All we want - to make just luxury car. Real luxury car which will be world number one car. We just looking for most expensive products for this car - and that's why we choosed whale penis leather when we checked it is most of most. After wave of protest we realised our mistake and make a decision not to use natural leather at all. We will focus on world most advanced nanotechnologies to achieve interior highest quality using artificial materials which also was never used for cars. We want to tell our hello to all whales: 'Our Sea Brothers! We all know that earth are stand on three whales - we will keep You live! We don't want Earth fall down to Ocean!'"

Few cars on the road – at any price – have the presence of an Alfa Romeo. Unfortunately their performance seldom keeps up with their looks. That's where aftermarket modifiers come in.

Last year the Italian automaker contracted British motorsport concern Prodrive to help it out in the performance department. Their answer was the Brera S, removing much of the aggressively-styled coupe's weight and fine-tuning the suspension. Now Autodelta is getting in on the action. The English tuning house has taken Prodrive's Brera S coupe and strapped on a supercharger good for 347 horsepower.

The power upgrades are also available on the Brera's four-door counterpart, the 159, which Autodelta transforms into the J4 3.2 Compressore. The pair were unveiled at London's exciting MPH09, but you can see them for yourself in the gallery below.

To most Bentley customers, cost is no object. Which is a good thing, because they're pretty darn expensive. And the sticker price isn't the end of it. Case in point the new line of accessories which the luxury automaker has released for its own vehicles.

The Bentley Accessories Collection includes such items as a luxurious child seat, a set of self-leveling wheel hubs, an LED flashlight, a form-fitting car cover for the Continental Supersports, and a set of vented body panels for the entire Continental range. They're all available directly from Bentley; the only catch is that you need to have a Bentley in your driveway first.