Not that there’s anything new to report from last week, when we saw a prototype Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster at the factory in Affalterbach, but if you’re the type that gets giddy over sketches then these are for you.

As sussed out by Auto Bild, these images are said to be German patent office filings for the roadster. Apparently they sneaked out for a stein one evening and were lured back to the home of the Internet. While it’s true that black-and-white drawings can only tell you so much about a car, we’re thinking we might enjoy having the top down on this even more than we enjoy the coupe. Maybe. Either way, you can see it from every angle and judge for yourself in the gallery of images below.

[Source: Auto Bild (translated)]

Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster final form revealed in patent drawings? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alfa Romeo says it achieved its objectives with the stunning 8C Competizione. Now the brand known for the quadrifoglio wants to make the same kind of splash – only bigger – and rumor has it that it will do so by unveiling an Alfa 4C at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours.

Automobile reports that the 4C will be a “a compact, lightweight sports car concept,” shorn of high-zoot and high-dollar goods like carbon fiber and a Ferrari engine. Instead, it will use a 250-horsepower four-cylinder and could be rear-wheel-drive. Price for the limited-to-5,000 vehicles is being estimated at €50,000 ($70,000 U.S.).

However, while the 8C was busy killin’ it, the rest of the Alfa line has been busy struggling. Sales haven’t exactly pleased parent company Fiat, so the fate of Alfa’s (and, by extension, the the 4C) oft-planned return trip to North America is still in question. Unless and until the Giulietta and its variants prove they are winners and show Fiat the money, it looks like the message for the American Alfa will remain, “Please hold…”

[Source: Automobile]

Rendered Speculation: Alfa 4C coming to Pebble Beach? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know some habitually bad drivers, and we’re guessing you do too. Problem is, there isn’t much we can do to keep them off the road until their license is taken away. Thanks to a new show on Travel Channel, we at least have an opportunity to humiliate them, or perhaps more.

The new program, called “America’s Worst Driver,” airs Sunday night at 10 PM Eastern and Pacific Time and is hosted by Last Comic Standing Season 3 winner Alonzo Bodden. It looks for the four worst drivers from a city, as nominated by their friends and family, to compete for the dubious title. But there is more than a mean moniker at stake here, folks. The loser from each city, or the worst of the chronically bad lot, will have his or her car crushed (by Carasaurus no less) and replaced with a bicycle and a bus pass. Ouch. The “loser” from each city visited by the show will also be flown to Los Angeles to compete for the title of “America’s Worst Driver.” The finalists will then compete against one another for the chance to win a new car. Hopefully that vehicle will have plenty of air bags.

The new show has reportedly already shot episodes in New York, Miami, Dallas, Chicago and San Francisco, and the competition reportedly includes a closed course driving test graded by a real live police officer. We don’t know about you, but we wouldn’t go on any show where there is a one in four chance of having our vehicle crushed. But if we were so bad at driving that we failed a worst driver competition, maybe it would be for the best.

[Source: Travel Channel via Kicking Tires]

“America’s Worst Driver” set to air on Travel Channel originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lapo Elkann is the grandson of Fiat founder Gianni Agnelli and is said to be heir to several Fiat thrones. While courtside at the Staples Center in Los Angeles watching the Lakers play the Toronto Raptors, Yahoo Sports reports that Elkann interfered in a play that gave LA the win.

With the score tied and only seconds left, the Raptors’ Jose Calderon (pictured) was chasing a ball headed out of bounds when Elkann swiped it away. The Lakers were given possession and Kobe Bryant did his game-winning thing. You can see a recap of the event in the video after the jump, and for you rightfully sore Raptors fans, Elkann later apologized. Thanks for the tip, Jeffrey!

[Sources: Yahoo Sports, Goal.com]

Continue reading Video: Fiat heir makes game-winning assist at Lakers-Raptors?

Video: Fiat heir makes game-winning assist at Lakers-Raptors? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To many of us here gathered around Autoblog’s virtual water cooler, the star of the Geneva Motor Show wasn’t the electrified Porsche 918 Spyder, but rather the Touring Superleggera Flying Star, better known as the Bentley Continental Shooting Brake. Disagree? We say to each their own.

And according to the UK’s AutoExpress, that’s what Aston Martin’s saying, too. The legendary British car maker will be offering a custom vehicle program to those with the right mixture of imagination and American Express Black Card. According to the article, Aston Martin has gained so much experience building the One-77 as a stationary object (as opposed to on an assembly line) that building whatever it is on earth a customer wants is no problem. Says design director Marek Reichman, “This means that if we need to, we can swap shapes, interiors, engines or wheels without destroying the production process. It offers us infinite possibilities.”

To that we say, “Yes!” We also say, to steal a line, “Mommy, why were we born good looking instead of just rich?” Because we could certainly come up with a hot Aston or two. Like how about a 1978 V8 Vantage Oscar India body riding atop the DBS chassis and internals? That would work rather well, we think. Alternatively, a Lagonda wagon body atop the Rapide would work, too. Oooh! What about a Hayabusa-engined Cygnet? That last one might just be the way to save face go. Unless they build us a fully-operational DB5 from Goldfinger. Sigh…

[Source: AutoExpress]

Report: Aston Martin considering custom vehicle program for customers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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