Mercedes-Benz World is a one-year old facility at the historic Brooklands circuit in Surrey, UK. The facility is celebrating it’s birthday on November 3-4, it opened in October 2006.

Mercedes-Benz World offers driving experiences on five purpose-built courses, from learning advanced skills with qualified instructors to feeling the thrill of an AMG. Visitors will be able to stay at the 5-star hotel and spa when it is completed in 2008, tour the historic museum, relax in the 60-acre landscaped park, shop at the boutique and dine in the cafe or restaurant. A kids zone is included.

Entry to the full complex, excluding the hotel and spa (when completed) is free. Uniquely, Mercedes-Benz World offers driving lessons to anyone over 1.5m tall. This means children as young as 8 or 9 can drive on part of the original Brooklands Circuit.

The building is spread over three floors with over 100 cars on display, including a 300SL Gullwing as well as the McLaren Mercedes SLR supercar.

Everyone attending the event has the chance of winning an exhilarating ride in the legendary Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. And, MB will be unveiling the brand new Silver Arrows AMG Display Team, who will be giving their first public performance of breathtaking handling skills.

The AMG and Off-Road passenger experiences will be available for the special price of just £15. If you’re in the area, stop by for some birthday cake and raffle prizes. Admission is free.

Related articles

• Mercedes-Benz High Mileage Awards (mbcacva.org)
• Sneak Peak of the Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl Ad (amgmarket.com)

New Paint Choices – Will the New Matt-Paint Finish Be All the Rage?
High-gloss paint is no longer the only option for your AMG Mercedes-Benz. Both Mercedes-Benz and BMW are working hard on matt-finish paint options. BMW hopes to have a matt finish with a coarse stealth-fighter look, but is struggling to seal the surface. Paul Gover of Cars Guide has a brief article on the developments: 

Benz has already developed a two-pack system available as a special order on its AMG performance cars.

The companies believe that going matt could accelerate development of cars that need less washing and body maintenance, as well as using fewer toxic chemicals when they are being painted. A low-gloss surface is also less likely to show minor dents and blemishes.

The BMW system is some way from production, though it was displayed last year at the press preview of the Z4 M coupe in Spain. But Mercedes will sell a matt-finish AMG car to anyone with the desire and the cash. "It is something that we offer. But we don't promote it, so we have not done many cars,” AMG-Mercedes marketing chief Mario Spitzner says. "Paint and colour is the perfect opportunity to make some differentiation for our cars. It is something exclusive.”

The AMG-Mercedes system is called Alu-beam and it was announced earlier this year for the CL65 AMG coupe. More at Cars Guide here.

A quick glance with an untrained-eye at the new 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL63 and you might think it was a CL550. A closer look shows that this is no regular CL. The CL63 is a road-hungry Autobahn killer destined to greatness by its AMG builder. More from the Sun Times here.

Miscellaneous News 

Mercedes-Benz Brings Diesel to California
October 15, 2007 – On the runway at this week’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) unveiled a version of its E320 BLUETEC, a diesel sedan that will immediately be available in limited numbers to California customers through a special two-year/24,000-mile lease.

Limited in quantity, the 1988 300CE AMG Hammer is a rare find. Built by Mercedes-Benz and modified by AMG prior to the merger. The 3.0-liter 177-hp 6-cylinder 300E originally sold for $39,000 (W124 body style). For $17,000, AMG would replace that 3-liter unit with the 5.5-liter V8 from the 560 SEC after adding 32-valve cylinder heads and twin camshafts. During 1988, additional options included:

• $39,950 – AMG bored out the 5.6-litre to 6.0-liters
• $33,302 – upgraded rear differential, Gleason-Torsion LSD, stronger rear sub-frame, plus more chassis modifications
• $14,170 – upgraded AMG suspension, 17 inch chrome wheels/tires, AMG interior package, etc.
• $18,000 labor charge
• Total package cost in 1988: around $162,000.

The following pictures and information were provided by the AMG’s owner (2007):

History
Original owner was professional baseball player Robert Deer:

• Rob Deer is famous for hitting the game-tying home run on Easter Sunday in 1987 to give the Milwaukee Brewers their 12th straight win to start the season. The home run was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
• June 6, 1978: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 4th round of the 1978 amateur draft.
• San Francisco Giants (1984-1985), Milwaukee Brewers (1986-1990), Detroit Tigers (1991-1992), Boston Red Sox (1993), San Diego Padres (1996)

THIS CAR IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE/SALE – THE INFO IS FOR HISTORICAL REFERENCE FOR THOSE INTERESTED.

At AMG Market, we get a lot of requests for information pertaining to Mercedes-Benz collectible cars. To help out our readers we are providing, with the authors permission, an article titled, "Value Diminution – Fact or Fiction?" (Source: John Olson's SL Market Letter #323)

There are many opinions we've all heard for avoiding loss of value in collectible cars. Is it better to rebuild an original engine's block than replace it? At what point do you take original paint off a collectible car? Many people spend extra thousands of dollars returning a car to it's original color after learning how it left the factory when new.

The SLML has praised the charm and often superior durability of original paint. Giving up a 90% well preserved original finish, even if faded, to eliminate a few scratches or dents doesn't make sense. Obvious losses come from hasty repair work that shows — from overspray on rubber that should have been removed to misaligned body work that belies an accident free past. Finally, there are obstructive insurance practices that can prevent proper repairs << MORE >>

Mercedes-Benz announced that their marketing promo "Mixed Tape" – free MP3 files anyone can download – is coming to an end in its current format. The current and last release, Mixed Tape 18, is a compilation of all-time favorites from previous releases. 

If you're an avid Mixed Tape fan, you likely have all of the MP3 songs on this final release. Here's the promo newsletter I rec'd yesterday:

The cream of the crop: Mixed Tape 18 with 10 all-time favourites from the popular compilation series
 
All good things come to an end – Mixed Tape 18 will be the last compilation in its current guise. To sweeten the blow, we have compiled a very special best-of edition featuring 10 highlights from our well-stocked archives – available free of charge at www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape.

A delectable distillate of our most promising talents, Mixed Tape 18 throws a spotlight on Norway (R&B singer Kristin Hild), New Zealand (dub producer Tubbs remixed by legendary compatriots Fat Freddy’s Drop), Germany (pop wonders Wagner Love) and the UK (singer/songwriter Bev Lee Harling) to celebrate the wealth of young artists around the world who pursue their own visions.

And while this trip to the past marks the end of a popular format, it paves the way for future innovations.
Join us in the forum to discuss the next generation of Mixed Tape, scheduled for an autumn relaunch.

Enjoy the mix!

Your Mercedes-Benz Team
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape

During the course of this Mercedes-Benz marketing promo hundreds of free MP3 songs were released. Unfortunately, you can't download previous releases but search on the web and you might find someone providing access to all of the MP3 files. Enjoy.