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The Bullrunners continue their journey South, peeling out of Vineyard 49 on Long Island and headed for Atlantic City.

Unsurprisingly, Claus in the TechArt Cayenne arrives in 1st place, having caught the early ferry. Behind him, Bullrunners jostle for position, attempting to beat traffic, stay ahead of the law and head in the right direction. Yeah, the whole 'Head South' thing can get confusing.

Meanwhile, Team Texas' Richard Rawlings and Dennis Collins have been tearing across the country and, at around 5am East Coast time, they make a triumphant phone call to Jay Riecke to call in their $50,000 bet. Their transcontinental time? A ridiculously-fast 31:59.

Morning in Atlantic City means bleary eyes and sore heads all round (boy, those blue rinse old ladies in A.C. sure know how to party...) as everyone heads for a checkpoint at Bullrun National Park. Alas, Team Lotus and Team CEC both fall prey to the cops and Team Riecke 2 just can't seem to find the right road.

A quick pit stop and the cavalcade heads for Staunton, VA. This small town ain't seen nothing like this before and all the locals pack the streets to welcome Bullrun to town. They're rewarded by Mardi Gras beads, thongs & t-shirts thrown from the top of a Hummer and a night of partying they're likely to remember for years to come.

Bullrun Rally 2007 Episode 4 of 10

LeftLaneNews has been busy collecting spy photos of the all-new E Class Mercedes, that's set to debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor show as a 2010 model.

Codenamed W212, the mildly-camouflaged E63 AMG variant has been spotted in testing. It's exterior styling mimics that of the S-Class, with the familiar large wheel arches, big bumpers and let-the-sun-shine-in greenhouse.

As you might expect from a German powerhouse sedan, there will be electronic gadgetry and safety systems a-plenty. Think lane-change warnings, an eye-movement monitor, traffic-sign ID, road-condition sensors and a stability control system that accounts for crosswinds, tire wear and camber changes. With all of that, will it actually require a driver? LeftLaneNews

More match-ups from the 'hard workers' over at Torque.tv. This time around they've matched 2 Über German Sedans to see which will be victorious in a head-to-head battle.

The Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG has a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 making 469 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque.
The BMW M5 gets a 5.0-liter V10 mill putting out 500 horses and 383 lb-ft of torque.

To be fair, the Mercedes-Benz dates to 2004, so we're not sure if that puts the car at a slight disadvantage but, either way, Sam Hubinette has a blast in both cars.

H2H Ep2 M5 Vs. E55

Tuning house, Brabus, has got its paws on a new Mercedes-Benz SLK and has gone to town in its usual power und strength way. They've chucked away the stock SLK 55 AMG's 5.5-liter V8 and shoved a 6.1-liter unit in there instead. Result? 445hp and 486 lb-ft of torque. In a 2-seater that's about as big as your bed.

All that grunt gets sent through a 7-speed automatic tranny and sends the power to your choice of 17-, 18- or 19-inch wheels. They roll up to 60mph in 4.3 seconds and 6-piston aluminum calipers, clamping onto 355mm rotors up front, plus 4-piston units on 300mm discs out back make sure you can slow to a crawl when the sirens start going off.

Suspension and interior mods are also included, and a new front spoiler, rear apron, trunk lid wing and 4 chrome exhaust tips ensure everybody you pass knows you're in something a little bit different.

With only 350 scheduled for production, this car is sure to be a must-have for any auto aficionado worth his - or her - mettle. The stock 6-liter twin turbo V12 in the SL65 AMG produces 604hp but, evidently, that's not enough to qualify for 'Black Series' status.

If James Bond had to have 3 kills to get 00 status, then you can be sure it takes a whole hell of a lot of HP to get a BS designation. To be exact, 670 charging horses will suffice. 670!! Peak torque remains a respectable 738 lb-ft.

To save weight - and no doubt beef up rigidity on this power house - the car is now a coupe, doing away with the extra poundage associated with a power retractable roof. Even with a fully integrated roll cage, the use of carbon fiber on the car's trunk, hood, roof, front fenders and bumpers, plus other engineering changes result in a 570 pound drop in weight.

The car's exterior lines have also changed - the Black is several inches wider than the stock SL65 and the roof line is longer, in order to give it more of a coupe shape.

The coupe is destined to do 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and achieve a top speed of 198mph. A retractable spoiler will rise from the deck lid at speeds above 60pmh, generating 77 pounds of much-needed downforce.

And, all of this can be yours for the sum of: $225,000. Read More

If Goldfinger had covered a car with gold leaf rather than the unfortunate chick on the bed, this is what it would look like. The classy, understated and subtle McLaren-Mercedes SLR Renovatio by Mansory.

We're not quite sure why, but who are we to question? Apparently the lackluster sales of the SLR made Mansory feel bad enough that they felt the need to showcase a car like no other. Oh, God, please tell us there are no others like this around.

Dodgy exterior paint aside, the car has had significant tweaking: custom aero pieces, a new supercharger, ultra-light forged wheels, a new bodykit and lots-o carbon fiber. The engine upgrades are good for an extra 74hp for a total 700 and top speed is now 220mph. Maybe if you're going fast enough, no one notices the color?

Inside, the car is a 70s drug baron's wet dream. We'll let the glorious pictures speak for themselves...

According to a new report, the end of next year will be the end of production for the SLR, Mercedes-Benz' supercar. Production of the coupe version ended in 2007 and the last roadster will roll off the line in 2009.

MB is working on the successor to the SLR, the SLC. However, rather than working with McLaren on the new supercar, Mercedes-Benz are going to develop it with AMG and H.W.A. Rumored to have a retractable hardtop, not much else is known.

Rumors also surround a new V8-powered supercar, codenamed P11. The car will be aimed at competing with the Porsche GT2 and Ferrari F430 and will be similar in size to the R8, possibly employing Merc's 6.3L V8 with, perhaps, a little tweaking.

The SLR is dead. Long live the SLR.

Things aren't looking too good for Max Mosley. Despite issuing an apology (although we're not sure the word 'sorry' actually appeared in the statement or, if it did, it was in a 'oh, but it's the newspaper's underhanded dealings that are to blame' way), there is to be a crisis meeting of the FIA, likely in Paris, as soon as is feasible.

This follows BMW and Mercedes-Benz issuing a joint statement demanding a response from the FIA, while Toyota and Honda both urged that the FIA give the matter 'careful consideration'. BBC

If you frequent any of the international 'hot spots' (think London, Paris, Monaco, New York), you've already seen the immense buying power and spending habits of the newly-wealthy citizens of the former U.S.S.R.

Could this be why so many manufacturers are keen to set up shop as close to Red Square as possible? And we don't just mean the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the ever-popular marques for any oil baron worth his rubles; Nissan, Suzuki and Hyundai are just some of the companies planning to build factories.

Although attaining motorized transportation under the Communists was difficult, to say the least, it did have one benefit: light traffic. Not only do Russians now have access to all of the joys of Western motoring, they also get to have all of the headaches, since Russian roads and highways are among the most log-jammed in the world. Chicago Tribune

The cool dudes over at Left Lane News have gotten hold of some new spy shots of the über sexy Mercedes-Benz SL63AMG Black Series.

Two words: Hell. Yeah.

OK, they're not exactly fake. The Saskatoon company, North American Exotic Replica Cars (NAERC) would prefer you refer to them as replica, while the manufacturer from Sant'Agata Bologna, Automobili Lamborghini, would prefer that those damn Canucks cease and desist from all future fake, sorry "replica", Lambo making.

The two companies are court-bound, and no prizes for guessing who's got the bigger legal budget. Making kit cars isn't the issue, the use of the legendary Charging Bull logo is. Driving.ca

Cadillac showed off the CTS Coupe Concept at the 2008 Detroit auto show and got lots of people excited about the possibility of an Infiniti G / BMW 3 / MB CLK competitor.

From the looks of recent spy shots, the car's definitely more reality than fantasy but does seem to be sticking closely to the concept's original fastback design. Read more

I Spy with my little eye...
Some hawk-eyed auto photo journos in Sweden have spotted the new Mercedes Benz ML320 Hybrid getting some cold weather testing

Word is the Hybrid ML will use Mercedes' 3.0-liter 24-valve V6 diesel engine, in conjunction with Mercedes new dual-mode Hybrid system that's been co-developed with GM and BMW (who says the big boys can't be friendly and get a along when they need to?)

Pushing out 398 lb-ft at a low 1600 rpm, the torquey diesel gives better mileage over the petrol-powered competition and promises to make a strong run for the 'I'm the greenest of them all" finish line. More here