While shopping for a luxury/sports car, I looked at most all of the manufacturers. When I finally got around to testing the Mercedes, My SLK 55 AMG won out hands down. German engineering and construction shows itself well on the Mercedes, but how they blend it all together is what makes the SLK 55 AMG a powerhouse in the bang for the buck category. I met Jesse at Atlanta Classic Cars and took it out for a spin. The car far exceeded my expectations. The SLK 55 AMG is the best mix of being pampered in a small sports car, and brute, raw force. It will throw you back in the seat. It also looks so good doing it. Best of all, it oozes Mercedes craftsmanship. You really get the feeling that the car is not delicate and is made to be driven beyond normal car endurance. You can stick our foot in the firewall and not feel like you are going to hurt it. NICE!

It was such a pleasure to go on a test ride with someone who knows the product. Too many times I would ask somebody about the car I was test driving and I would get answers like ” I just started working here ” or ” I don’t know.” That is not the case with Jesse, she simply had all the answers. It is such a pleasure to work with a real professional. I felt confident with the car after she explained all the things I had to know about it.

I just had my first service with the car…painless. You are assigned a person who looks over you needs and they are a fist class outfit at ACC. Rick Casanova and especially Christy Hicks took care of me. What impressed me the most was the fact that you can see how very busy they were, but Christy made me feel that my car and my needs were her only concern. It’s not merely good training they receive for customer care, they hire well. It doesn’t get any better than that. Atlanta Classic Cars is clearly the very best in all around sales and service. I can’t say enough about them, and Jesse is the best in the business.

–
Rick Caceres MCPOUSN(RET)
Mansfeild, GA

For the first time since they were released I have a 2009 C63 AMG available for sale! In fact, I have 3! White, Black and Silver all with black interior. Each has Premium 2, Full Leather, MultiMedia and ipod. 2 have the tele-aid system. These cars are currently being shown and test driven. If you are interested please get in touch fast! No shippers or brokers please.

Atlanta Classic Cars hosted a meeting for some of our fastest owners this weekend. SLK55 AMG owners from the Atlanta area were invited to the dealership to meet up. They compared accessories and talked upgrades before heading up to Chateau Elan for lunch.

It was great to see such an impressive collection of vehicles and talk to such an enthusiastic bunch of owners! Three of my own clients were able to make it. I am glad that Shelton, Rick and Joe are satisfied buyers! Thanks for coming and I hope you’ll visit again soon!

It’s official! I just booked my flight for the Master Guild trip from September 26th through October 3rd! There were 40 dealership employees from around the US invited on the trip.

The highlights include:
• A day in Luzern and Zurich Switzerland
• AMG factory in Affalterbach
• Production plant in Sindelfingen
• Fuel Cell Development Center in Kirchheim
• The Test Track at Unterturkheim
• The New Mercedes-Benz Museum in Untertuerkheim
• Engine Development in Cannstatt
• Tour of the Heidelberg Castle

I can hardly wait!

Mercedes just released these photos without any other details to explain the functionality, release date, or model avaliablity of this update. I’m making some assumptions here so please don’t take this as fact.

These first two images are taken in a GLK. You can see that in addition to the currently avaliable iPod and audio input jacks a new USB connection will be avaliable along with a 12 volt power outlet in the glovebox. The big question is what devices will be able to interface through this USB connection.

This photo was taken in a C-Class and shows a similar box with the addition of an SD card slot. Since most 2009 models will have an SD card slot on ther radio this may be a retrofit for older models or just for the 2009 models that don’t already have an SD card slot. We would have to assume that the devices shown are all intended to work with this system so at the least the USB connection should be able to read music files off of a thumb drive. It would be great if this connection could be used to read files from smartphones or other phones with a usb connection. I’ll be sure to post more information on this as it’s released.

I know it’s off topic because Mercedes isn’t involved, but if you love Formula 1 you should really check out Red Bull Air Racing. The races are aired a few months behind when they happen so I avoid the rebbullairrace.com site to prevent spoiling it. They’ve really stepped up the production value this year so check it out. On Dish Network set your DVR for Fox Sports channel 420 at 6pm et every Sunday. I just watched the second race of the nine race 2008 season so there is plenty left.

After Lewis Hamilton’s commanding win in the rain at the British Grand Prix, he came to this weekend’s race in Germany in a three way tie for the Driver’s Championship with Ferrai’s Felipe Massa and BMW’s Robert Kubica. Lewis started on pole with Heikki behind him in third. Lewis had a great start and by the end of the first lap he had opened a 1.8 second gap back to Massa in second place.

Similar to last weeks race where he won by almost a lap over second place, Lewis immediately pulled away from the field until an accident on lap 37 brought out the safety car eliminating his lead. When the pit lane reopened, almost all of the field pitted for tires and fuel to finish the race. Strangely, Lewis didn’t pit. This meant that after the safety car pulled in he needed to open up a gap of about 20 seconds so that he could pit and remain in the lead. Lewis couldn’t get that done and he rejoined the field after his stop in fifth behind his teammate. Amazingly, Lewis was able to make up a huge amount of time in just 10 laps and retake the lead. With this win Lewis has retaken the championship lead by 4 points over Massa who finished in third!

The 2009 MSRP’s have just been released! If you combine these numbers with the options pricing, you’ll know how much a 2009 will cost. I don’t see any dramatic changes from the 2008 MSRP’s. If you are ready to place your order please do let me know!

2009 C-Class	Release Date	MSRP
C300 SPORT/LUXURY	July 16	$32,100/$33,850
C300 SPORT/LUXURY 4MATIC	July 16	$35,400/$35,650
C350 SPORT	July 16	$38,200
C63 AMG	July 16	$55,100
2009 CL-Class	Release Date	MSRP
CL550 4MATIC	July 16	$105,100
CL600	July 16	$148,900
CL63 AMG	July 16	$139,700
CL65 AMG	July 16	$199,700
2009 CLK-Class	Release Date	MSRP
CLK350 COUPE	July 16	$46,800
CLK350 CABRIOLET	July 16	$54,800
CLK550 COUPE	July 16	$55,500
CLK550 CABRIOLET	July 16	$63,500
2009 CLS-Class	Release Date	MSRP
CLS550	May 15	$68,950
CLS63 AMG	May 15	$94,550
2009 E-Class	Release Date	MSRP
E320 BlueTEC	July 16	$52,900
E350 SPORT/LUXURY	July 16	$51,900/$51,900
E350 4MATIC SPORT/LUXURY	July 16	$53,400/$51,900
E350 WAGON 4MATIC	July 16	$55,950
E550	July 16	$60,400
E550 4MATIC	July 16	$61,900
E63 AMG	July 16	$86,000
E63 AMG WAGON	July 16	$86,800
2009 G-Class	Release Date	MSRP
G550 4MATIC	October 10	TBD
G55 AMG 4MATIC	October 10	TBD
2009 GL-Class	Release Date	MSRP
GL320 BlueTEC	October 01	$56,750
GL450 4MATIC	July 22	$57,750
GL550 4MATIC	July 22	$79,500
2009 M-Class	Release Date	MSRP
ML320 BlueTEC	October 01	$47,250
ML350 4MATIC	July 22	$45,750
ML550 4MATIC	July 22	$54,450
ML63 AMG 4MATIC	July 22	$88,350
2009 R-Class	Release Date	MSRP
R320 BlueTEC	October 01	$47,950
R350 4MATIC	July 22	$46,450
2009 S-Class	Release Date	MSRP
S550	July 16	$86,950
S550 4MATIC	July 16	$89,950
S600	July 16	$144,450
S63 AMG	July 16	$128,350
S65 AMG	July 16	$194,950
2009 SL-Class	Release Date	MSRP
SL550	April 28	$95,900
SL600	April 28	$136,100
SL63 AMG	April 28	$132,000
SL65 AMG	April 28	$190,700
2009 SLK-Class	Release Date	MSRP
SLK300	May 01	$44,950
SLK350	May 01	$49,950
SLK55 AMG	May 01	$64,300

Mercedes newest addition to the exclusive AMG Black Series will be based on the V12 biturbo SL65. Modeled after the current Formula 1 pace car, only 200 of these 661 hp race ready SLs will be sold in the US for the 2009 model year.

Though this car is based on the 2009 SL, the Black Series will have a non-retractable carbon-fiber roof, widened front and rear carbon-fiber fenders, and a carbon-fiber hood and trunk lid making it 550lbs lighter than the standard SL65. The widened rear fenders will allow for the widest rear tires ever used on an AMG at 325/30ZR20 which should work out to about 12.5 inches wide. The information from Mercedes doesn’t mention any details about the movable rear spoiler shown in the photos above but I would assume it will raise and lower based on speed. With 661 hp and 738 lb-ft 60 mph will come up in 3.6 seconds on the way to the limited top speed of 199 mph.

Production will start in August of this year with deliveries starting in December. These cars will be very exclusive and only large dealers like ours will be able to get them for you. If you’re interested in ordering one contact me now.

The 2009 Mercedes-Benz models are just around the corner and we are starting to get a little information for the following model years. This information is preliminary and by no means is it set in stone. It is the best information I have available at this time.

August 2008 – Facelifted 2009 ML – Photo – Options

October 2008 – BlueTEC SUV’s with 50-State emissions

January 2009 – 2010 GLK arrives in the 300 and 350 gasoline V-6′s

January 2009 – SL63 Black – Only 200 for the US! 600 hp and 722 lb/ft torque

June 2009 – All new CLK Coupe

June 2009 – Facelifted GL

August 2009 – All new 2010 E-Class

Mid 2009 – ML450 Gas/Electric Hybrid

Mid 2009 – S400 Gas/Electric Hybrid

Late 2009 – Facelifted S-Class

Late 2009 – G550 MY2010

Mid 2010 – All new CLK Cabriolet

2010 – E320 Bluetec in new body style

2010 – C-Class diesel…maybe the C250

2010 – GLK diesel (maybe a diesel hybrid)

2011 – S-Class diesel

If you’re interested in one of these vehicles, and plan to purchase from Atlanta Classic Cars, please let me know and I will notify you as more information becomes available.