Special News Bulletin

Hello Avid Readers-

On October 20th, 2007 the 1998 Mercedes C280 of which this site is dedicated to was officially saved. This blog is dedicated to this event with....

The Top 5 Reasons Why the W202 Mercedes Kicks Ass!

1. The Bloodline
The W202's bloodline is quite prestigious. Before the W202 came into fruitation, the car's predecessor was the 190E. This car is number 10 on a recent Top 10 Greatest Mercedes' List http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/Top_ten_article.aspx?cp-documentid=544788

190E 2.3-16 (1983)

Mercedes 190E 2.3-16

The W201 series was introduced in 1982 to sit below the E-Class range and was quickly dubbed the 'Baby Benz'. By Mercedes own admission the car was 'massively over-engineered', the company spent £600 million on its development. That hewn from solid quality did mean the car wasn’t a fireball however. To remedy this Mercedes called in the wizards from Cosworth to breathe on the basic 2.3-litre four cylinder engine. Thanks to double overhead camshafts and a light alloy, 16-valve cylinder head the engine produced 185bhp, 72 horses more than the stock motor. The car set three speed records at Nardo in August 1983, averaging 154mph over 50,000km.

Now, this was the W201. The C280 is the W202 , and is legendary in German DTM racing. Read the Race History portion of this site for more info!

2. The Race History of the W202
The Chart- DTM Champions (1987-1996)

Year	1st	2nd	3rd
1996 (ITC)	Manuel Reuter Joest Racing Opel Calibra	Bernd Schneider AMG RacingMercedes-Benz C-Class	Alessandro Nannini Alfa Corse Alfa Romeo 155
1995 (ITC)	Bernd Schneider AMG RacingMercedes-Benz C-Class	Jan Magnussen AMG RacingMercedes-Benz C-Class	Dario Franchitti AMG RacingMercedes-Benz C-Class
1995 (DTM)	Bernd Schneider AMG RacingMercedes-Benz C-Class	Jörg van Ommen ZakspeedMercedes-Benz C-Class	Klaus Ludwig Team Rosberg Opel Calibra
1994	Klaus Ludwig AMG RacingMercedes-Benz C-Class	Jörg van Ommen ZakspeedMercedes-Benz C-Class	Nicola Larini Alfa Corse Alfa Romeo 155
1993	Nicola Larini Alfa Corse Alfa Romeo 155	Roland Asch AMG RacingMercedes-Benz 190E	Bernd Schneider AMG RacingMercedes-Benz 190E
1992	Klaus Ludwig AMG RacingMercedes-Benz 190E	Kurt Thiim Zakspeed Mercedes-Benz 190E	Bernd Schneider AMG RacingMercedes-Benz 190E
1991	Frank Biela AZR Audi V8	Klaus Ludwig AMG RacingMercedes-Benz 190E	Hans-Joachim Stuck SMS Competition Audi V8
1990	Hans-Joachim Stuck SMS Competition Audi V8	Johnny Cecotto Schnitzer Motorsport BMW M3	Kurt Thiim AMG RacingMercedes-Benz 190E
1989	Roberto Ravaglia Schnitzer Motorsport BMW M3	Klaus Niedzwiedz Eggenberger Ford Sierra RS500	Fabien Giroix Schnitzer Motorsport BMW M3
1988	Klaus Ludwig Grab Racing Ford Sierra RS500	Roland Asch BMK Mercedes-Benz 190E	Armin Hahne Wolf Concept Ford Sierra RS500
1987	Eric van de Poele Zakspeed BMW M3	Manuel Reuter Ringshausen Ford Sierra RS500	Marc Hessel Zakspeed BMW M3

Note the 1-2-3 finish in 1995 for the W202, and the success of the 190E.
3. It is not a Volvo.
The Car to the left is not a volvo. Its a Mercedes-Benz. This is reason 3 why the C280 kicks ass. Volvo did not sweep DTM racing. They were too busy racing Yachts up each others asses.

4. Those Crazy Germans put a V8 into the Chassis
In 1998, AMG developed a new top model for the C-Class, the C 43 AMG. The Beast was powered by a smoother 4.3 L V8 which produced 302 hp at 5850 rpm, with a torque of 410 302 ft·lbf peaking at 3250 rpm. The C43 was also available as a station wagon, making it a pretty ballsy station wagon. 4200 AMG units were produced, with only 25 C 43 vehicles of the 2000 model year imported to the US. A C36 existed since 1996, but it wasn't nearly as nuts.

5. The Baby Benz Lives On
With its S-Class derived styling, various trims at various prices, the W202, which appeared in 1993, outsold the first generation W201 (190E) by 45%. The car dominated German Racing, spawned this website, and is now on a quest for High Mileage Certification. 155k is the goal!

Plus....its not a Volvo!

-RichManOfAction

The Top 5 Differences Between German and Italian Cars

Cars, like women (minus the whole crazy aspect), vary when they are from different parts of the world. For example, the general perception with American cars is that, like the nation's populace, grow exponentially every year in terms of gas guzzling and power. Thinking along these lines, The Autoblog presents the Differences Between German and Italian Cars.

1. Italian Cars cannot be pushed to their limit.
Apparently, you can beat a German car like a red-headed stepchild and the sicko will beg for more.They are masochists, just begging for more pain. On the other hand, Italian cars are like Paris Hilton on The Simple Life- You put it to work, it bitches and moans, breaks a nail (or a clutch) and calls it a day. Winner- German

These two pictures are one in the same








2. Italian Cars are Sexier
Well, there is a reason that these Ferraris cannot be pushed- they are too friggin' beautiful to drive. You wouldn't put a supermodel (that you owned and paid 100,000k for nonetheless) to run laps for 24 hours in a row would you? Fuck no! German cars, while a favorite of the Autoblog staff, are like Female Softball players- some are hot, others are just burley, strong women with big shoulders that have something to prove. Case in point- the Audi R8 and the VW Bug. Can't have that big ball of ugly on the roster, sorry fellas. Consistency gives this battle over to the Italians.
Winner- Italian Cars

3. German Cars Are The New York Yankees of Racing
Italy won 13 Le Mans victories, winning 5 in a row, with their last one being in 1964. Germany took home 26 victories, with a streak of 7, (they also had a streak of five in the 1980s with driver Jacky Ickx at the helm) with their last victory being 2007. Uhh that kind of speaks for itself, I don't even have a witty remark.
Winner- German Cars


4. Mugello Vs. The Nurburgring
Thunder and the forgeries of Birmingham, England birthed heavy metal. The Ghettos of NYC, L.A. and St. Louis fueled Rap. Mugello and the Nordschielfe are the testing grounds for Italian and German cars respectfully. Mugello is a decent track too, with its smooth curves, long straights. You can tell it was designed by Italians, the people of art, culture and fine food. The 'Ring on the other hand screams German- Cold, precise and narrow. Its been dubbed the Green Hell by drivers- driving on that thing at above 65mph is basically suicide. Its 12 miles long. Nazi's designed this thing- its torture, and the tracks incredibly badass nature gives this one to the Germans
Winner- German Cars




5. Ferrari and Masarati will Get you Laid More Than A Porsche or BMW

Watch any 80's movie. What is the douchebag badguy in the multicolored tie with the oily ponytail driving? Yup- a Porsche 911. Or is that a Mercedes. What did the Detectives in Miami Vice drive? A Ferrari Testarossa. What about Magnum P.I.- Yup- a Ferrari Daytona. Italian cars are an instant lay with the female species because any douche can drive a bimmer, while someone kickass owns a Ferrari, because they are dick enough to build one less than is in demand. Besides- its a friggin' Ferrari!
Winner - Italian Cars

So... The winner is the Aryans of the auto world. Germany can outrun, outdrive and basically have its way with any manufacturer it wants, without even having to take it out to dinner (except France as of late.... damn Peugot).

Ironic fact of the day- Enzo Ferrari wanted to build the Ferrari F40 as a return to Ferrari dominanated racing. Turns out that the factory didn't back it up...so much for a dying mans dream eh?

-RichManofAction

Why SaveMyBenz hates Volvos

We hate Volvos. Now, with that out of our way, here is why.

1. Volvo's Engines are Mechanical Freakshows
Five Cylinder engines are not natural. Engines should be in divisible by twos- 4 Cylinder, V6, V8, V12. None of this T5 bullshit. What the hell?! Manufacters claim that a 5 is inherinatly smoother than a 4, but c'mon. Frankie the Mechanic does not want to work on a Swedish 5 when he can work on more orthodox engine with six friggin' cylinders. Anywho...Volvos are the anti-savemybenz brand...and Top Gear, with their various destruction of Volvo Estate Wagons seems to agree. (Youtube Top Gear and Volvo for my case in point. Besides their use of 5 cylinder engines.

2. They are a disgrace to their Viking Heritage.
Volvo is as badass as Melissa Etheridge. Their ancestors however...are the Vikings. Yea...the guys lead by Thor... with his Hammer of the Gods. In our minds, the Swedes of yesteryear didn't give a flying fuck about safety, because they are too busy trying to restrain themselves from shoving a lightning bolt up their enemies ass, all while listening to Manowar. Vikings didn't need the first 3-point safety belts, and neither do you.

3. They are Ugly.
It kind of speaks for itself. I always thought Swedes were supposed to be sexy.=====>







4. They would rather race Yachts than Cars
We understand that Volvo is a multi-faceted company that produces all sorts of mechanical engines, but jesus christ- race some more cars! Volvos have "sport" trims on their ugly, crappy products, but hmm I guess they don't back up the moniker where their little sport badges are.


5. Volvos are driven by Starbucks loving Soccer Moms Without a Soul.
Does The Motherfucking Stig drive a Volvo? No. He is too busy driving a real car. Does the Transporter ditch his Audi for a Volvo? No. Volvos are driven by Soccer moms who can't tell a clutch fan assembly from a headlight. Man are we pretentious! And bold! Look at that above statement. Damn. Or the "Safety Conscious." Hmm. Those people should be busy worrying about the eco-footprint or something. I want my cars sharp, full of steel, and oh so dangerously powerful.

Well...this is it on why we hate Volvos. They annoy us for the above reasons and countless more. We hope Ford just decides to sell them to Vikings who shove their hammers in their tailpipes.

-RichManofAction