Mercedes-Benz‘s sociopath AMG sedans like the C63 AMG weren’t just created out of thin air. Although they’ve recently faced stiff competition from BMW’s M lineup and the Audi S/RS cars, a couple decades ago, the three pointed star was your only option if you wanted a car with four doors that could absolutely annihilate anything with four wheels.

Even in 1987, an AMG Hammer would set you back the outrageous sum of $187,000, $53,000 more than what an S63 AMG retails for today, and a little under $400,000 when adjusted for inflation. The Hammer was also a bit of a Frankenstein car – buyers would have to purchase a $39,000 300E and have it retrofitted by AMG to Hammer specifications, and there were varying degrees of intensity, ranging from “having a bad day” to the example you see here, which can be classified as “cold blooded axe-murderer”.

For $17,000, AMG would replace the 300E’s staid six-cylinder engine with a modified 5.6L V8 from a 560SEC, with 32 valve heads and twin camshafts. The car above has the $40,000 6.0L conversion package, as well as a Torsen LSD, and an AMG suspension, bodykit and wheels. That added another $14,000, plus $18,000 in labor charges. bringing the grand total to $187,000.

The Hammer is currently on Ebay and is going for roughly $20,000, or a little over 10% of its original sticker price. That’s still a lot for a 23 year old Mercedes, but remember, this car would eat Countaches alive when it was introduced. Besides, the AMG bodykit is so 80′s it hurts. All you need is an 8-ball, a Motorola car phone and a white Hugo Boss suit to complete what car collectors would call the “period correct look”.

[Source: Bring A Trailer]

The Ford Mustang Boss 302 will start at a base price of $40,995, placing it between the already excellent Ford Mustang 5.0 and the over-the-top Ford Shelby GT500.

Buyers will be able to choose from options like a Torsen limited slip differential, Recaro seats and special paintwork. The Laguna Seca, package, which eliminates the rear seats and adds a number of track-ready modifications, will retail for $47,990.

While the Boss 302 is a lot of money for a Mustang, the sheer competence of the new pony cars leads us to believe that this one will be worth every penny.

[Source: Autoblog]

Formula 1′s ubiquitous safety car, deployed whenever an accident takes place, was present for its 250th Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi last weekend.

Known as a pace car in American race series, the safety car has been used on and off since 1973 but became a permanent fixture in 1996. The safety cars have generally been Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles, including a C36, SLK55, CL63, SL63 and finally, an SLS AMG Gullwing. Over the 250 races, the safety car has been deployed 135 times.

[Source: World Car Fans]

The Ford Transit Connect XLT has taken off with the commercial vehicle set, and even non-car-loving folks have come to know them for their distinctive shape, calling them “bread vans” or “ice cream trucks”.

Ford seems to have finally listened to the internet and produced an honest civilian version of the Transit Connect, and it looks pretty damn cool. Dubbed the Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon, the Turkish-built van can seat five, and comes with civilizing features like rear windows, a blind-spot avoidance system, a backup camera, and some pretty nice alloy wheels. The high roof and massive cargo compartment will no doubt endear it to buyers who need that sort of thing – we wonder if this car will be a new entry into the wheelchair-accessible market due to its generous interior dimensions. More likely than not you’ll be seeing a “stanced” Transit Connect on your favorite car blog sometime soon.

Gallery: Ford Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon

The Acura TSX is still a solid if overlooked choice in the entry level sports sedan segment, and possibly the only luxury sedan that’s used as a race school training car. For 2011, Acura has slightly upgraded the interior and exterior styling as well as given the car a minor bump in mpg.

The front fascia and spoiler have been slightly tweaked, while the taillights and rear license plate garnish have always been modified.New rims have also been fitted to the 4-cylinder model. Inside, the design and materials have been updated, while rear seat passengers get heating and cooling vents situated in the back of the center console.

TSXs equipped with the 2.4L engine see a 1 mpg bump in all areas, while the V6 models get a 1 mpg bump for city and highway fuel economy, and a 2 mpg bump on the combined cycle.

[Source: Acura]

Hit the jump to read the official press release

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Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby announced a pilot project that will see 1,000 plug-in hybrid models based on the C30 hatchback. The vehicles will be offered in unspecified European and Chinese locations, as well as California.

The plug-in hybrids are part of an approach to meet growing demands for environmentally friendly vehicles, as well as boost sales for the Swedish auto maker. In 2004, Volvo sold 140,000 cars in the United States, while that number dropped to 60,000 in 2009.

[Source: USA Today]

Rarely, if ever, does a mid-cycle refresh get the attention that it has with the new 2012 Nissan GT-R. But there’s a very good reason the GT-R is making headlines half way through its production cycle.

A lot is new about this updated version of Nissan’s Porsche killer, and what’s most important might be the changes under the hood. Thanks to a retuned ECU with more boost and some larger exhaust pipes the new GT-R makes an additional 45-hp, with the new total an impressive 530-hp. Torque is also up significantly by 54 ft-lbs, for a new total of 488 ft-lbs.

Major aerodynamic enhancements were also made – even if it doesn’t look like it. Thanks to a larger front opening as well as a new rear diffuser and underbody trays the drag coefficient has dropped from 0.27 to 0.26 cd to help the car slide through the air. Those same upgrades also result in a 10 percent improvement in downforce, which is sure to help out on the Nürburgring.

Helping to cut weight (the GT-R could use to loose a few pounds) are a new set of Rays wheels – with a 10-spoke design on the Premium Package and a 6-spoke look on a new Black Edition package.

Inside the 2012 model gets an improved interior and some carbon fiber on the dash – although Nissan still has some catching up to do with competitors like Porsche. A Black Edition might just solve any issues we have with the car thanks to red Recaro seats and a red and black interior.

A total of six exterior colors will be offered for 2012 including: Solid Red, Gun Metallic, Pearl White, a limited production Super Silver, Jet Black and our favorite Deep Blue Pearl.

Pricing for the 2012 model starts at $89,950 for the Premium model and jumps to $95,100 for the Black Edition.

Get more details after the jump and browse though our extensive galleries below:

GALLERY: 2012 Nissan GT-R Debut in LA

GALLERY: 2012 Nissan GT-R

Official release and video of the 2012 Nissan GT-R after the jump:

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Okay, maybe we’re reaching a bit with these “debuts” but that’s how Infiniti is billing the American auto show unveiling of the new G25 sedan at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show today. Of course, we’ve seen this G25 before, but…it’s a perfectly fine looking sedan so we’ll humor them here a bit. As its name implies, the G25 is powered by a 2.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 that produces 218 horsepower and 187 lb-ft of torque. Pricing will start $30,950.

For $30,950, the G25 sedan scores you features like 17-inch wheels, xenon headlamps, leather seats, aluminum interior trim, power seats, and six-speaker stereo. The upscale Journey trim level adds a backup camera, heated front seats and dual zone climate control.

As a more affordable G sedan, the G25 will likely be a new volume seller for the brand, rivaling the likes of the Audi A4 2.0T and BMW 328i. We haven’t driven the car yet, but with the G37 arguably the best alternative to a 335i, we have high hopes for the Japanese sports sedan.

GALLERY: Infiniti G25

Official release after the jump:

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Lotus has announced that it will join the big boys in 2012, racing against both Honda and Chevy in the Indy Car series.

Indy Car has seen its fan base diminish over the years and the fans called for an end of the spec series. Finally the governing body decided to take action, opening up the series to other engine manufacturers, and in 2012, new chassis manufacturers as well.

Recently Chevy announced it would return to Indy Car to compete with Honda (which has been the sole supplier of engines for the series over the past few ears). Now Lotus will do the same – although this news is somewhat perplexing as Lotus does not build its own engines, even for its road cars.

Executives didn’t comment on where the engines could come from, although it’s possible that the Lotus tie-up with Cosworth could be exploited. Another guess is that Toyota (which supplies engines for Lotus’ road cars) could be involved.

Today at the LA Auto Show, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar announced that Lotus will campaign its own engines and chassis in the 2012 Series. Bahar broke the news to reporters at the Lotus both, joined by INDY Car series head Randy Bernard and former Lotus driver Parnelli Jones.

Over the past year Lotus has campaigned a team in the Indy Car series, although as a spec series the move was largely entirely symbolic.

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Infiniti brought out their new M35h, a hybrid version of the M sedan, packing a big V6 motor and the ability to hit 40 mpg on the highway. With 360 horsepower and a 7-speed automatic transmission, the M35h can get up to highway speed quickly, and can even cruise as fast as 62 mph on electric only power.

Fuel economy is only so-so.  With 25 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, it’s not far off from the V8 powered M56′s 27 mpg highway rating, but the big V8 only returns about 16 mpg around town. All the crazy tech features, like radar guided cruise control and a blindspot warning system, are present, as well as a pedestrian warning system for when the car is operating silently.

[Source: Nissan]