Auto Trader Blog

 

Bit of a Mercedes theme this week.

The big news was about an old Mercedes - F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone sold his entire private collection, with his pristine Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster selling for a whopping £3.9 million.

German tuners Kleeman announced a sexy coupe based on the SLK 55 AMG, while racing specialists RML Group churned out a hardcore track-honed 680bhp Mercedes SLR McLaren.

And on a Merc/McLaren note, Britain’s newest F1 star Lewis Hamilton announced he was going to leave the country and move to Switzerland in a bid to lead a normal life.

Sticking with the German theme, tuners Mansory revealed their take on the luxurious Bentley Continental GT.

And German Chancellor Angela Merkel has snubbed plans to introduce speed limits on the country’s Autobahns.

Moving over to the British Isles, the mental Ultima GTR lapped Top Gear’s test track in record time - at 1m 12.8s.

Auto Trader’s Adrian Hearn paid special homage to the GTR in his Videos of the Week.

Speaking of tracks, the Dunsfold airstrip used by Top Gear is heading into gamer fandom - Gran Turismo 5 will feature the circuit used by the team.

But not before the troublesome trio have torn apart London’s Earls Court - we gave you a preview of the mental MPH ‘07 show.

Setting a new kind of speed record, Britain’s top traffic policeman is to be prosecuted for speeding.

And guitar maestro Eric Clapton’s old Ferrari 550 Maranello is for sale on the site.

But the Italians had other ideas for the week in motoring.

Ferrari revealed its newest progeny - the mind-blowing Ferrari FXX Evoluzione, packing a monstrous 860bhp.

And in our only addition from the States, Britney Spears avoided her hit-and-run charges by paying for damages after her crash.

This week, we showed you how to avoid Hallowe’en horrors and choose the right car, and jumped behind the wheel of the Land Rover Defender and the Renault Megane.