Antique Mike Cord on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz SLS prepped to go GT3 racing

Mercedes-Benz AMG pulled the wraps off its new race car on Monday in Oaxaca, Mexico, scene of a commemoration of Mercedes' victory in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. The new SLS GT3 is a modified Mercedes-Benz SLS intended to meet FIA homologation requirements for the GT3 class in series throughout the world. While it's not known what the production car will look like when it starts going to customers either this fall--according to the press release--or "before the start of the 2011 racing season," according to AMG's Thomas Rappel, the prototype shown in Oaxaca had a full roll cage, a new front skirt with splitter, rear diffusers and an enormous rear wing.

Opel/Vauxhall teases Cascada mid-size convertible

Opel/Vauxhall has given us a sneak peek of its new mid-size convertible, the Cascanda, which effectively replaces the Astra Twin Top. The Cascanda features a full-size fabric roof that can be opened or closed with one button up to speeds of 30mph and is the latest model to shun a folding hardtop in favor of the lighter and more practical soft option. The company claims this is its first D-segment cabrio for more than 70 years but, unlike them, we haven't forgotten the Cavialier Convertible of the 1980s (see pic).

Chevrolet Corvette owners wear their passion on their license plates

Chevrolet Corvette owners are a passionate lot. And many are happy to wear their love for the two-seater on their license plates. Last week, hundreds of Corvettes and their owners gathered at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., for the C5/C6 Bash.