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Modified Mercedes turned to gold

GERMAN tuning firms are known for occasionally crossing the barriers of taste, but this latest offering from Carlsson appears to have gone into new territory. Called the CS50 Versailles – after the Palace of Versailles that King Louis XIV turned into a opulent chateau – it’s based on the latest generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is hardly a car short on luxury. But that hasn’t stopped Carlsson turning it into an automotive homage to gold.

BMW SUCCESS AT BCA SALE

A WIDE selection of used BMW vehicles fetched a total of £9.2 million at a special sale held by BCA in December. 325 vehicles were sold at the Virtual Auction held at Park Plaza Riverbank, with an average selling price of £29,700. Interest was fuelled by a number of vehicles making their used market debuts, including the Mini Cooper D Countryman, new 520d, 525d and 530d 5 Series models and the X5 X-Drive 4.0d M Sport.

The Designers, Pt6 – Laurens van den Acker, Renault

Car Design News launched its first-ever Car Design Review yearbook at the Geneva Motor Show, featuring the award-winning Production Car and Concept Car Designs of 2013. If you're interested in buying a copy of the 160-page yearbook this interview appears in, alongside trend reports, bespoke car design infographics and a special feature on Marcello Gandini, our inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Car Design Review can be purchased here. Name Laurens van den AckerRole VP design, Renault GroupAge, nationality 48, DutchLocation Paris, FranceEducation Delft University of Technology, Holland "I hope 2013 was the end of the crisis in Europe.