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Concept Car of the Week: Mercedes T80 (1939)

In the decade before World War II, no other carmaker even came close to matching the combined dominance of Mercedes-Benz and recently founded Auto Union. Supported by Adolf Hitler's Nazi government, the two brands had grander plans to demonstrate Germany's technological supremacy. In August 1936, Auto Union engineer Ferdinand Porsche and race car driver Hans Stuck approached Wilhelm Kissel, chairman of Daimler-Benz, and presented a plan to build a car that would set a new land speed world record.

Brabus V12 cabriolet squeezes 800 hp into an E-class Mercedes-Benz

Consider German tuner Brabus the BALCO to Mercedes-Benz’s Barry Bonds: Brabus makes the cars stronger, faster and meaner. First, Brabus attacked the Mercedes E-class sedan, and then it went crazy on the coupe, installing insane V12 engines in both. Now, the mad scientists are pumping up the four-seat cabriolet.

Video: Track-day fun in the Lexus LFA

As promised, the third installment in our supercar video extravaganza--after the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and the Porsche GT2 RS--gives you the lowdown on the hyperexotic Lexus LFA and its insane 552-hp V10 powerplant. Best described by senior editor for motorsports Mac Morrison as "shrieking like a melting witch," the Lexus LFA emits a wail unlike anything this side of a Formula One racer, and its performance isn't too far off that mark, either. Check out the walk-around and some on-track fun, then come back for the VBox lap on Friday.