Vance & Hines Sideshots 2-into-2 Exhaust, Black For 2004-2013 Harley Sportster on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes CLS (2011 / 2012) spied undisguised

Mercedes CLS 2011 Spy shot The Mercedes CLS was the first - and some would say still the best - interpretation of a four door swoopy-coupe. It set the benchmark for cars to follow and made the genre hugely desirable. We now have everyone from VW to Porsche and Aston Martin to Jaguar producing 4 door coupes, with Audi joining in with the Sportbacks and BMW about to put the Gran Coupe in to production.

Mercedes F125 concept (2011) at Frankfurt motor show

Mercedes today unveiled the F125 concept car - a car bearing the three-pointed star's F name to demark it as a tech testbed, and the 125 to mark Merc's 125th anniversary in this four-wheeled business. It's a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, and Merc claims a punchy 1000km (620-mile) range. But the scientists here are proud of the cutting edge lithium sulphur batteries, used to store energy created by the fuel-cell.

Happy 80th Birthday, Syd Mead!

Take a poll among car designers to name their greatest influence, and one name is sure to appear at the top of the list: Syd Mead. The car designer, illustrator and futurist has inspired generations of the men and women who shape the cars we drive or admire. Syd has created the designs for the movies Blade Runner and Tron, while the illustrations published in his books such as Oblagon and Sentury (sought-after collector items today) depict the vision of a future dominated by superior technology and aesthetics.