It was Fifty-seven years ago today that thousands of Americans gathered at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City to catch a glimpse of Chevrolet's new two-seater sports car. The EX-122 concept was such an instant hit with the public that GM rushed into production the revolutionary fiberglass-bodied car. Six months later, the first Corvette was completed at a makeshift assembly plant in Flint, Michigan.

Fifty-six years ago today, the very first production Corvettes were completed and rolled off a temporary assembly line at Chevrolet's Customer Delivery Center in Flint, Michigan. All the Corvettes were hand-built and for the first time in a mass produced vehicle, a revolutionary material called fiberglass was used instead of steel to make the body panels.

After seemingly countless spy photos showcasing the model nearly undisguised, today Mercedes has finally taken the wraps off their new E-Class Coupe, and it looks pretty much exactly as we expected it to. From a design standpoint, if you're a fan of the new E-Class saloon, chances are you're going to be a fan of the coupe range as well.

150 cars, 23,000m2, 3 different buildings, a private test-track, restaurants and a movie theatre... this is the biggest showroom in the world, the Toyota Mega Web. Situated not far from the Tokyo Big Sight and Fuji TV, the Mega Web is a unique showroom on earth and a true heaven for car fanatics.

It's a fantastic read, as it provides a remarkable look at the many facets of the company's history. Even more exciting, however, is the fact that should you desire to read it for yourself, we've got it, available here for free download in eBook format

Lewis Hamilton spoke about Mercedes' Stars & Cars day: "In 2007, I was able to celebrate together with many thousands of spectators being runner-up after only one year in Formula 1. Today, one year later, and with 72,000 visitors, we celebrate the World Championship. It’s absolutely crazy how many people came today and I hope everybody had fun – I had it, that’s for sure.

Want to get up close and personal with the newly-announced smart fortwo but don't want to wait for its April 2007 debut? Mercedes has announced today that rather than subjecting you to an agonizing four month wait, they'll instead be hosting a "smart story" exhibit at their museum from December 6th through January 14th which will showcase the design evolution of the smart brand

Oprah Winfrey - media mogul, life counselor and purveyor of all that is good in the world - has announced that she'll be auctioning off three vehicles from her private collection

Last month Mercedes unveiled the SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S, and with it, a relatively limited amount of highly Photoshopped pictures. Today, I bring you another look at the SLR Roadster 722 S – this time in a real world, non-studio setting and without the magic of artificial lighting.

This is a great find from my buddy, Steve, who posted it a few days ago. This is the very first OE in-car PHONOGRAPH (record-player) offered in Chrysler's "golden-era" cars.

It's been thirty years since production began on the Mercedes G-Class, and since then, it's become one of the most enduring models of our time. In total, some 200,000 units of the G-Class have been delivered to customers around the world, all the more impressive considering its design has remained largely unchanged throughout its life span.

What made this car so interesting and desirable for the buyer with the necessary ready cash – in 1968 it cost around 40,000 DM – was its unobtrusiveness, its comfort and the quiet manner in which it transported its passengers on long-distance journeys.

Organizers of a coming-out party for a buried 1957 Plymouth Belvedere could use some help. The car, which was buried in brand-new condition under the lawn of the Tulsa County Courthouse in 1957, is scheduled to be unearthed June 15 as part of the Oklahoma Centennial.

he W 201 marked Mercedes-Benz's return to motor sport at the end of the eighties after a break of over 20 years: AMG took part in the German Touring Car Championship in Mercedes' name. In order to maximise its chances, Mercedes-Benz produced in 1989 an Evolution series of the 190 E 2.5-16 which conformed to Group A regulations.

As this is written, Porsche has two midengine sports cars in its production lineup, the Boxster and the Carrera GT. That's twice as many as it's ever offered before. But many who consider themselves true Porsche enthusiasts don't believe a real Porsche can have its engine any place but out beyond the rear wheels. And yet the very first Porsche was midengined.

The first all-wheel-drive car for everyday use was built by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) in 1907. The "Dernburg-Wagen", as it was known, even featured all-wheel steering. It is called after the then Secretary of State of the Colonial Office Bernhard Dernburg who drove many a kilometer in it in Africa the following year.

It was 1930 when Rudolf Caracciola achieved sixth place in the overall ranking of the Mille Miglia with a Mercedes-Benz SSK, and it was a year later when he won the event in a Mercedes SSKL. Since then, Mercedes and the Mille Miglia have been enduringly linked, whether it be the numerous victories achieved by Mercedes vehicles over the years or the company's current sponsorship support of the event.

December 1968 saw the production launch of the first O 305 standard regular service buses at Mannheim. This represented the beginning of a new era of bus design at Mercedes-Benz, since touring coaches and service buses were now built in separate model series.

Under difficult conditions, reconstruction of the Daimler-Benz Untertürkheim plant began in the aftermath of the Second World War. In addition to the destruction caused by the war itself, these pioneering days were marked by a lack of skilled workers, materials and energy.

This year marks a historic milestone for Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz Manheim plant, for it was 100 years ago that this location kicked off production under the joint stock company Benz & Cie., Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik. To celebrate the milestone, Mercedes today has published a fantastic look back at the history of the plant, detailing both its origins and its evolution over the past century.

n Mercedes' illustrious 120 year history, one of the integral elements that's helped make Mercedes-Benz the world's most renowned automobile brand is without question its iconic design.

The bodywork of the 190 SL was designed by Karl Wilfert and Walter Häcker who modeled it closely on that of the 300 SL. The car displayed in New York in February 1954 was a prototype, neither matured in its styling nor fully tested in terms of its engineering.

Amid partly rainy, partly dry conditions at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton managed to cement his place in Formula 1 history by becoming the youngest champion ever at the age of 23 years, nine months and 26 days. Helping him earn the victory was the overtaking of Toyota's Timo Glock on the final corner, allowing him to secure fifth place and subsequently, the title.

No more than three rows each with three individual seats meant generous space in the passenger compartment and a large compartment for luggage in the rear. Individual seats with red velour upholstery covers, armrests, adjustable backrests, parcel racks and chrome-trimmed ashtrays created a sophisticated atmosphere and were regarded as all-out luxury at the time.

If you're a regular reader of eMercedesBenz, you're no doubt familiar with the origins of the Mercedes-Benz brand and the three-pointed star. But for those of you who are just joining us or those of you who may have missed our past coverage on the subject, Daimler today has published a refresher course detailing briefly the historical milestones that led to the Mercedes-Benz we know and love today.

The first special-protection models from Mercedes-Benz differed from those of later years not only with regard to their design and performance, but also in terms of their technical basis. Instead of having a self-supporting body structure, which is now the norm, their bodies were mounted on strong frames. The weight of the protective steel plates therefore called for less extensive design changes than is currently the case.

Today the USA is a nation of cars. This was far from being the case 100 years ago: At that time, motorization was still very much in its infancy. Europe was ahead by quite some distance and led the way in terms of technology.

The automotive legend of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is a never-ending story is. Whereas the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing” introduced in 1954 was able to enjoy direct benefits from the success of the 300 SL racing sports car, things were not quite so easy for the new Type 230 SL of the 113 series.

In engineering terms, the “new” 170 V was a pre-war model – surely a good one but, in its design, clearly more than ten years old. Its side-valve engine corresponded to the state of the art of a bygone age; the trunk was not accessible from outside, and the bodywork, completely separated from its X-shaped tubular frame, was still some way away from the first attempts at self-supporting bodywork design. Nevertheless, the 170 was upgraded gradually.

The virtually avant-garde design with distinctive wedge shape and angular lines, high rear-end and almost vertical air-flow breakaway edge was outstanding – and somewhat confusing for purists.