NevadaJack

Take a look guys...they didn't miss a trick on this one...

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Curb Zone

 

BMW_Dude

I not sure what to say, it looks like nothing I've ever seen, which end is the front, which is the rear end!

I assume this is to show Alpine's audio equipment at CES!

Thanks for the link Jack!

Alx

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Click the image above for a full gallery.
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/offbeat_news/Alpine_s_absolutely_wacky_Mercedes_RLS/';
Alpine is well known for their great-sounding home and car electronics. They're also known for their, um, shockingly overdone show cars. You might remember last year's - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. This year Alpine started with a Mercedes R350 on which to build a showcase their new gadgets. Gary Bell looked to the CLS's roofline as inspiration for the beginnings of Alpine's RLS. From there he borrowed from Bentley and other classic marques for design cues trying to keep this year's car as classy as possible. "We started out saying we wouldn't do anything on this car we wouldn't do on a Bentley," a proud Gary said immediately after the unveiling. The radically altered R class rides on 30" wheels wrapped with Pirelli rubber.

Make the jump for the rest of the story.

Be sure to check out the - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for 50 images of the RLS.

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

For entry, Gary and his team took the suicide door idea to the next level. Instead of two doors opening opposite and out, there is only one door per side that pivots inward, allowing access to the two front seats. Control over the steering and electronics is located in a central hub between the front seats. Alpine integrated the vehicle with it's Imprint module, which takes sound readings from around the cabin of any car to perfecty tailor the sound system.

The builders stripped the R350 to the basic frame before beginning the build, being careful to leave all the Mercedes drivetrain and electronics intact. "I'm not a Mercedes mechanic," Gary said. They did, however, choose to remove the electronics from the car's ride-leveling system. While the suspension air bags are still installed, ride leveling is totally manual control and must be used to raise the car an inch to let the tucked front wheels steer lock to lock.

We overheard Gary telling someone else at the unveiling that he spent the previous night in Vegas polishing his baby until 4 a.m. "Then we had someone from Meguiars come in and polish it more," he said. "This is by far my favorite car I've ever touched."

While maybe not as classy as the CLS from which it was inspired, it is definitely an improvement over last year's monstrosity.

NarutoRamen

What the F*** is that?

BMW_Dude

Repost:

http://www.germancarzone.com/showthr...445#post136445

Curb Zone