StudioTorino Coupetorino turns Mercedes SL into... something else

Here's what happens when a designer sees the Solstice Coupe or Miata Coupe and thinks, "If they can do it to one of those, we can surely do it to an SL." StudioTorino, in conjunction with IAAD (Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design), has created this Coupetorino based on the Mercedes-Benz SL. Designed for the 'Turin World Design Capital 2008' event in the "Bespoke Coachwork" class, this 1:4 scale model was created by Alfredo Stola at StudioTorino and Piotr Degler Jablonski at IAAD. The idea was to transform the Mercedes SL into an exclusive coupé with Italian flair. We'd say they succeeded, although we would have preferred a hatch to gain some luggage space. If the name sounds familiar, StudioTorino is the firm that brought us the wagon-esque Maserati Cinqueporte, the comically sinister Fiat 500 based Diabolika, and the Porsche Cayman-based RK Coupe. Gallery: StudioTorino Coupetorino [Source: Studiotorino via Car Body Design]

 

What's German for "kickback"? Daimler workers broke Mercedes' for profit

A master mechanic and two clerks, among others, are being investigated for intentionally sabotaging Mercedes cars being built at the Sindelfingen factory. Allegedly, repair shops in the area that weren't part of the Daimler corporation were bribing workers with gifts, trips, and cash to alter the cars so that the repair shops could get the contracts to fix them. The sabotage included scratching the cars, loosening clamps and bolts, as well as -- incredibly -- putting foreign liquids into brake lines. According to Suddeutsche Zeitung, the cars affected were C-, E-, and S-Class. The Stuttgart prosecutor's office estimates the costs to Mercedes in the many of millions, but the greatest irony is this: the workers under investigation were part of the quality control department. [Source: Suddeutsche Zeitung via Benz Insider]