The three boats that once belonged to Bernie Madoff generated more than a million dollars for victims of his $65 billion Ponzi scheme on Tuesday. Seventy bidders registered with National Liquidators to chase after the boats, along with a Mercedes and another yacht owned by Madoff's CFO, Frak DiPascali.

"Bull," which was Madoff's 55-foot yacht, sold for $700,000, with the 38-foot "Sitting Bull" following at $320,000 and the 24-foot "Little Bull" fetching a mere $21,000. His 1999 Mercedes Benz CLK 320 convertible was good for $30,000, despite the fact that it has only 12,827 miles on it. The top seller was DiPasclai's 61-foot 2003 Viking sport fishing yacht, which sold for $950,000 at the auction.

The sales were helped along by the fact that Madoff took excellent care of his yachts. Bob Toney, president of National Liquidators, told Bloomberg News, "Mr. Madoff has taken better care of his yachts than anyone else I know," continuing, "they were crew-maintained all the time."

The latest "Bull" from Bernie Madoff is about to be unloaded. His yacht, which bears that name, will join two others under the gavel, and the action before the sale is already impressive. So far, 29 people have thrown down the $100,000 deposit needed to gain a ticket to the party, and the U.S. Marshals Service expects more registrations to come.

There's a theme in the both names. His largest yacht, a 55-foot 1969 Rybovitch sportfisher is called "Bull," and the other two, a 38-footer and a 24-footer, are named "Sitting Bull" and "Little Bull," respectively. Also, Frank DiPascali's 61-foot Viking fishing yacht will be auctioned off on Tuesday. DiPascali was Madoff's CFO.

Non-maritime lots to wind up on the block include a 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 convertible, with only 12,800 miles on it.

The auction has not been given a presale estimate, figuring that the Madoff name can push prices higher. This is exactly what happened over the weekend, when an auction of the felon's personal effects brought in north of $1 million.

Says Jennifer Crane of the asset forfeiture division of the U.S. Marshals Service, "You can't really put a price on this."

With 617 horsepower and a 208mph top speed, topping the Mercedes SLR McLaren was no mean feat. Mercedes nearly managed to pull it off with the new SLS AMG. The gull-winged supercar was unveiled at the recent international auto show in Frankfurt to rave reviews. But it still falls a shade short of its predecessor's bragging rights, so the German automaker is reportedly working on an even more exclusive, more powerful and more capable SLS AMG Black Series.

Following in the Black Series that has given us the SLK55, CLK63 and SL65, the SLS Black is expected to gain some extra power and lose some weight to optimize that vital power to weight ratio. Sources expect the 563hp and 479lb-ft of torque from the existing 6.2-liter V8 to get a boost past the 600hp/500lb-ft mark, coupled with a 50kg weight-shaving scheme to drop the "stock" SLS' 0-62 mph time down from 3.8 seconds – already faster than 99% of the cars out on the road – to below 3.5 seconds, and the top speed up from 195 mph to 208.

Of course the added exclusivity won't come cheap: insiders expect the price to jump by half to over $250,000 when the SLS AMG Black Series hits the market in 2013.

Question: What's hotter than a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG? Well, that would be the new C63 AMG with Performance Package Plus, of course. The new super sedan from Daimler gets a 30-horsepower injection over the standard AMG model, pushing the pony count all the way to 487 – just a baker's dozen shy of the race-spec C-Class DTM model. Watch out, Caddy.

Modifications to the 6.3-liter V8 engine include new forged alloy pistons borrowed from the SLS AMG supercar and a new set of crank rods coupled with a lightweight crankshaft. A titanium-colored intake manifold and recalibrated computer module complete the package. Performance? How about zero to 62 in just 4.4 seconds and naught to 125 in under 14? Yeah, that'll do nicely.

An upgraded brake package with composite rotors is included to help the driver reign in all that speed, and Mercedes says the new PPP will be available on both the sedan and – get this – wagon bodystyles. Exterior modifications are limited to a carbon fiber spoiler for the sedan, and the interior is upgraded with an AMG steering wheel in nappa leather and seats swathed in Alcantara. No word yet on whether this beast is headed Stateside, but sales are scheduled to start in Europe before the end of the year. Hit the jump for the official press release and check out the two high-res images in our gallery below.



[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Since its debut back in 1979, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has been an automotive design icon known as much for rugged good looks as versatility; what other vehicle after all can lay claim both to having won the famous Paris-Dakar Rally and being deemed a worthy means of transport for the Pope? It not only constitutes the gene pool for a Mercedes-Benz SUV family that now numbers four model series in all, but with its 30th anniversary it's also the longest-serving passenger car model series there has been since Mercedes-Benz came into existence in 1886. Meticulously handcrafted at a special manufacturing facility in Graz, Austria, it can climb grades up to 36 degrees (80% slopes), and remain stable on lateral inclines up to 24 degrees (54% slopes) - and it rivals anything on the road for luxury finishes.

Only a few thousand G-Class models are sold here per year - perhaps not surprising given the $100,000-plus pricetag but certainly appealing to those who can afford it - making it the most exclusive SUV on the road, bar none. There are two versions: the G550 (the 2009 model of which my colleague Jonathon Ramsey wrote about earlier this year) and the supercharged G55 AMG, which delivers supercar-type performance. It's the one Abu Dhabi's royal family recently used to create an unrivaled bespoke offroad vehicle, and of course it's the one The Classicist chose to go cruising in. With its AMG-built 5.5-liter supercharged V8 engine kicking out 500 hp and 515 lb-ft of torque, it can do 0 - 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. Externally the G55 AMG is set apart from the G550 by exclusive chrome trim and "V8 Kompressor" badging as well as new 19-inch five-spoke wheels.

So yes it's a mean machine, but far from flashy; the utilitarian design conceals the sexy beast lurking within. Some find it too boxy, but we happen to love the retro military-inspired, no-nonsense styling; so damn many SUVs look like half-melted minivans. The only other thing that comes close to being as pedigreed, good-looking and tough-as-nails is the Land Rover Defender, and those haven't been sold in this country since the mid-90's. Moving on to the enticing interior, the G55 AMG features an exclusive Designo charcoal Nappa leather interior, natural maple wood trim and special AMG gauges to remind you what's going to happen when your foot hits the floor. A heated wood and leather steering wheel, power windows, and 10-way heated and ventilated multi-contour front seats round out the list of creature comforts. Added to solid axles front and rear and three electronically locking differentials to handle anything the terrain can throw at you, it gives new meaning to the phrase "best of both worlds."



A new COMAND infotainment system features a large color display screen with a standard in-dash, six-disc DVD / CD changer and a Bluetooth interface that allows a cell phone still in a pocket or purse to be operated through the car's audio system. It's also equipped with an iPod/MP3 interface, SIRIUS satellite radio, HD radio, and enhanced voice control system, as well as a 610-watt digital Harmon/Kardon Logic7 audio system that can play tracks stored on a data CD, DVD or SD memory card. It also displays maps and directions for the hard-drive navigation system, which are set up for SIRIUS real-time traffic info and Zagat restaurant ratings as well. If there's a five-star eatery on top of that mountain, you'll get there. To truly appreciate the G55 you need to head into the countryside and let it lead you off on some adventures: we visited Kaaterskill Falls, the Orvis Cup and the Vanderbilt Mansion to name a few. Sadly the G55 had to go back home, but we still have the memories - and some pictures, which we might show you if you're lucky.

Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have a long-standing relationship. The two outfits have won Formula One championships together, and collaborated on the Mercedes SLR McLaren. But while the two continue their collaboration in F1, their road-car programs have gone separate ways. McLaren recently unveiled the new MP4-12C supercar online, and what you see above is Mercedes' answer.

Like arch-rival BMW's now-defunct Z8, the SLS AMG takes its retro cues from the company's history – in this case the iconic Gullwing 300 SL. The SLS has been developed entirely in-house by the German automaker's AMG performance division, and packs the company's ubiquitous 6.3-liter 563hp V8 engine mated to a dual-clutch transmission. Unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show for the first time, the SLS AMG sits atop the Mercedes range with a quarter-million-dollar price tag.

Who said driving a hybrid had to mean ugly Japanese hatchbacks built with the same quality as a lunch box? Certainly not Mercedes-Benz. The German automaker already offers a hybrid version of its top-of-the-line S-Class luxury sedan. But it's not about to stop there. Building upon the existing S400 Hybrid, Mercedes unveiled the S500 Vision Plug-In Hybrid concept at its home-ground Frankfurt Auto Show last week.

While the conventional S500 sedan uses a V8 engine, the S500 Vision hybrid concept uses the same 3.5-liter V6 as the existing S400 Hybrid, only paired to a larger battery that enables the big limousine to accelerate to 60 in only 5.5 seconds while offering nearly 20 miles of electric motoring before the gasoline engine needs to even kick in. At the moment it's just a concept car, but it's fully functional and hints at the next development from Mercedes. See for yourself in the high-resolution photo galleries below.

Maybach is well known today as a modern ultra-luxury marque, having been revived by Mercedes-Benz in 1997; even more exclusive however are the original models made between 1921-1941. Less than 2,000 Maybachs were built during this period, of which fewer than 150 survive today, all in the tight grip of collectors. An ultra-rare 1938 Maybach SW 38 Cabriolet with coachwork by Spohn of Ravensburg (above) has now surfaced for sale in Germany via global online luxury marketplace JamesList for €690,000, or about $1 million. The elegant 5-passenger convertible, finished in two-tone red and aubergine, was exhibited at the 1938 Berlin motor show and sold right away to her first owner, Baron von Mylke. At the the end of the war the car was allocated to the Chinese military mission in Berlin and was acquired many years later later by a German architect who commissioned a meticulous restoration.

Mercedes-Benz has teamed up with fashion icon Dayle Haddon and Modelinia.com, where supermodels share their beauty, fashion and lifestyle secrets, to curate this season's display for the Bryant Park lobby at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC. In line with the overall theme of travel for the week, the exhibit tracks the journey of fashion and automotive design over the past seven decades. Illustrated with iconic photographic images throughout the years, the display is brought to life with key fashion pieces provided by Southpaw, one of New York's leading vintage resources. Mercedes-Benz Presents designer Narciso Rodriguez closes the Twenty First Century with his contribution to fashion over the last decade, in particular his unforgettable dress for First Lady Michelle Obama.

According to World Car Fans, there's a new hybrid S-Class concept from Mercedes-Benz that's slated for its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week. Unlike the previously-announced mild hybrid version of the S 400, the new Vision S 500 will reportedly come equipped with a plug and will be capable of powering itself solely on electric power for considerable distances.

At the heart of the concept will be a lithium ion battery pack that will store 10 kWh of power, which we hear will allow for an electric-only range of over 18 miles (30 kilometers). That power storage unit will send its electrons to a 60-horsepower (44 kW) electric motor that's mated up to an unknown gasoline-fed V6. Together, the twin power sources will reportedly push the big Benz to 60 mph in under 5.5 seconds.

Naturally, fuel economy and emissions are of paramount concern with a machine such as this, and the S 500 PHEV won't disappoint. We're not sure what standard was used to come up with the 73.5 (3.2L per 100 km) mpg figure, but it appears to compare rather favorably with other competing luxury hybrids.



[Source: World Car Fans]

It's been a long time in the making, but the first details and images of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG have finally emerged in advance of its scheduled debut next week at the Frankfurt auto show.

Slotting in above the SL63 AMG Black Series and effectively replacing the SLR supercar which Daimler made in conjunction with its Formula One racing partner McLaren, the new SLS AMG sits at the pinnacle of the Silver Star's performance range. The gull-winged supercar packs the company's signature 6.3-liter V8 engine offering up 563 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, giving the 3500-lb supercar an anticipated 3.7-second sprint to 60 with a top speed just under 200 miles per hour. Available carbon-ceramic discs keep all that speed in check, packed into a retro design evocative of the iconic Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

It's available in any color you want, as long as it's silver: the catalog includes two shades of grey, silver and red for the truly extroverted, with a price tag in the neighborhood of $250,000. Tune in next week to see what it looks like from the floor of the Frankfurt show.

What's the best, most luxurious SUV in the world? Well, at least until the long-awaited $300,000 Spyker Peking-to-Paris finally materializes, the Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG holds the top spot. So that's what the royal family of Abu Dhabi decided to base its bespoke off-road vehicle on. They turned to German tuner A.R.T. for the one-off AS55K YAAS Edition (above). Output from the standard model's supercharged V8 engine has been amped up to an impressive 620 hp. Aerodynamic components were added to the front, side, rear, and roof, including a whole new hood, all finished in carbon fiber. Numerous highly-polished stainless steel decorative elements highlight the air vents and other details, and red brake calipers add a pop of colour. Rounding out the bespoke options are bi-xenon headlights, four fog lamps, a two-tone leather, wood and carbon fiber interior, an A.R.T steering wheel and of course a customized entertainment system.

Paul McCartney's headline-grabbing ex Heather Mills made the scene at week four of the Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge at Blue Star Jets Field in Bridgehampton the other day, sporting a new, shorter hairstyle. At the polo match, which was sponsored by Diamond Teak, the former model was seen chatting with hot young racecar driver Tim George Jr. (above), who appears on the cover of the new issue of Social Life magazine. The match ended with team Great Oaks defeating Heathcote in a decisive 16 to 5 victory. Other onlookers at the match included socialite Denise Rich and the Real Housewives of New York City's Alex McCord with husband Simon Van Kempen and Ramona Singer with her husband Mario. Diamond Teak is the leading teak furniture design and manufacturing company recognized for creativity, originality and function. Guests at The Blue Star Jets Field were able to relax on Diamond Teak's comfortable and stylishly functional pieces, made with wood grown from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)/Smartwood certified plantations in democratic Costa Rica.

Luxist readers will be familiar with the ultra-luxe customized Rolls-Royce motorcars made by bespoke British auto conversions house Project Kahn, such as the White Pearl Phantom and Drophead Coupe we wrote about previously. Now they've announced their newest model, the McLaren SLR Carbon. Based on the amazing Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR supercar, Project Kahn's version adds "stealth" exterior styling and carbon fiber features making it even more exclusive. Bonnet vents and badges blended black and smoked rear lights augment the stealth aspect, as does the privacy tinted glass. Kahn carbon F1-X wheels, a combination of carbon fiber with light magnesium alloy and Kahn valve caps complete the look. Inside a high gloss piano black or carbon fiber finish steering wheel complements front seats, door panels and dashboard finished in full beautiful Nappa leather or Alcantara.