New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe Revealed Before Geneva Debut

Here comes the E-Class Coupe as will be seen when its takes its first public bow at the Geneva motor show next month.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe is meant to replace the discontinued CLK, so Mercedes has a lot riding on the success of this model.

With the new design, Mercedes says the E-Class will be the "world's most aerodynamically efficient series-production car." That's a bold claim to make but one can see in the newly acquired sleekness of the body that things have changed. This Coupe, in its slight form with no B-pillars and completely retractable side windows, creates a drag coefficient of just 0.24.

Geneva Motor Show 2009 Preview: Aston Martin DBS Volante the ultimate in alfresco 12-cylinder motoring

Thanks to the embargo-breaking crew at World Car Fans, we can finally give up the details on the 2009 Aston Martin DBS Volante. The drop-top version of Bond's uber-Aston features a fabric roof that can be retracted in 14 seconds at speeds up to 30 mph and supposedly looks just as good with the top up as the top down. Motivation is provided by the same 6.0-liter V12 found in the standard DBS, putting out 510 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque to a rear-mounted six-speed manual or "Touchtronic" sequential gearbox. The run to 62 mph is dispatched in a scant 4.3 seconds on its way to a top speed of 191 mph. Aston says it was able to keep the weight down (the DBS Volante tips the scales at 3,990 pounds) through the use of a lightweight roof mechanism, along with a carbon fiber hood, front splitter and trunk lid. The standard carbon ceramic brakes – pulled directly from the fixed-roof DBS – reduce unsprung weight at all four corners and provide the neck-punishing stopping power you'd expect. We'll get our first look of the DBS Volante at the Geneva Motor Show next week, but in the meantime, get all the details in the press release below the fold.