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Mercedes teamed up with will.i.am to create this one-off concept called WILL.I.AMG.It’s based on the AMG GT 4-Door and has a face similar to the G-wagen’s.The car supports will.i.am’s philanthropic project called “The Flip.” Musician and philanthropist William James Adams, Jr, better known as will.i.am, has joined forces with Mercedes-AMG to create a one-off concept car called “WILL.I.AMG.” The car will serve as the centerpiece of will.i.am’s latest philanthropic project, but, before we get into that, let’s examine the creation itself. It’s based on a Mercedes-AMG GT Four-Door and was built by West Coast Customs, a purveyor of multiple over-the-top one-off automobiles—you might recognize the name from MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.” This is the sixth project will.i.am has employed West Coast to build for him, and it’s far more restrained than most of the far-out rides he’s had West Coast put together for his personal use.Will.i.am and West Coast Customs reworked the AMG GT’s body to convert it from four doors to two—we’re thinking these must be in contention for the largest doors on any car, ever. Hinged at the rear, suicide-style, they open like a pair of welcoming arms. If this were a daily driver, you’d be trapped inside after pulling into a parking spot at your local grocery store.

Mercedes-Benz

We don’t know what inspired the squared-off, truck-like front end clearly taken from the G-Wagen, but it certainly won’t be confused with your neighbor’s AMG GT. The three-pointed Mercedes star in the grille was replaced with the image of a bear, which symbolizes the phrase “Bear Witness.” It’s the name of line of limited-edition apparel and accessories that Mercedes says will be available online and at its Mercedes-AMG Experience Center in Miami. There’s also a six-part documentary covering the build, titled “Drive” that will premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.The car is part of will.i.am’s latest philanthropic undertaking called “The Flip – Innovation for Purpose,” which is intended to give students from disadvantaged communities access to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education. That, in turn, will enable them to grow the skills needed to earn future tech-focused jobs that help them lift themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty. The rapper/song writer/singer and founding member of the Black Eyed Peas explained his desire to build a special Mercedes this way: “I grew up in a ghetto. I grew up with hip-hop. I watched legendary hip-hop artists rap about Mercedes, so it was always a dream to own a Mercedes. For a lot of inner-city kids, owning a Mercedes is a symbol of progress and advancing out of struggle.”

Mercedes-Benz

The Flip program is new, but it’s actually one of many STEAM educational initiatives supported by the musician’s i.am/Angel Foundation, which has been performing these good works for more than a decade. The organization supports and funds students in underserved communities including will.i.am’s home town, the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. The support enables participation in courses focused on robotics, information systems, computer coding, computer-aided design, and art. The foundation has also supplied both after-school tutoring and scholarships that have helped inner-city students attend and graduate from college. The foundation has raised millions of dollars of funding for these programs.At this point, will.i.am and Mercedes have said only that all the activities surrounding the WILL.I.AMG will benefit the efforts of the singer’s i.am/Angel Foundation “to help build a STEAM-ready talent pool that will lift families and communities out of poverty.” When it comes to custom cars, there are as many opinions of what looks cool as there are people. But no one can argue with the good intentions, positive outcomes, and hopes for the future that this one represents.

Mercedes-Benz

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Acura announced that it has begun production of the 2023 Integra at its plant in Marysville, Ohio.The Integra is powered by a 200-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four, mated to either a continuously variable automatic or a six-speed manual transmission.Pricing starts at $31,895, and the Integra will start to reach dealerships in June. Acura recently revealed pricing for the 2023 Integra, and now production has officially begun for the luxury brand’s new entry-level hatchback. Acura announced today that the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio has started building customer-ready Integras, signaling the return of one Acura’s most beloved nameplates and the return of a manual transmission to the Acura lineup for the first time since 2015. The Integra is being built on the same assembly line as the larger TLX sedan, and it also shares the Marysville facility with the Honda Accord. This is the first time a car bearing the Integra name has been built in the United States, and it becomes the fifth car in the Acura lineup to be produced in Ohio.

The 2023 Integra comes standard with a 200-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four borrowed from the Honda Civic Si. The base Integra starts at $31,895 and comes with a continuously variable automatic transmission, but buyers can also opt for a six-speed manual. This requires choosing the A-Spec and technology packages, adding goodies like a limited-slip differential and adaptive dampers but boosting the price to $36,895. The 2023 Integra will start to hit dealerships in early June and Acura is taking reservations on its website.
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• This 2009 Audi R8 4.2 has a current bid of $41,226 on the Bring a Trailer auction website.• The car shows 12,000 miles on its odometer.• Bidding ends Wednesday, May 11.The ever-faster march of technology makes it easy to stay focused on the next greatest thing. But it also makes it easy to forget how great some of the automotive world’s “less-advanced” vehicles were not long ago—and, in many cases, still are. Case in point is arguably one of the most underrated modern supercars, the first-generation Audi R8, such as this 2009 model we came across on the Bring a Trailer auction site—which, like Car and Driver, is owned by Hearst Autos.

The original R8, which debuted for 2008, hails from a simpler time, back when Ferrari SUVs and widespread electrification were only fever dreams. True, the R8 still exists in V-10 form as a 562- or 602-hp bastion of internal-combustion fury, but today’s second-gen car has been infected by more computer processors and has lost some of the original’s elegance. In contrast, the soft, sultry lines of the first-gen R8 say exotic without shouting it, and in base form it had a mere 420 horsepower from a 4.2-liter V-8. But that melodious naturally aspirated engine loved to rev and, unlike today’s automatic-only R8, could be paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Just as important is the satisfying clack-clack action you get from working that shifter through its exposed metal gates as you bolt to 60 mph in a little over four seconds.

Bring a Trailer

While that may be slow by contemporary supercar standards, it’s more about the theater of speed here, and the manual R8 is a Sydney Opera House of driving enjoyment. Which is exactly what you want in a comfortable, well-mannered performance car that you can savor every day. “The R8 will cruise the freeway with as little ride disruption and mechanical commotion as an (Audi) A4,” we wrote in 2007. “Yet at speed the R8 gathers itself into a tautly controlled crouch, heading where it’s pointed with remarkable precision and exhibiting none of the propensity for snap rotation that some mid-engined cars have made famous.” Pitted against the Aston Martin Vantage and Porsche 911 Turbo, the R8’s goodness earned it a comparison-test win in 2008. Much of the R8’s ”wonderfully neutral” character can be traced to its rear-biased all-wheel-drive system, as well as the optional magnetorheological dampers found on this 2009 example painted in Phantom Black Pearl with matching side-blade trim. Inside the surprisingly spacious cabin you’ll find lots of black leather, a Bang & Olufsen premium stereo, and long-haul friendly sport seats with heaters. Currently for sale in Texas, this car only has 12,000 miles on its clock, plus a recent service record, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Louisiana title.

Bring a Trailer

What really grabbed our attention is the current $41,226 bid on this car’s Bring a Trailer page. With six days left in the auction, that figure surely will creep upwards. But that’s still a discount-rack price for a car that cost around $110,000 when new. While that level of depreciation largely is the result of the greater popularity for the more powerful V-10 model that was added for 2009, we don’t care when it makes the standard car a viable alternative to a new Toyota Supra—and a far more special one at that. Besides, a little more speed is only an aftermarket supercharger away.

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Your next vacation could be a three-day rooftop camping adventure at one of two locations in Germany.These adventures, offered for €2490 through Porsche, include a roof-top tent and a Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo station wagon.Bring your friends along, as the excursions can be booked with enough cars and tents for up to eight people.If the road is calling you this summer, listen closely. Is it speaking German? If so, Porsche has two different camping road trips that may be of interest. You can even bring seven of your friends, so long as each camper has €2490, or around $2628 at today’s exchange rate, to drop on the three-day adventure.

Porsche

For that outlay of cash, Porsche will set you up with a Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo station wagon, a rooftop tent, and an itinerary of activities in either the Black Forest or the Rhine-Hesse wine region. Both start and end in Stuttgart, but the Black Forest outing includes a zipline tour and a hiking excursion while the Rhine-Hesse version offers overnight stays at wineries with a wine tasting and gourmet dinner at Sekthaus Raumland.

Porsche

Porsche provides meals, bedding, and other camping equipment for you, so if you’re flying in from the United States, all you need to bring is your personal items and your sense of adventure. You could, of course, get a rooftop tent for your own car but not every model can accommodate something like that. Plus, your Subaru or 4Runner isn’t going to be as much fun to drive as a 670-hp electric Porsche station wagon.
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