hugleonar

motoriginal:

Switching up Submission Sunday a bit. Looking for people to write a brief story for their submissions, so have at it! Unfortunately Tumblr only allows submissions of 1-photo so you can email the rest to motoriginal1@yahoo.com and I will personally upload them.

This was submitted by my friend Danny Choy who writes some great articles for iMotor Times. Danny previously wrote for AutoGuide and continues to amaze with his automotive knowledge, passion and writing skills. You can see more on iMotor’s facebook page.

Flo’ Benzy

Mercedes-Benz was founded in 1886 when engineer Milhelm Maybach created the Benz Patent Motorwagen, a stagecoach that was capable of putzing around at 10 mph thanks to a laughable engine producing 0.75 hp. A century later, Mercedes-Benz shook the Earth with their interpretation of Thor’s Hammer. A handful of Mercedes’ bulletproof M117 5.4 liter V8 engines were taken to the German tuning giant AMG, which promptly bored out the engine to 5.6 liters to produce a round performance figure of 360 hp. 12 units in total of the W124-based Mercedes-Benz 300E AMG, a.k.a. “The Hammer,” were built in 1986.

A hot rod that was a black sheep among the company’s lineup, Mercedes-Benz wanted to figure out a way to create another Super-W124 that could deliver just as much refinement as savagery — enter Porsche.

A rare moment of Teutonic partnership, the Mercedes-Benz 500E was handbuilt within the Porsche factory. What’s more, the very special Audi RS2 was another Porsche legend that was assembled alongside the 500E as well.

In a nutshell, the 500E is every bit the “Hammer” as the 300E AMG. However, the 500E would be a golden hammer with a mahogany handle encrusted with diamonds that was wrapped in silk.

Utilizing the M119 5.0 liter V8 engine’s inherently broad powerband, 326 hp propels the 3,909 pound sleeper in a confident surge from 0-to-60 mph in just 5.5 seconds.

Porsche only built 10,000 examples of the 500E. What’s more, only 1,500 made it to the U.S. market.

Remarkably, I was able to catch one fine white-on-white example lurking in New York City’s Financial District, no more than a block away from the WTC site. Enjoy the pictures of the very special Mercedes-Benz/Porsche 500E above!

52hearts:

Tamimi Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya

“Giraffe Manor offers you an unparalleled experience of the giraffes, with them vying for your attention at the breakfast table, the front door and even your bedroom window.”

(Photos from here and here)

@melmenega <3

(via reggaebless)