Sir Stirling Moss has been placed at the top of a list of Formula One legends.

The British star, who raced to his first Grand Prix win at Aintree in the Mercedes-Benz W196 Monoposto in 1955, was named as the best Formula One driver of all time by Alan Henry.

In his new book, The Top 100 F1 Drivers of All Time, Mr Henry places Sir Stirling Moss at the top because of his versatility.

Sir Stirling Moss told autocar.com: "I can see it’s going to start a lot of arguments and it’s a tough mantle to carry. So many others were so good. I’m deeply honoured."

He competed in Formula One from 1951 to 1961 and won 16 Grand Prix races, finishing on the podium on 24 occasions.

Also included in the list was Ayrton Senna as the Brazilian legend was named the third best racing driver of all time by Mr Henry.

Senna won the championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991 before he tragically died in an on-track accident in 1994.

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As the final day of winter testing finished in Barcelona yesterday, Lewis Hamilton was delighted with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ preparations for the new season.

"Winter testing has gone really smoothly. We have had steady reliability and the car is feeling good," the star said.

This season drivers must operate without traction control but Hamilton does not feel it will be a problem for him.

"I drove without traction control for many years, so it is what I am used to - there is nothing new," he said.

Heikki Kovalainen, the team’s new driver, was also pleased with the pre-season preparations and told McLaren.com that everything was "very positive; there haven’t been any negative moments".

Hamilton and Kovalainen have covered a total of 492 laps during the final test - a total of 2,290 kilometres.

Chief operating officer Martin Whitmarsh was also pleased with the pre-season period.

"The pace of work on the test track and back at base in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart has been outstanding, and it will continue at this rate building up to and during the season," he said.

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Customers and fans of smart cars can make their way to the Mercedes-Benz World on Saturday June 21st to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the brand.

A range of activities have been scheduled and drivers will get a chance to try out the new electric smart car as well as enjoying the attractions at Mercedes-Benz World.

Dermot Kelly, managing director Mercedes Car Group, said: "Mercedes-Benz World is one of the UK’s most popular visitor attractions and is perfectly suited to hold this annual smart celebration."

Last year the entertainment included stunt driving, a display of concept cars and the smart monster truck.

In 2008, smart lovers can look forward to a competition to find the best smart car in different categories and more details, according to Al Young, chairman and managing director of Thesmartclub.

Visitors to Mercedes-Benz World can see the Brooklands Museum which features a Grand Prix exhibition featuring cars driven by racing heroes such as Ayrton Senna.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has reached the final as it aims for the prize of 2008 World Car of the Year.

From an initial list of 39 different vehicles, the best ten were chosen and this was then broken down to three finalists.

An international panel of 47 automotive journalists from 24 countries around the world will now judge the winner which will be announced at the New York Auto Show on March 20th.

The awards are in their fifth year and have become one of the most prestigious automobile prizes around the world.

To be eligible for the award, the vehicle has to have been in production and sold on at least two continents during the year.

If the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was to win the award it would add to the Yellow Angel award it received in January as well as awards in South Africa and Australia.

The vehicle has also achieved a five-star safety rating for adults from Euro NCAP and featured in the film National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Also nominated for a prize is the smart fortwo cdi which is up for the 2008 World Green Car award.

Find out more about the C-Class at mercedes-benz.co.uk.

Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen were the two fastest drivers on the track in the second day of the final testing session before the first Grand Prix of the 2008 season.

Hamilton was fastest for the second day in a row after recording a fastest time of 1m21.234 during his 82 laps.

Kovalainen was not far behind after he registered a lap time of 1m21.434 in a warm day at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Clear weather allowed the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to concentrate on pit stops and qualifying simulations during the morning before switching the focus to longer runs.

The longer runs in the afternoon allowed the team to assess different fuel loads and the various set-ups required.

Both Hamilton and Kovalainen saw their engines stop on the track as a result of fuel coupling issues which were quickly resolved by the team and had no impact on the days’ testing.

Hamilton and Kovalainen return to the track today for the final testing session before the new season begins in Melbourne on March 16th.

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Mercedes-Benz it set to expand its popular music download service by featuring a monthly magazine on Mercedes-Benz TV.

Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape has proved very popular since its launch in 2004 and it will be expanded with a monthly show on Mercedes-Benz TV featuring videos, album reviews and artist profiles.

Dr Olaf Gottgens, vice president of brand communications at Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: "By taking Mixed Tape to the next level and integrating it into Mercedes-Benz TV we have created a platform for informative and interactive branded entertainment."

Each show takes a different theme with the launch show on February 28th (Thursday) exploring ‘modern vintage’.

Featured on the first show will be Mark Ronson - the producer who has worked with stars such as Amy Winehouse and Bob Dylan.

Jennifer Lopez’ single, Hold It Don’t Drop It, will be the video of the month while Natalie Gardiner’s new record, Slowly Softly, is album of the month.

The shows will be available online for six months.

The luxury Maybach brand is adding a new model to its line-up with the new Maybach Landaulet - a vehicle that can be specifically tailored to the owner’s needs.

In November 2007, Maybach began a Landaulet study and received an overwhelming response from the public, prompting it offer the hand-built vehicle based on exclusive customer specifications.

Customers can choose their vehicle in great detail with special paint finishes and select leather colours being a few ways to customise the luxury model.

A small number of the vehicles will be hand-built reaffirming the status of the Maybach as a luxury motoring vehicle.

One of the main features of the vehicle is a large folding roof which can be peeled back to leave passengers gazing into the clear blue sky.

The roof can be operated at the request of the passengers by a button in the sealed off chauffeur’s compartment with an intercom and handset allowing the passengers to communicate with the driver with ease.

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest man on the track during the first day of testing in Barcelona.

The British driver completed 78 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya registering a fastest lap time of 1m22.276.

Rain continued to fall during the morning after night time showers and an overcast afternoon with temperatures of 15 degrees left the drivers dealing with a damp track.

But the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team were focused on pit stop procedures for the race team and will continue this pattern for the rest of the week.

As the track dried out in the afternoon, the team carried out their final evaluation of new components and fine tune set ups.

Heikki Kovalainen was testing alongside Lewis Hamilton and completed 71 laps as he continues his preparation for his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One debut in Melbourne.

The Finnish star recorded a fastest lap time of 1m22.852, the fifth fastest in the field.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will test today and Wednesday in the final session before the first Grand Prix of the season in Melbourne on March 16th.

Find out more about Mercedes-Benz motorsport.

Heikki Kovalainen is ready to win the Formula One World Championship after his move to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

The Finnish driver begins his second season in the top-flight of motorsport and has already set his sites on taking on his new team-mate, Lewis Hamilton.

Speaking to the Daily Mail he said: "I don’t think I was physically and mentally ready last year. I hadn’t prepared well enough. But I’ve already changed things to make sure it doesn’t happen again."

Kovalainen has been testing with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team since he joined and begins the final scheduled session today.

The session in Barcelona finishes on Wednesday before preparations for the Melbourne Grand Prix get underway and Kovalainen is confident of his chances against the rest of the field.

"I’ll be turning up for the first Grand Prix in Melbourne in a car I feel fully comfortable in and know exactly how to set up. The increased confidence should enable me to have a good race," he explained.

Mercedes-Benz is showcasing its nature-based concept for the bionic car at the "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

The prestigious event highlights the rapid pace of development in mobility and communications through innovative design and the concept of the bionic car fits the bill.

Consuming fuel at a rate of 70pmg the concept car was inspired by nature as the designers used the boxfish as the muse for their concept.

Extremely aerodynamic, the fish moves around using little energy and its skin allows it to survive heavy conditions - characteristics that the designers aimed to emulate.

A two-door vehicle with four seats and drop-shaped design is the result with a drag coefficient of 0.19.

To emulate the boxfish’s ability to withstand collisions, the designers created a honeycomb on the door to increase stiffness by up to 40 per cent with weight reduced by 30 per cent.

The exhibition is recognising the work of Mercedes-Benz in the innovation and development of new concepts in car manufacturing.