mod@tech

A few years ago, I had some roofing work done on my home. One of the contractors knocked on the front door midway through the project and asked, “Do you know there are toys on your roof?” I chuckled and said, “Yeah, it’s a science experiment.” Those toys were in fact a collection of diecast 1:18 scale model cars that I decided to subject to Arizona’s climate to see how they would fare over a long-term window of time.

These days, a well-worn exterior finish is desirable on some vehicles. The weathered look conveys age, experience, and vintage style. Some collector car enthusiasts even go so far as to advance or preserve the look of surface rust on a classic car’s steel body panels. While the look does not appeal to everyone, it’s a unique aesthetic and always makes a good conversation starter at car shows and special events.

It must have been around 2010 when I was rummaging through some boxes from my childhood and came across a handful of diecast model cars. I did not have much space to display them, and I had always had a fascination with durability testing. In fact, I used to “drive” my Hot Wheels on a treadmill to simulate the act of really putting miles on a scale model vehicle. With that in mind, I had the idea of seeing how the models would hold up outside.

Each vehicle went up on a ladder to be placed around my chimney. About every six months, I’d climb back up to assess how they were doing. Occasionally, a windstorm would blow a door open. At one point, one of the vehicles lost a headlight lens. Another one had an interior that took on a sunbaked look. One of them had a couple of windows crack. The striking thing was how accurate some of the weathering has affected the vehicles: the engine bays are dusty, the interiors are filled with debris, and the whitewall tires have yellowed.

Over the years, I shared occasional updates to my YouTube channel, and I had several people ask if they could purchase the cars to “restore” them. The concept seems sort of intriguing, so I might take someone up on that eventually.

After about a decade in the sun, I decided to purchase a “new” version of one of the vehicles in my durability test. Thankfully, I found the turquoise 1957 Chevrolet Nomad on Ebay from the “Road Tough” brand car and bought it. When placed side by side, the contrast between the old and new models was striking. One of my subscribers suggested I transplant the chrome and “glass” from the new car to the old, to better reflect real-world characteristics.

Miraculously, my Raven Black 1957 Ford Thunderbird still retains most of its original paint. I need to write a letter to the manufacturer to congratulate them on their paint quality and application methods. The other vehicles in my test are a 1994 BMW 325i convertible, a Maserati 3200GT, and a 1989 Mercedes-Benz 500SL.

Any suggestions on what I should do with these cars? Or just let them sit for another decade?

Either way, I’m having just as much fun with toy cars at age 41 as I was at 11.

You can already make payments with your phone, and soon you will be able to do so with your Mercedes-Benz using just a fingerprint for authentication.

Mercedes already has its own Mercedes Pay system that allows users to purchase items or services from the car, but now the automaker has teamed up with Visa to make the process easier and more widely available via the new feature Mercedes Pay+. Instead of having to key in a pin or use a phone, all that’s required for authentication is a fingerprint scan. The payment is then handled via Visa’s new Cloud Token Framework.

Cloud Token Framework is essentially an online payment system where stored authentication data is secured using individual digital tokens that encrypt any sensitive payment information before storing it. This makes payments much easier, for example when using a new service, as you no longer need to enter long card numbers or complex passwords to complete a purchase. It also makes it possible to pair multiple devices with the car, so more than one user can make payments with a fingerprint scan.

Mercedes Pay+ is being rolled out in Europe initially, starting with Mercedes’ home market of Germany in March. Availability in other markets hasn’t been announced.

Models available with fingerprint sensors include the EQS and EQE electric vehicles, as well as the S-Class, GLC-Class, and C-Class.

At present, Mercedes Pay+ can be used to pay for various digital services like improved navigation features or remote connectivity, as well as on-demand vehicle hardware upgrades like rear axle steering with a larger steering angle. Eventually, payments will be expanded to other car-related services, such as fueling, Mercedes said.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

You can already make payments with your phone, and soon you will be able to do so with your Mercedes-Benz using just a fingerprint for authentication.

Mercedes already has its own Mercedes Pay system that allows users to purchase items or services from the car, but now the automaker has teamed up with Visa to make the process easier and more widely available via the new feature Mercedes Pay+. Instead of having to key in a pin or use a phone, all that’s required for authentication is a fingerprint scan. The payment is then handled via Visa’s new Cloud Token Framework.

Cloud Token Framework is essentially an online payment system where stored authentication data is secured using individual digital tokens that encrypt any sensitive payment information before storing it. This makes payments much easier, for example when using a new service, as you no longer need to enter long card numbers or complex passwords to complete a purchase. It also makes it possible to pair multiple devices with the car, so more than one user can make payments with a fingerprint scan.

Mercedes Pay+ is being rolled out in Europe initially, starting with Mercedes’ home market of Germany in March. Availability in other markets hasn’t been announced.

Models available with fingerprint sensors include the EQS and EQE electric vehicles, as well as the S-Class, GLC-Class, and C-Class.

At present, Mercedes Pay+ can be used to pay for various digital services like improved navigation features or remote connectivity, as well as on-demand vehicle hardware upgrades like rear axle steering with a larger steering angle. Eventually, payments will be expanded to other car-related services, such as fueling, Mercedes said.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

It’s hard to believe, but the first mobile telephone system designed for an automobile was introduced in 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri using the Bell System. The setup weighed 80 pounds and offered just three channels upon which to communicate. This early technology was later overtaken by analog cellular service in 1984. Every so often, a classic car comes along that features a mobile phone.

The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 roadster listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in San Diego, California.

“Super well-maintained, smooth-driving Mercedes-Benz SLK Kompressor. Low mileage, no rust, garage-kept, cream puff. A rare turn-key ready beauty,” the listing states.

Showing just 62,300 miles on the odometer, it’s hard to believe this roadster is 24 years old. The seller itemizes the car’s equipment into a long list. Included are lots of upgrades including a one-touch power-retractable hardtop, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a Sports package, heated and power-adjustable seating, dual-zone automatic climate control, a Bose audio system, and of course, that mobile phone hidden inside the center armrest.

The SLK-Class originally launched as a compact executive roadster for model year 1996 on the R170 platform. It offered seating for two and used what Mercedes called a “Vario-roof” retractable hardtop which takes about 25 seconds to deploy or retract at the touch of a button.

The drivetrain is one of the things that makes this example so unique: the Getrag-produced five-speed manual transmission seems to be a rare and sought after find in the collector community. Power comes from a supercharged 2.3-liter inline-four that puts out 194 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. This car is also outfitted with AMG treatment in the form of special 17-inch wheels, accented by body-colored side skirts and a chrome tailpipe. The seller states that the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires are new.

As far as that phone goes: the analog cell phone system became overtaken in 2008 by more modern “hands-free” systems that used a Bluetooth or wireless link to connect to a network. These days, an analog car phone is more of a conversation piece or novelty than anything else. If I could pair my cell phone with a traditional-looking car phone, I would totally do it just to look like a 1990s executive.

The seller is asking $12,450 or best offer for this SLK, which includes a Mercedes-branded car cover.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

It’s hard to believe, but the first mobile telephone system designed for an automobile was introduced in 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri using the Bell System. The setup weighed 80 pounds and offered just three channels upon which to communicate. This early technology was later overtaken by analog cellular service in 1984. Every so often, a classic car comes along that features a mobile phone.

The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 roadster listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in San Diego, California.

“Super well-maintained, smooth-driving Mercedes-Benz SLK Kompressor. Low mileage, no rust, garage-kept, cream puff. A rare turn-key ready beauty,” the listing states.

Showing just 62,300 miles on the odometer, it’s hard to believe this roadster is 24 years old. The seller itemizes the car’s equipment into a long list. Included are lots of upgrades including a one-touch power-retractable hardtop, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a Sports package, heated and power-adjustable seating, dual-zone automatic climate control, a Bose audio system, and of course, that mobile phone hidden inside the center armrest.

The SLK-Class originally launched as a compact executive roadster for model year 1996 on the R170 platform. It offered seating for two and used what Mercedes called a “Vario-roof” retractable hardtop which takes about 25 seconds to deploy or retract at the touch of a button.

The drivetrain is one of the things that makes this example so unique: the Getrag-produced five-speed manual transmission seems to be a rare and sought after find in the collector community. Power comes from a supercharged 2.3-liter inline-four that puts out 194 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. This car is also outfitted with AMG treatment in the form of special 17-inch wheels, accented by body-colored side skirts and a chrome tailpipe. The seller states that the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires are new.

As far as that phone goes: the analog cell phone system became overtaken in 2008 by more modern “hands-free” systems that used a Bluetooth or wireless link to connect to a network. These days, an analog car phone is more of a conversation piece or novelty than anything else. If I could pair my cell phone with a traditional-looking car phone, I would totally do it just to look like a 1990s executive.

The seller is asking $12,450 or best offer for this SLK, which includes a Mercedes-branded car cover.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.