The new SLK 55 AMG and the Ducati Streetfighter 848 – both finished in “Streetfighter yellow” – are to go on show and underscore the collaboration entered into by their parent companies just over a year ago.

Inspired by the Ducati Streetfighter 848, the “streetfighter yellow” colour could be made available as an individual optional extra from the AMG Performance Studio, for AMG customers who feel the need to stand out.

Complemented by the interior of the SLK 55 AMG: the contrasting yellow stitching creates a striking effect against the black nappa leather, and is found on the door centre panels, beltlines, armrests, leather-covered roll-over bars, dashboard, the shift lever gaiter and also the AMG Performance steering wheel. Yellow illuminated AMG door sill panels featuring LED technology round off the striking, erm.. yellow effect.

Powered by its newly developed AMG 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, the SLK55 harnesses 416 bhp and maximum toque of 540 Nm, whilst delivering 33.6 mpg on the combined cycle and 195g/km of CO2 emissions – some 30 percent better that its predecessor. The SLK 55 AMG accelerates from 0-62 mph in just 4.6 seconds, and reaches a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited).

The new Ducati Streetfighter 848 provides aims to provide biking pleasure in its purest form, while combining the very latest technologies with a dramatically styled appearance. Using a revised 848 Testastretta 11° engine with 130 bhp and 93.5 Nm of torque, the Streetfighter 848 is at home whether on the road or on the race track.

Mercedes-AMG and Ducati – one year on

Since the agreement was signed between Mercedes-AMG and Ducati at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November 2010, both companies have been integrating their brands through a series of joint marketing activities.

AMG has been the “Official Car Partner” of the Ducati MotoGP team since the start of the 2011 MotoGP season, whilst the AMG logo appears not only on the motorcycles and racing overalls of Ducati works drivers Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi, but also on the official team wear and in the Ducati Lounge.

Ducati’s fleet of company vehicles is being gradually switched over to Mercedes-Benz whilst there are more marketing and joint-technology developments on the way.

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The Diavel AMG Special Edition is the first Ducati motorbike incorporating another company’s design elements, and as such forms part of the strategy being pursued by AMG and Ducati since both brands entered into a cooperation agreement in November 2010.

Based on the Ducati Diavel Carbon, the look of the Diavel AMG Special Edition has been further refined with attributes reminiscent of Mercedes-AMG high-performance cars including AMG-look forged wheels, aluminium air deflectors in the carbon-fibre panels on the side-mounted radiators, a newly developed sports exhaust system as well as bench seat finished in perforated Alcantara.

The frame, tank and rear bench seat cover are finished in diamond white metallic BRIGHT, the colour of the CLS 63 AMG, creating a stylish contrast to the matt, iridescent carbon fibre.

Like every Ducati, the Diavel AMG Special Edition is hand finished with a badge on the left engine block, bearing the signature of the technician who calibrated the desmodromic valve – just as you’ll find on every AMG road car.

The wheels, bench seat and rear silencers of the sports exhaust system bear the AMG logo, whilst each of the side air inlet ducts feature laser-engraved AMG lettering. The Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition will be available from the start of 2012, priced at £20,495 – which makes it the cheapest way of buying into the AMG brand, but a rather expensive bike.

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“I am very pleased that we are able to announce our strategic cooperation with Ducati today. AMG and Ducati ideally complement each other, as both companies share the same values: racing as the driving passion, and high performance plus exclusivity as the central brand messages of both AMG and Ducati. This long-term cooperation will help us to jointly access new customer groups,” said Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

“I am especially proud to have AMG as one of our sponsors for the Moto GP team. I am also very pleased that our joint marketing activities are well under way. In AMG we have found a partner who perfectly reflects our brand values of high performance, motorsport, excitement and our sense of unmistakable style and design,” said Gabriele del Torchio, President and CEO of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.

The first visible results of the cooperation between AMG and Ducati will be evident with AMG’s support of the Ducati MotoGP team as an Official Car Partner from 2011. During selected AMG events, participants will be able to take test drives with Ducati motorcycles, and Ducati customers will similarly have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the latest AMG high-performance cars at racing events.

Joint events are planned for members of the AMG Private Lounge, in which more than 13,000 AMG customers are registered worldwide, and both parties are currently examining the further activities they might undertake together in the near future.

CoolBrands is an independent process administered by the Centre for Brand Analysis to produce an annual barometer of the nations coolest brands, places and people. The end result is the CoolBrands Top 500, which is published in September each year.

We’ll take a closer look at 2010/11 winner Aston Martin in a separate article, but we thought it worth taking a look at which brands missed out.

As you can see from the list above, there are unsurprisingly plenty of British brands (Jaguar, Lotus, Range Rover, Mini, Bentley, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and of course Aston Martin) but we think there are a few ‘glaring’ omissions..

Morgan

Morgan are one of the few independent car makers still in existence and they’re British too. Not only that, but they’re the only car maker to truly bridge traditional and contemporary style (even more so than Aston) and if you’ve ever driven a Morgan then you’ll find they’re a very social brand to wear too – everyone waves at you and each fuel stop is another opportunity to make new friends.

Morgan's four-seat EvaGT coupé broke cover at the recent Pebble Beach and Goodwood events, the EvaGT is capable of 40mpg and has CO2 emission of around 200g/km which in this day and age makes it very cool in our books.

Individual, classy and drop-dead gorgeous – surely that merits being considered cool? Morgan also have a number of spirited and successful race teams campaigning the GT3 Aero SuperSports in the FFSA GT Championship, so this is a British brand with real fighting spirit.

Morgan's SuperSport is based on the Aero8, powered by a 4.8-litre BMW engine producing 368 bhp. Imagine arriving in this at the annual Goodwood Ball, V8 engine throbbing away with thinly-veiled menace. Yeah, really uncool..

McLaren

If excluding Morgan from the index was an understandable omission (small brand, better known to enthusiasts) then missing McLaren off the list must be considered a major faux pas. What were they thinking?

McLaren's F1 is more than 20 years old and arguably has yet to be bettered in terms of its all-round speed and single-minded purity of purpose. We would argue that it is the coolest supercar ever made - way more so than any Lamborghini or Ferrari - a car that would earn nods of respect wherever it goes.

McLaren's second road car, the MP4-12C is due to be delivered to its lucky owners in early 2011 at a price which is likely to undercut a Ferrari 458 Italia. It's been showcased by two of the hottest drivers in the world - ex-F1 champion Lewis Hamilton and current F1 champion Jenson Button and is the most eagerly awaited supercar of the past decade. Now tell us that McLaren isn't a cool brand..

Citroën

Okay, we’ve talked about high-end exotica but what about something more affordable? Well in my mind the most improved brand in terms of coolness has to be Citroën. This is the brand that not long ago was making the Xsara and which put the ‘C’ into Chav (often seen driving their maxed out AXs with the whole car vibrating to the latest solid tunes. Innit Blad?).

But take a look at the Citroën range these days and you’ll find some of the most contemporary and stylish cars around, such as the DS3 or C5 Tourer and then of course there’s the concept cars. Surely a brand that has finally made the electric car cool, deserves a place in the CoolBrands Top 500.

Citroën's Survolt blends exotic looks with 100% electric-powered propulsion creating one of the most stunning concept cars of the moment. But it's not the first jaw-dropper from Citroën - in the past 12 months we've been treated to GQbyCitroën , the product of a partnership between Citroën and the style magazine GQ and of course GTbyCitroën, created to mark the launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Still think Citroën is an uncool brand?.

Others

There are several other brands that perhaps should make the list. Fiat? They’ve certainly started a trend with the Fiat 500 and you might argue that their current partnership with music duo Faithless is testament to the coolness of the Italian brand, but we’d understand anyone who felt otherwise.

Maserati are also missing from the Top 500 and yet Alfa Romeo were included – and Alfa that’s cooler than a Maserati? We don’t think so.

If you’re a motorbike fan then you may be pleased to hear that brands such as Harley Davidson, Aprilia, Ducati, Kawasaki, Piaggio, Truimph and Vespa made the list, but Yamaha didn’t (ridden for the past 4 years in Moto GP by nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi).

You probably get the picture by now that we’re none too impressed with the quality of the CoolBrands Index when you look at the automotive sector, but maybe we’re wrong. What do you think?

Now Jorge Lorenzo has added further fuel to the controversy saying that his initial plan is to stay with the Japanese manufacturer, but hinted that he “can’t guarantee anything” for the future. Lorenzo was runner up to Rossi in the 2009 Moto GP championship, pushing Rossi hard throughout the season. Rossi recorded the fewest number of wins he has ever recorded in a title season, achieving six victories during 2009, just two more than Jorge and Casey Stoner.

The Spaniard who attended a recent press engagement in Barcelona, said that he sees his future – as least as far as the 2011 season is concerned – with Yamaha but couldn’t put his finger on anything just yet. Despite his most successful season in Moto GP, attempts to sign a contract with Yamaha beyond 2010 were unsuccessful with both Lorenzo and Rossi’s contracts running out at the end of next year.

Rossi has publicly asked Yamaha to take their pick for the 2011 season, or else there are other teams (i.e. Ducati) that would be happy to sign him. We expect this story to boil over during 2010, especially if Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa push Rossi as hard as they did in 2009.

Then of course World Superbike champion Ben Spies joins the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha team next year and he’s already shown how quickly he can adapt from his performance in the final race of the season in Valencia.

With Honda’s Dani Pedrosa also reaching the end of his current contract in 2010, Lorenzo might also have a few more options to choose from himself in 2011.