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For 2011, that doyenne of decadence, the Mercedes-Benz CL coupe, has undergone a bit of restyling at the front and rear, although the more substantive changes are under the long hood. Both the CL550 and the CL63 AMG have new, smaller V-8 engines (although that's not reflected in their names). But never fear, masters of the universe. Despite the downsizing, the new engines are significantly more powerful than their predecessors.

Putting a sporty coupe body over basic sedan mechanicals is a time-honored strategy in the automobile business. None employed it with more spectacular success than Ford in the mid-1960s with the Mustang. Toyota obviously was paying attention, because in 1971 it did a similar thing with its ho-hum Corona sedan, creating the Celica, a car that would become a minor sensation for the fast-growing Japanese brand. Five years later, Toyota took another page from the Mustang's playbook by bringing out a second body style, the Celica GT Liftback.

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