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For the first time in four years, former Formula One and DTM driver Mika Häkkinen will climb into the cockpit of a racing car for the season finale of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup on 13th November in Zhuhai (China). Häkkinen will be driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 for the six-hour race along with 2010 Mercedes-Benz DTM driver CongFu Cheng and Lance David Arnold of Germany. The Finn is making an appearance in his capacity as a Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador and this will be the first time the gullwing SLS has raced in China. The car has been entered by an independent team, Customer AMG Sports Team China.
Häkkinen’s most recent race appearance took place on 14th October 2007 when he drove an AMG Mercedes C-Class in the DTM season finale at Hockenheim. Between 2005 and 2007, he competed in 31 DTM races for Mercedes-Benz, securing three wins, three pole positions and eight podium finishes.
In the period between 1991 and 2001, the Finn contested 161 Grands Prix, signing for McLaren-Mercedes in 1995. At the wheel of the Silver Arrow, Häkkinen claimed the Formula One world championship twice (1998 and 1999), won 20 Grand Prix races, secured 26 pole positions and posted 44 podium finishes (51 overall). Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard (who drives the Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class in the 2011 DTM season) hold the record for the longest team-mate partnership in the history of Formula One; they drove together from 1996 to 2001.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 is the competition version of the legendary gullwing, designed for customer motorsport. The car contested its first full racing season in 2011, including the ADAC GT Masters, the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring and the FIA GT3 European Championship. In its debut season, the SLS AMG GT3 scored victories in all three of these series; in the FIA GT3 European Championship, customer outfit Heico Motorsport won the team title, the first trophy for the gullwing.
Mika Häkkinen: “It’s a great honour for me to be able to contest the first SLS AMG GT3 race in China. Although I’ve visited China many times, I’ve never raced there, which is why I’m really looking forward to Zhuhai. It will be a tough race in a competitive field, but I’ll do my best for Customer Sports Team AMG. Of course, being a guest driver in such a line-up should be a lot of fun, especially in the SLS AMG GT3. It’s a great customer motorsport vehicle which is both fast and extremely good-looking.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Mika Häkkinen is one of the most successful, best-known and best-liked racing drivers in the world. He won back-to-back Formula One world championships in 1998 and 1999 with our McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team and later had a successful career in the DTM. For over fifteen years, he has been a prominent, world-famous member of the Mercedes family. Mika enjoys enormous popularity, especially in China, and that’s also why he was so willing to play an active role in the race debut of the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 at Zhuhai. Lining up on the grid for us is more than just a great gesture by Mika – he still possesses the same competitive spirit as in the days of his great Formula One battles with Michael Schumacher in the late 90s and early 2000s.”
Ola Källenius, Chairman and CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “We are very proud that a fan favourite like Mika Häkkinen will be a guest driver in the SLS AMG GT3 at Zhuhai. His participation is unique, and we want to use his appearance to inspire race fans in China both for the vehicle and for the AMG customer sports programme. The GT3 version of the gullwing was designed for customer sport and will be raced in China – as in all other markets – by private teams. Experience gained from over 40 years of motor racing is encapsulated in that vehicle. As the first complete in-house development and production car from the AMG factory, the SLS AMG embodies all our expertise in developing high-performance vehicles.”
Klaus Meier, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz China Ltd.: “Although AMG first came to China in 2007, the brand has already proved to be a great success. By 2010, China had already become AMG’s third-largest market, and sales to August of this year are already 50% up on 2010. Chinese customers appreciate the incomparable blend of speed, handling, driving dynamics, exclusivity, design and exhaust note of the AMG. The commitment to customer motorsport with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 as a style icon will further contribute to increasing Chinese enthusiasm for AMG.”
* Official photos and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Lately, it was discovered that Mercedes-AMG might be in a quite embarrasing situation due to possible problems that might affect the M156 6.2-litre V8 powerplant. The issues were already detected as early as 2007, but appear to have been constantly ignored since then.
To put it straight, the materials used for building certain components of the engine are incriminated because it was found out that they could eventually be suffering from premature deterioration and thus putting at risk the proper functioning of the entire unit. Precisely, the nodular iron camshafts have been clearly incriminated in this case, as they might not work in conjunction with 9310-grade steel valve lifters. One customer has already complained the V8 powerplant installed on his leased, pre-owned E 63 AMG broke up, which meant more than $ 25,000 were spent on service repairs and on covering the loss of value of the car.
This issues have been reported back in 2007 in an internal service bulletin of Daimler, but AMG engineers postponed a solution to the uncovered errors and, in this way, they basically spread across the entire range of products trimmed in Affalterbach, excluding the V12-powered models.
As a conclusion, Mercedes-AMG might be facing some serious legal difficulties if the judge decides to start a class-action lawsuit against the German company, offering a clear path for other clients experiencing similar failures on their AMG models to make themselves heard in justice.
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Mercedes-AMG management comments on the new SLS AMG Roadster: "Outstandingly embodies the new AMG brand claim of Driving Performance""The total commitment and passion of all AMG personnel has gone into the new SLS AMG Roadster. It therefore outstandingly embodies the new AMG brand claim of Driving Performance."Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH
"Outstanding performance and systematic lightweight construction – the new SLS AMG Roadster has the perfect genes for passionate driving pleasure, and is the next super-sports car from AMG following the gullwing model. This car is the epitome of Driving Performance in its competitive segment."
Tobias Moers, head of overall vehicle development and general manager of Mercedes-AMG GmbH
"After the successful debut of the gullwing model, which is thrilling customers all over the world, we are now firing the second stage with the new SLS AMG Roadster."
Mario Spitzner, Head of Branding & Marketing
"Sheer excitement and uncompromising top performance: with its AMG 6.3-litre V8 as a front-mid engine and the dual clutch transmission in a transaxle configuration, the new SLS AMG Roadster is bound to fascinate all fans of super-sports cars."
Friedrich Eichler, Head of Engine & Powertrain Development
* Official photo and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Mercedes-Benz officials have made up their minds: the new SLS AMG Black Series will arrive next year. However, for the U.S.-bound customers, there are no good news: the street-legal variant of the SLS AMG GT3 is a forbidden fruit. And it looks the SLS E-CELL could follow the same rule.
Through time, several rumors announcing the introduction of the SLS AMG Black Series appeared on the interwebs. The oldest date back to 2009 and, as years flew away, all this drama intensified. After the C 63 AMG Coupe was added to the Black Series lineup in mid-summer this year, the SLS AMG will soon be transformed into a hardcore supercar as well. More precisely, the Black Series version of the gullwing is expected to enter the stage in early 2012, with an official premiere probably slanted for the Detroit Motor Show in January. Initial hints were suggesting the machine would get a massively-pumped 700 hp V12 engine, which is a good 40 hp more than the unit fitted to the SL 65 AMG Black Series.
Bad news for the Stateside dealers, as they won't be able to display a street version of the SLS AMG GT3 in their showrooms. The reasons this low-volume model won't be available for sale in the USA are the high cost of adapting the car for the North American market, which certainly beats the number of examples that could be sold. If this was not enough, the electric variant of the SLS, the E-CELL, which is released in late 2012 in Europe, might face the same destiny.
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Mercedes-Benz chose the IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt to present the new 2012 DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé. The new car is the successor to the AMG Mercedes C-Class, which scored 84 victories in 156 races to become the most successful vehicle in the 27-year history of the DTM. HWA AG began development, design and construction of the DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé in June 2010. The first chassis was assembled in June 2011, with the first vehicle completed in August.
The DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé was designed to meet the new and improved safety concept for 2012, which includes a state-of-the-art carbon fibre monocoque and a roll cage made of high strength steel. In order to improve driver protection in the event of an accident, all safety-related components such as the fire extinguishing system and fuel tank have been incorporated into the monocoque. Furthermore, each vehicle is equipped with six crash structures to give the driver additional protection to the front, rear and sides. These carbon fibre crash structures are designed to gradually absorb impact energy, so that the driver is not exposed to high deceleration forces.
The new safety concept was developed jointly by rights holder and promoter ITR e.V., the DMSB and the three manufacturers – Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. In order to verify the performance of the DTM safety concept, the DMSB developed a test programme, which was carried out and analyzed by DEKRA, the independent testing organization. All tests were completed without any problems.
The new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé is based on the latest Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé, which celebrated its world premiere in summer 2011. The C-Class Coupé rounds off Mercedes-Benz best-selling range and is offered with a choice of five engines – two diesel and three petrol units – developing from 115 kW (156 hp) to 225 kW (306 hp). The C-Class Coupé is manufactured at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen. It’s the fourth model to be built on a single production line alongside the saloon and estate versions, plus GLK – a new production method for Daimler.
DTM offers spectators racing like no other touring car series. Viewers in 83 countries can follow DTM either live or as-live. A total of 5,881 hours of DTM racing were shown worldwide on TV in 2010. In Germany last year, 89 hours of TV coverage generated an estimated 480 million TV contacts. On every race weekend of the 2011 season, an average of approximately 2.4 million TV viewers watched coverage of qualifying and the race on ARD television.
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “This new-generation vehicle, based on our Mercedes-Benz C- Coupé, signals the introduction of an even more spectacular racing car from the start of 2012. I am certain that the spectators will get their money's worth from the three-way fight between Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the DTM next year.”
DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé - Technical Data
Stages in the development of the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé
June 2010 - First design meeting at HWA
July 2010 - Vehicle concept laid out
August 2010 - Vehicle data determined
September 2010 - Start of design work on computer (CAD)
October 2010 - Vehicle dimensions agreed
January 2011 - Initial work in wind tunnel
April 2011 - Start of chassis production
May 2011 - Engine testing commences
June 2011 - Assembly of first chassis
July 2011 - Building of first vehicle begun
August 2011 - Completion of first vehicle
History: Mercedes-Benz and DTM
Mercedes-Benz DTM vehicles
• Mercedes-Benz has run three different cars in DTM since the first work’s entry in 1988.
• The AMG Mercedes C-Class is the most successful car in DTM history, having secured 84 victories in 156 races, plus five drivers’ titles in the DTM and one in the ITC.
AMG Mercedes 190E (2.5-16 Evo 2)
Mercedes-Benz scored 50 DTM victories with the 190 between 1988 and 1993. The 190E 2.5-16 Evo 2 won 16 of 24 races in the 1992 season and took the first three places in the drivers’ standings. Driving this car, Klaus Ludwig won the first DTM championship title for Mercedes-Benz. At the wheel of a 190E 2.5-16 Evo 2, Ellen Lohr became the only woman to date to win a DTM race.
AMG Mercedes CLK
Mercedes-Benz introduced the AMG Mercedes CLK to the ‘new’ DTM in 2000. Mercedes-Benz drivers posted 30 DTM victories from 2000-2003 with the CLK. In the 2001 season, the CLK won eight of ten races, and in the 2003 season was victorious in a grand total of nine of ten races.
AMG Mercedes C-Class
With 84 victories in a total of 156 races (1994/1995 as well as 1996 in the DTM successor series International Touring Car Championship, and since 2004 in the DTM), the AMG Mercedes C-Class is the most successful car in the 27-year history of the DTM. Of the 164 Mercedes-Benz victories in 339 races since 1988, half have been won by the C-Class, which has gone through three generations of redesign since 1994.
Statistics: Mercedes-Benz and DTM
Facts & Figures
• Since 2000, Mercedes-Benz has won 80 of 128 races in the ‘new’ DTM, which corresponds to a win rate of 62.50%. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz has won a total of 164 DTM races, nearly half of all the 339 races (winning percentage: 48.38%)
• Mercedes-Benz has been involved in DTM and ITC since 1988, securing 33 titles: nine in the drivers’ championship – five with Bernd Schneider, two with Klaus Ludwig, one with Gary Paffett and one also with Paul Di Resta – plus ten in the manufacturers’ championship and thirteen in the team standings.
Statistics: Mercedes-Benz in DTM
Statistics: Mercedes-Benz in DTM/ITC
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Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
The SLS AMG E-CELL body shell being shown by Mercedes-Benz AMG at the IAA 2011 is one trailblazing outcome of its ambitious "AMG Lightweight Performance" design strategy. Its key element is a transmission tunnel made out of lightweight carbon-fibre composite material (CFRP), which is structurally integrated into the aluminium body shell and firmly bonded with it. The high-strength and stiff CFRP component helps to reduce weight, while also serving as a monocoque housing for the battery modules.
The carbon-fibre battery monocoque in the SLS AMG E-CELL forms an integral part of the body shell and acts as the vehicle's "spine". The advantages of carbon composite materials were specifically exploited by the AMG engineers in its design. These include their high strength, which makes it possible to create extremely rigid structures in terms of torsion and bending, excellent crash performance and low weight. CFRP components are up to 50 percent lighter than comparable steel ones, yet retain the same level of stability. Compared with aluminium, the weight saving is still around 30 percent, while the material is considerably thinner. The advantages in terms of weight achieved through the carbon-fibre battery monocoque are reflected in the agility of the SLS AMG E-CELL and, in conjunction with the highly innovative wheel-selective four-wheel drive system, ensure true driving enjoyment.
The carbon-fibre battery monocoque is, in addition, conceived as a "zero intrusion cell" in order to meet the very highest expectations in terms of crash safety. It protects the battery modules inside the vehicle from deformation or damage in the event of a crash.
Tobias Moers, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, responsible for overall vehicle development: "AMG Lightweight Performance is the term we use at AMG to encompass all the different technologies involved in lightweight construction. The use of carbon makes vehicles not only lighter, but even more efficient and agile – in motorsports and on the streets. This is especially important for sports cars.”
The basis for CFRP construction is provided by fine carbon fibres, ten times thinner than a human hair. A length of this innovative fibre reaching from here to the moon would weigh a mere 25 grams. Between 1000 and 24,000 of these fibres are used to form individual strands. Machines then weave and sew them into fibre mats several layers thick, which can be moulded into three-dimensional shapes. When injected with liquid synthetic resin, this hardens to give the desired structure its final shape and stability.
Through their experience with the SLR, the vehicles in the AMG Black Series and in motorsport, Mercedes-Benz and AMG have accumulated more than 10 years of expertise in working with carbon-fibre materials. AMG currently makes the propshaft for the SLS AMG, for example, in carbon-fibre. On the SLS Roadster, the supporting structure for the draught-stop is made as standard as a carbon sandwich structure. This component, with extremely short cycle times in an industrially oriented manufacturing process, already demonstrates what will be possible in the future.
CFRP components also play an important role in Mercedes-Benz and AMG's lightweight design strategy for the future. In conformity with the motto “the right material, in the right place, the proportion of high-strength steels, aluminium and fibre-reinforced plastics is set to increase significantly in the future. The body shell weight of all Mercedes-Benz vehicles should fall by ten percent compared with their predecessors.
Just how seriously Mercedes-Benz and its high-performance arm AMG are treating the issue of lightweight design as an important factor along the road to sustainable mobility, is demonstrated by the full-aluminium body shell of the SLS AMG. With it, the super sports model shows the way for future model ranges.
* Official photos and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Ducati is celebrating the world premiere of the new Diavel AMG Special Edition at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt (Main). Inspired by the unmistakable design of the AMG performance brand, the Diavel AMG Special Edition is characterised by an exciting mix of exclusivity and maximum performance. The special model embodies the high standards of both brands and reflects the passion for exceptional performance as well as distinctive styling and precision. In addition to the Diavel AMG Special Edition, a CLS 63 AMG with a host of attractive components from the AMG Performance Studio is on display to highlight the visual similarities with the very special Ducati motorbike.
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 consistently pursued by AMG and Ducati since both brands entered into a cooperation agreement in November 2010 – namely an intensive exchange of ideas between the designers and engineers in Affalterbach and Bologna/Italy.
Based on the Ducati Diavel Carbon and its innovative design, the look of the Diavel AMG Special Edition has been further refined with attributes reminiscent of unique Mercedes-AMG high-performance cars: extraordinary forged wheels featuring a striking AMG look, 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® with horizontal cross stitching are just some of the highlights of the Diavel AMG Special Edition. 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 lavishly hand finished. A badge on the left engine block, bearing the signature of the technician who calibrated the desmodromic valve timing, pays tribute to the exclusivity afforded to each individual Diavel AMG Special Edition. Another feature of this special model is a numbered plaque on the fuel tank. The wheels, bench seat and rear silencers of the sports exhaust system also bear the AMG logo. Furthermore, 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.
CLS 63 AMG with components from the Performance Studio
The visual similarities between the Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition and the CLS 63 AMG being presented on the Mercedes-Benz stand at the IAA International Motor Show are immediately apparent: the AMG Exterior Carbon-Fibre package in matt finish comprises a cross strut in the front apron, exterior mirror housings, diffuser insert in the rear apron and AMG spoiler lip, forming the perfect contrast to the diamond white metallic BRIGHT paint finish. Further visual highlights include the bichromatic AMG light-alloy forged wheels featuring a 5-twin-spoke design, painted in high-gloss black with a high-sheen finish. The front axle is fitted with 255/35 R 19 tyres, while the rear comes with 285/30 R 19 tyres. Both the AMG Exterior Carbon-Fibre package in matt and the AMG light-alloy wheels are exclusive components available from the AMG Performance Studio, which also provides a host of options for enhancing the look of any CLS 63 AMG.
The cooperation agreement between AMG and Ducati was signed in November 2010
Visible signs of the cooperation agreement between Mercedes-AMG and Ducati, which was signed at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November 2010, include various marketing activities as well as joint appearances at shows and customer events. In the AMG core markets of the US, China, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, Great Britain and Switzerland, the announcement of the cooperation was very soon followed by the establishment of close links at market level.
AMG has been the Official Car Partner of the Ducati MotoGP team since the start of the 2011 MotoGP season. 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 teamwear and in the Ducati Lounge. Furthermore, as an additional outcome of the cooperation agreement, all team trucks and vehicles have come from Mercedes-Benz.
Since the spring of 2011, both Nicky Hayden and Gabriele del Torchio, President and CEO of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., have been driving a CLS 63 AMG.
* Official photos and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
