New F1 Safety Car - Mercedes-Benz AMG SL63

[EDwardo]

The new F1 safety car made several appearances at the Melbourne race so I decided to find some details about it.


The SL63 features the same 525hp 6.3L V8 engine as the production model and accelerates from 0-62mph in the same 4.6 seconds. A newly developed AMG sport exhaust system with larger pipe diameter and new rear silencers allows the high-revving AMG naturally aspirated engine to breathe even more freely.
Other modifications to the car include an uprated cooling system and new heavy-duty composite brakes. The vehicles feature larger coolers for the engine oil, transmission oil, cooling water and power steering. The SL63 safety car is also 220kg lighter than the production model thanks to a number of weight saving measures. These include carbon-fiber panels used for the bonnet, front and rear aprons, front wings and luggage compartment lid. The car’s roof is also fixed, meaning engineers could remove the complex convertible mechanism. The result is a weight reduction of 220 kg, with the Safety Car weighing in at just 1750 kg (with a full tank and without occupants).
http://www.motorauthority.com/images/Mercedes/SL/Safety/01/54833-h-mer.jpg


AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission with column shift, which makes it possible to change gear in just 100 milliseconds. The combination of 3-stage ESP® and rear-axle differential lock with 30 percent locking effect provides optimum traction in all weather conditions.
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Mar08/07_001058_Mercedes_Unveils_The_Official_SL63_AMG_S afety_Car_And_The_C63_AMG_Estate_F1_Medical_Car.ht ml:thumbup:

[grungex]

The result is a weight reduction of 220 kg, with the Safety Car weighing in at just 1750 kg

Just 1750 kg? That's almost four thousand pounds. :shakehead

[opinionated ow]

that is one seriously ugly vehicle

[emjaya]

It would be almost 2 tonnes with the driver, passenger and their bits and pieces.:eek:

It sounds good, though. ;)

[oddlycalm]

Hey, the Germans tend to like both their women and cars on the zuftig side. :D Don't look now but the stock SL65 weighs 4354lbs with the convertible top mechanism even though the cockpit is more like a Miata.

Remember though, it has a 525hp and a 7 speed box to move it along. The stock version goes 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and 0-100mph in less than 10 while cornering braking hard enough to make the average person lose their lunch. You could drive it all day through Nevada at 150mph or take it to a club track day and not embarrass yourself.

The real milestone here is that the SL65 uses a high revving natural aspirated engine and a 7spd automated manual. Benz/AMG have been stuck in a boring rut of supercharging daily driver engines and using slush boxes which resulted in good cars for gray hairs to go to the country club in but the serious driver market left them behind around 1970.

Putting a 7200Rpm engine in the car and dumping the torque converter in favor of a multi-plate clutch pack is a biggie step in the right direction for Benz. The tranny still uses planetary gears, so it isn't quite a proper manual, but compared to most of their post-1970 cars this one is a drivers car, not just a boulevard barge.

I hope we see more interesting cars from Benz. If not, and if the mean age of their customers continues upward, they will soon be selling the cars in cemeteries, a situation that companies like Toyota and Cadaverllac have also had to face.

oc

[Wally]

Yeah copy that, a really ugly car but what a glorious sound...:thumbup: