1 | 2 | 3 The two “normal” cars on the Formula One grid have been revealed for the 2008 season. Mercedes-Benz, who have had a relationship with F1 since 1996, are yet again leading the pack with the Safety Car in the form of an SL 63 AMG 2008 version. At the same time the C 63 AMG makes its track debut in Estate guise as the Medical Car.
Merc is extremely proud of the achievements its AMG division has had on F1 tracks. The Safety Car for instance, is made for speed and handling since it also acts as the pace car when the race is paused for whatever reason, whether there is an accident on the track or similar.
The two cars built specially by AMG, have enhanced performance characteristics to cope with the 800-plus horsepowers dished out by F1’s super advanced cars. For this thrill engines have gone unchanged for that kick. The SL 63 AMG’s 6.2-litre V8 packs a formidable 525 bhp/ 386kW engine as quick as 4.6 seconds off the mark. Piloting the Safety Car is 36 year old Bernd Mayländer who will incidentally be setting the pace at South Africa’s Phakisa Raceway next month for the SA launch of the C 63 AMG there.
The Medical Car has come under the spotlight more than ever after the tragic incident that robbed F1 of Ayrton Senna. It features 19-inch Pirelli tyres, same 6.2-litre V8 that delivers 457 hp/ 336kW and 600 Nm of torque. The Medical Car needs all this power to get around to where a problem arises as quickly as possible. These two will first be seen in Australia next week when the 2008 season starts.
Press Release
With the new Official F1™ Safety Car and the new Official F1™ Medical Car, Mercedes-AMG, the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz, is launching into the 2008 Formula 1 season. The Safety Car, based on the SL 63 AMG, and the Medical Car, derived from the C 63 AMG Estate, have the task of ensuring maximum safety at all 18 Formula 1 races. The two specially prepared AMG high-performance automobiles will be on duty for the first time when the Grand Prix season kicks off in Melbourne, Australia (March 14 to 16, 2008). The specialists from the AMG development team and the PERFORMANCE STUDIO are responsible for the development, production and servicing of the vehicles.
The Official F1™ Safety Car is immediately on hand whenever the safety of a race is threatened by accidents, adverse weather conditions or other hazardous situations. After receiving his instructions from the race management, Bernd Mayländer, the driver of the Safety Car, must go to the head of the Formula 1 field and safely guide the world's fastest racing drivers around the circuit. Fast lap times are a must for the Safety Car, because otherwise the sensitive Formula 1 engines would overheat – and their tyres and brakes would cool down excessively.
In the 2008 Formula 1 season, Mayländer, 36, will be behind the wheel of a new Official F1™ Safety Car, the SL 63 AMG. This high-performance roadster, which was presented to the public just a few days ago at the Geneva Motor Show, has the finest of pedigrees for its challenging assignment: its AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine has a power output of 525 hp, providing acceleration from zero to 62 mph in 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. Both the motor sport fans at the racetrack and also those at home in front of their TV sets are captivated by the vehicle's special sound tuning.
Special cooling measures and heavy-duty composite braking system
In the interests of best possible reliability even at tropical ambient temperatures, the vehicle incorporates large-size, additional coolers for engine oil, transmission oil, cooling water and power steering. Outstanding driving dynamics are guaranteed by the newly developed 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. Not only the newly developed thread chassis, which has proved its worth in races, guarantees ideal racetrack performance, optimal road feel and sportscar-like cornering and over/understeer characteristics, but also the numerous adjustment possibilities for ride height, track width and camber enable the chassis setup to be customised to the particular racetrack.
The front and rear axles feature 19-inch extra-light AMG forged light-alloy wheels. The 8.5-inch (front) and 9.5-inch (rear) rims are fitted with tyres of size 255/35 and 285/30, respectively, from Formula 1 tyremaker Bridgestone. The design of the rims, with their intricately styled double spokes, optimises both the cooling of the highly stressed braking system and the specially engineered cooling-air flow. Optimum fading resistance and best-possible deceleration values are among the self-evident characteristics of the AMG high-performance braking system, which is equipped all round with internally ventilated composite brake discs. The front axle is fitted with six-piston fixed callipers and discs of size 390 x 36 mm, while the rear axle features four-piston fixed callipers with brake discs of size 360 x 26 mm.Source: Daimler AG
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