The 2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix in Singapore this coming weekend is the first overseas race, wherein the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Official F1 Safety Car GT will be showcased. With an exclusive performance to 435 kW (591 hp), optimized transmission shift times and the new AMG RIDE CONTROL Performance suspension, the Gullwing is perfectly prepared for the demanding role in the top class of motor sports.
Safety Car driver Bernd Maylander is excited about his new company car, and he says: “The SLS AMG Safety Car GT is the best that I’ve ever driven! The combination of increased performance, optimized transmission shift times and the new AMG RIDE CONTROL Performance suspension takes the driving dynamics of the gull-wing model to an even higher level. I have now been driving the different Safety Cars since 2000, and with each new vehicle I notice a significant enhancement over the previous model. This is where the pursuit of high performance and precision, which is so typical of Mercedes-AMG, is clearly evident again”
The job of the Official F1 Safety Car is to help, that there is maximum safety for the F1 field in extreme situations. As soon as Race Control considers that the safe progress of the race may be hindering, it sends the Safety Car out onto the track. Poor weather conditions or accidents are the main reasons for its deployment. The new SLS AMG GT differs from the previous SLS AMG in terms of its increased driving dynamics, even better on-track performance and also new design features.
The Official F1 Safety Car weighs just 1620 kg (kerb weight), thanks to the dry-sump lubrication system, the V8 engine has been installed very low down, giving the vehicle a low centre of gravity. And as a result of the engine’s positioning behind the front axle and the transaxle arrangement of the dual-clutch transmission on the rear axle, the car also has a favorable weight distribution ratio of 47:53 percent (front/rear). Custom on racing cars, is an aluminum double-wishbone axles, which ensures high cornering limits, precise turn-in characteristics, superb agility, as well as low mass inertia during sudden changes of direction.
The AMG 6.3-litre V8 front mid-engine comes with a maximum output of 435 kW (591 hp) and 650 Newton metres of peak torque is also the series-production version, as are the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission with optimised shift times, with that the newly developed AMG RIDE CONTROL Performance suspension, the AMG high-performance ceramic composite brake system and the weight-reduced AMG 10-spoke forged light-alloy wheels are painted in matt black with a high-sheen finish. The one exception is the specially developed rear silencer, which also featured in the SLS AMG Official F1 Safety Car and generates an even more sensational V8 soundtrack to thrill Formula 1 fans watching at the circuit and at home, sounds alike. The SLS AMG GT races from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds, and reaches the 200 km/h mark after just 11.2 seconds.
On a judging note, the SLS AMG GT can be distinguished from the SLS AMG by its darkened headlamps and tail lamps and the addition of “GT” to the AMG badge on the right-hand side of the boot lid. The wing-shaped cross fin is painted in a high-gloss black finish, just like the fins on the bonnet and wings. The AMG Performance steering wheel with its flat-bottomed rim and high-gloss black solid metal insert features grip areas trimmed in Alcantara and a red 12 o’clock mark at the top. The AMG instrument cluster comes with a black strip around the doorway housing the upshift indicator with its seven LEDs.
AMG has extensive experience in the design, development and deployment of the Official F1 Safety Car and Official F1 Medical Car. A C63 AMG Estate has been used as the Official F1 Medical Car since 2008, ready to provide swift emergency medical assistance in the event of an accident.
As for sales of the new SLS AMG GT, in the U.S., the SLS AMG will come exclusively in the new GT trim for 2013. First sales are scheduled to start in November.
