As part of an induction programme for the 2012 season, a trio of McLaren GT drivers including Rob Bell, Alvaro Parente and Alexander Sims were given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the latest MP4-12C sports car at the ‘figure-of-eight’ circuit, better known for its starring role as the BBC Top Gear test track.

I actually think I might have been quicker than ‘The Stig’ on the day…

Even though McLaren’s 12C GT3 race car shares its V8 twin-turbo engine and carbon ‘MonoCell’ chassis with its road car sibling, the drivers were awestruck that a car, almost as quick as their race car, could be driven on the road.

Rob Bell said: “Driving the 12C on track was a special opportunity and one that helped us learn a lot about the way McLaren develops its cars. I had a huge grin on my face because unlike any other sports car I have driven, it lacks nothing on track.

It is easy to drive very fast and very safely. I want to find the quickest way around a circuit in any car I drive, and the value of technology like Brake Steer and the 12C’s Airbrake is absolutely clear to me. I actually think I might have been quicker than ‘The Stig’ on the day…”

McLaren are gearing up for a full season of racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series, German VLN series, ADAC GT Masters, British GT championship, French FIA GT1 Championship and FIA GT1 World Championship, with a total of 25 cars built for the year.

The 12C GT3 will also compete in the famous 24 Hour Nürburgring endurance race in May, plus 24-hour races at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

Anyone with even a rudimentary awareness of driving games will know about the two goliaths of the genre, Sony Playstation’s Gran Turismo (GT5) and Microsoft Xbox’s Forza 4.

To say they dominate the marketplace would be something of an understatement – and with driving games now a $2.5 billion industry, according to market researcher EEDAR, it would take a brave man to place any bets on a newcomer.

Ignite Game Technologies is that newcomer and Simraceway is the game they’ve invested more than $12.2 million and 2 years of their lives in developing. That may sound a lot, but as already mentioned, gaming is now a huge industry.

To provide some perspective, Polyphony Digital, maker of Sony Playstation’s Gran Turismo 5 is known to have invested $80 million over a 5 year period, so you’ll understand why we were keen to speak with the guys behind Simraceway to find out if they were trying to bite off more than they can chew.

Let’s talk about the McLaren deal first, then we’ll come back to a behind-the-scenes Q & A with Ignite.

Prepare to race the McLaren of your dreams..

Prepare to race the McLaren of your dreams – that’s how McLaren led into their own announcement earlier this month.

The significance of the deal with Simraceway is two-fold, firstly no other racing game is licensed by McLaren to include its cars and it’s not just the F1 and MP4-12C that are on offer, McLaren has chosen to provide its entire catalogue of road and race cars – 60 in total – all exclusively rendered for the Simraceway virtual environment.

That’s a huge commitment, don’t you think? Not only does this involve a room full of geeks and designers slaving over their Macs, but also a team of engineers scanning, measuring and gathering data on each and every car. The partnership breaks new ground for the videogames industry, representing the first time McLaren has licensed its entire catalogue of F1, Can-Am, sports and road cars for use in a game.

It also represents the first time that anyone outside the McLaren team will be able to experience the brand’s greatest cars.

Included in the line-up is the iconic 800hp, turbocharged MP4/4 F1 car that was driven into the history books by the legendary Ayrton Senna and his teammate Alain Prost. The MP4/4 is still the most successful car in Formula One history, having won 15 of the 16 races it entered in the 1988 season, capturing the same number of pole positions and leading no less than 1003 of the 1031 laps raced that season.

Joining the MP4/4 are the F1 cars driven by Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt (in 1974 and 1976) and of course this season’s Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-26, currently being driven by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. In total, 36 F1 cars, with the exception of the MP4-26 (which is already licensed for Codemasters F1 2011), will be exclusive to Simraceway.

Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of McLaren Racing said: “Choosing Simraceway as our licensor for all 60 McLarens makes perfect sense. We’re highly impressed with their gaming products, innovative technology and the drive of their people. We are very optimistic that this will represent the start of a successful co-operation between the two companies, and we look forward to seeing our rich and beloved heritage brought to life in the virtual world.”

To save me introducing them all, but realising that many of you would love to know the details, all 60 cars are listed in the drop-down display below.

[reveal title="Licensed Vehicles List - McLaren" ]

[/reveal]

Let’s take a look at the game..

When we think of PC driving games, it’s all too easy to imagine controlling it via a keyboard or joystick, or if you’re a serious gamer then perhaps a dedicated gaming seat, complete with steering wheel and pedals.

Ignite chose a different approach, joining forces with gaming peripheral maker SteelSeries to develop the SRW-S1 Steering Wheel. The SRW-S1 is an affordable, high-performance PC controller that aims to open up a whole new racing world to players frustrated by the limitations of joypads.

The handheld hybrid racing controller combines the features and functions of a high-end steering wheel, with the portability and convenience of a joypad – the SRW-S1 includes a motion-sensor for steering and a patent-pending throttle and brake paddle system for a fully simulated driving experience without the need for floor pedals.

Sound like a gimmick? Well take a look at the video below..

Ignite Gaming Technologies recently launched the Simraceway wheel, a joint effort between the Steel Series peripherals specialist and Simraceway.

The controller was designed, tested and approved by a team of world-class drivers, including four-time IndyCar Series winner Dario Franchitti, double Indy 500 Champion, the late, great and much missed, Dan Wheldon, and SimRacing stars David Greco and Bruno Marques.

“When we set out in 2008 to create a new kind of racing game, one of the first issues we had to confront was the age-old ‘interface problem’,” said Ignite CEO Jonathan Haswell. “For decades now, racing game players have been faced with the unenviable choice of spending a huge amount of money on a wheel-and-pedal set that is tricky to set up, store and transport or settling for a binary joypad that simply isn’t fit-for-purpose.

“It soon became clear that the only solution was to produce something completely new and unique. A controller that would be affordable enough for those who can’t justify spending fortunes on top-end racing wheels but authentic enough to convey the full exhilaration of the virtual racing experience.”

As an extra bonus the SRW-S1 controller is compatible with other PC-based driving games, which makes its €119.99 ($119.99) price seem even more reasonable. You can find out more at http://steelseries.com/srws1.

Q & A with the Simracing Developers

So far the Simraceway experience sounds worthy of a closer look, so we got in touch with the developers and put them on the spot.

We’re not developing a brand new physics engine — we’re perfecting an existing one using extensive real-world racing expertise. It’s also important to emphasize that, despite their popularity, we don’t accept that Gran Turismo and Forza constitute the last word in physics.

As with real-world racing, there’s always room for innovation! With Simraceway we believe we can not only match other titles, we believe we can offer a superior racing experience thanks to a number of important innovations we have made during the title’s development.

Not only has our development team been able to call on the expertise of three world champion drivers, we also have a real-world racing facility permanently available to us for research and development. We believe both of these factors have given us a vital edge over other games in terms of authenticity on the track.

Simraceway CEO Jonathan Haswell joins in the celebrations with 2010 IndyCar Series Champion, Dario Franchitti.

We’ve partnered with SteelSeries to produce a financially-accessible, high-performance steering wheel that integrates fully with Simraceway, giving players a viable alternative to joypads, which are patently not fit for purpose in the context of a racing game.

We have experts in the field of skill quantification developing and perfecting a skill-matching system that will blow existing methods out of the water, effectively bringing sim racing to the masses by producing perfectly-matched contests for drivers of all skill levels.

As well as racing for pride and points, our players can choose to compete in paid-entry competitions which will give them the chance to win big prizes and pit them against real-world professional drivers.

Unlike “packaged goods” games, Simraceway can be constantly updated, allowing us to add new licensed content, features and upgrades and keep the game in sync with the real world.

Simraceway is a PC game that employs a client-server model similar to that used by popular online games such as World of Warcraft™. However players will also be able to enjoy an ongoing connection with the game—and perform many gameplay-related actions like viewing leaderboards and engaging with the game’s community—using any web-enabled device.

To date, Simraceway has agreed over 600 licenses for modern and historic race and road cars from some of the biggest brands in the automotive industry, including Bentley, Bugatti, Mitsubishi, and Saleen. Many of these will be exclusive to the game.

By the start of 2012, we expect to be releasing over 30 laser-scanned models each month as we build up a comprehensive simulation library of motorsport history, which our players will be able to purchase content from. We like to think of it as an “iTunes for racing”.

Simracing drivers will be able to race on a combination of real-world and fantasy street circuits, ovals and road courses.

We currently have licenses for over 60 real-world tracks which we are in the process of laser-scanning for deployment in the game.

So, how can you get involved?

Simraceway entered into open beta last week and the Simraceway wheel was launched at the same time. You can sign up now at the Simraceway website, then download the game and try it for yourself. The software is free and you can win points and prizes in the Simraceway competitions.

Sound interesting? Let us know how you get on.

The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is the main battleground of GT racing and as the 2011 series reached its conclusion, the highest placed RSR of Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long was only in 4th place, more than 50 points behind the championship winning M3 GT.

Unsurprisingly, Porsche have felt the need to do something about this state of affairs, hence the new, wider and more expensive 2012 GT3 RSR.

Most striking at first glance are the changes to the body: the width of the new GT3 RSR has grown by 48 millimetres. Built to conform to the A.C.O. “LM” GTE regulations, the 911 represents the crowning pinnacle of a range of successful customer sport race cars that are based on the 997 type 911 GT3 RS street road car.

Powering the new 911 GT3 RSR is a more efficient 4.0-litre six-cylinder boxer engine with a mandatory air-restrictor, generating 453 bhp (338 kW) and putting its power down through 310 mm wide rear wheels. The diameter of the front wheels has increased by 30 mm and the Porsche sequential six-speed gearbox is operated via paddle shifts on the steering wheel.

The nose and rear panels are adapted to the flared front and rear wheel arches, as are the door sill and the wheel arch coverings. The aerodynamic concept is complemented by a new ducting of the intake air. There are openings in the rear side sections, similar to those used in the 911 turbo and 911 GT2 RS, which replace the air scoop on the engine hood.

The new 911 GT3 RSR can be raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Le Mans Series, the American Le Mans Series as well as the International GT Open and in other series and races around the world.

“Our customer teams can expect a technically mature, high performance race car with which they will be highly competitive at international long distance races,” assures Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “Our test programme on various international race tracks is currently running at full speed. We are very pleased with the car’s performance and driveability.”

They say that if you have to ask the price then you probably can’t afford it, so perhaps we shouldn’t tell you that a 2012 911 GT3 RSR will set you back no less than 498,000 Euros (plus VAT). If that fails to dissuade you, then you’ll be pleased to hear that deliveries to customer race teams will begin in January 2012.

Gallery

You would do exactly what I did a few months ago – get your skinny behind into the nearest bucket seat and start evaluating as many car/tyre combos as you could fit into the day.

We were spoilt for choice. Literally.

The track; Circuit Estoril in Portugal. Our hosts; Michelin. The tyres; Michelin’s Pilot Sport Cup, Pilot Super Sports, PS2 and Pilot racing slicks.

And the cars? How about, every major Porsche 997 variant, Audi’s V8 and V10 R8, Audi TTRS, BMW M3, Ferrari’s 458 Italia, KTM X-Bow, Nissan GT-R, Gumpert Apollo.. You get the picture.

From track to street

Back-to-back testing provided the opportunity to evaluate the different characteristics of the tyres and how the technologies developed for the track have been passed on to the road.

Our main focus of the day was to learn about the relationship between Michelin’s race tyres and those which you or I can buy for our road cars.

I’ve been a customer for many years and yet I hadn’t realised just how seriously Michelin takes its racing. Rather than being a platform to show off their brand, racing is at the core of the company’s research and development programme, working closely with partners such as Porsche, Audi, Citroen and BMW.

Michelin treat all racing teams in a fair and equal way, collecting data, mixing it together and then advising teams on the most appropriate tyre choice, without actually sharing any identifiable data from a specific team.

But it’s not just global car manufacturers that Michelin works closely with, the tuning industry provides an important source of insight, blurring the boundary between road tyres and those best suited for the latest Nurburgring lap record.

We’re told that Michelin are the biggest spender within their industry on R&D, committing over 500 million Euros to the task of keeping their tyres at the very top.

So committed to the purpose of racing as their primary means of R&D, that the company says it has no plans to compete against Pirelli to supply tyres to Formula 1. Competing against other tyre makers is at the core of Michelin’s philosophy, and it believes that achieving high-performance over distance with consistent performance is better earned through competition.

Michelin’s Pilot Super Sport

Before travelling down to Estoril, we asked what you’d like to know more about and in fact during the day I was in constant contact with you via Twitter.

The most common question concerned Michelin’s latest high-performance tyre, the Pilot Super Sport, which will eventually supersede the well-respected PS2, which we got to compare it against out on track.

If you’re familiar with Michelin’s established track-day tyre, the Pilot Sport Cup+, then you’ll be aware of its benefits but also some of its disadvantages.

Cup tyres behave in a pseudo-slick-tyre way, benefiting from some heat-cycling before hard use and providing chewing-gum levels of grip and consistency at the limit.

Inside the 458 Italia during a fast lap of Estoril circuit. You can see how well suited the Pilot Super Sport is to such treatment.

The downside is, they don’t last very long – not if you’re used to the lifespan of a typical high-performance road tyre – and they’re ultra-tricky to drive on in the wet or when temperatures drop below 7 degrees C.

I’ve worn through a set of new £1,000+ Pilot Sport Cups in just a single weekend, which can bring a tear to the eye of even the most hardened track-day junkie.

Swap a set of Cup tyres for the more conventional PS2s and on track you’ll wonder where all the fun has gone. At the limit, the PS2s squeal like pig, give up their grip more abruptly and are more likely to lock-up under braking for slower corners.

As road tyres go, they’re one of the best, but out on track it was quickly evident how ill-suited they are to the task of consistent high-speed lapping.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on a similarly fast lap of Estoril circuit. This time the GT3 Cup is wearing a set of Pilot Slicks.

The new Pilot Super Sports represent a ‘step change’ in the capabilities of road-based performance tyres – equivalent to the alchemist’s trick of turning lead into gold. They’re a road tyre, but not as we have previously defined the breed.

On track they behave similarly to the Cup tyres, plenty of grip and consistency and none of the squealing so evident in the PS2s, whilst on the road they feel docile, reassuring and a fitting replacement for the PS2.

Whilst they’re not quite as quick on track as the Cups, they offer the same consistency which enables you to concentrate on trimming your lines and carrying more speed, without concerning yourself with the performance drop-off of an overheating road tyre.

The Super Sports are more stable under heavy braking, with less understeer a more positive steering response and a wonderfully wide slip-angle to play within on the limit.

Ferrari 458 Italia on Michelin Pilot Super Sports. These tyres were tortured for ‘research purposes’ shortly after this photograph..

If it’s credentials weren’t already solid enough, Pilot Super Sports last ‘twice’ as long as PS2s out on track, with around the same lifespan on the road.

When fitted to our Porsche 911 and Audi R8 test mules, the differences out on track were immediately apparent. Whilst nothing can match the purity, grip and response of Michelin’s racing slicks, we all agreed that the tyre we would choose to smuggle into our hand luggage for the return flight home, would be the Super Sport.

The two-wheel drive MTM Audi R8, awaiting a fresh set of rubber.

If there’s a downside of such a tyre innovation, it’s the question of whether owners are able to fit them to their latest purchase. Although Michelin has worked with manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW M and Ferrari in developing the Pilot Super Sport, Porsche in particular must put the tyre through their own homologation processes before approving the tyre for fitment to their range of cars.

This N-rated classification, which you will find on the sidewalls of all Porsche approved tyres, is the result of their independent testing for dry handling and braking, wet handling, hydroplaning, rolling circumference, high-speed running, wear, rolling resistance, noise and comfort – all of which is then optimised to deliver the desired levels of Porsche-ness.

Whilst the Pilot Super Sports felt ideally suited to the 997′s we drove around the dry Estoril track, they must also suit other road conditions and the abilities of a wide range of drivers, so frustrating as it might seem, the Pilot Super Sports are unlikely to be homologated for Porsche cars until late Summer 2012 at the earliest.

Porsche’s 911 and Michelin’s Pilot Super Sport – a marriage made in heaven. But unfortunately you can’t chose them on your Porsche yet, until they are officially homologated. Big shame.

The consequence of fitting a non N-rated tyre to your Porsche is purely one of insurance, both when claiming on Porsche’s warranty and if the worst happens and you’re involved in a road accident. It’s a grey-ish area and one which I have frequently crossed with the Porsche’s I’ve owned myself, but it’s a risk you should be aware of should you decide to take the plunge early.

Fear not though, if you really must wear the latest and greatest footwear on your Porsche, then we’re reliably informed Porsche’s new 991 model will be available with them as an OEM fitment when shipments begin.

Interestingly, we learned from our time with Michelin that even though the Pilot Super Sport is normally quicker than PS2 and Cup+ is generally quicker than both on track, this is not always the situation for every car.

For instance, the Michelin PS3 is a better tyre on the KTM X-Bow than the Super Sport, and Michelin often advise a less sporty tyre for its tuner customers, depending on the unique dynamics and balance of their cars.

So, bear that in mind the next time you go tyre shopping – the widest and stickiest aren’t necessarily the fastest – and with very few exceptions, you can’t go far wrong with Michelin’s latest Pilot Super Sport.

The “Maria”, in this case, is not, needless to say, a guitar-toting, child-mentoring, folk-singing nun, but rather, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997), as used globally by Porsche in the Carrera Cup and F1-supporting Supercup.

For the last few months, I’ve toiled with this subject. Even now, in the full flow of final composition, I find myself questioning the validity, even the existence of the argument, yet the proof is there for us all to see. To understand the issue, you have to understand the psyche.

You see, just as Maria is the embodiment of human virtue, so the 997 represents such levels of Teutonic perfection that as a one-make race car, within the framework of current regulations, it has become fundamentally flawed.

To give Porsche the credit they deserve, they work relentlessly at their motorsport programmes and can now boast 20 stand-alone championships worldwide, and over 2,200 911 GT3 Cup units sold since 1998. And of course, if you hadn’t noticed, they continue to do rather well in multi-marque racing as well. To emphasize this point, I attended the latest VLN meeting at the Nurburgring where, from a 168-car entry, 14 of the top 20 finishers were Porsche 911s.

So where’s the problem?

Precision engineering

Put very simply, Porsche have engineered a car to such precision that it has become ballistically sterile. Add to this an infusion of performance debilitating regulations and both the Carrera Cup and Supercup now, often, and at best, create a visual spectacle more congenial than enlivened. From the cockpit, the experience is, of course, very, different.

Drivers work hard to push through the inevitable understeer, using all their might to manage weight-transfer and gain traction but whereas previously, skill would be rewarded and errors punished, now, the wider track, grippier rubber and more effective aero all combine to compensate and deliver a car that forgives all but the wildest of moments.

The irony is, the 997 is a beautiful car to drive and a sensational car to race, but it’s the contradictory nature of the beast that, in amongst a pack of other 997s, makes it almost flaccid. Why Porsche have allowed this to happen, I can only speculate on, but what is for certain is that it is not an accident of birth.

The first of my concerns came with the re-design. Clearly there is more power but there’s also far greater stability and less “edge”. To me, this is more akin to perfecting a track day car than a thoroughbred one-make racer, and I can’t help but suspect that this is a fundamental aim from the manufacturer.

After all, even with almost 200 race units per annum being sold, programmes of the nature that Porsche deliver require sustainable funding and this can only be achieved by building sales volumes from road and track users.

Influx of the refugees

Next, there’s the influence of regulations, and in particular, the reduction in the minimum weight (car plus driver). For 2011, the Carrera Cup car is 20kg heavier than its predecessor yet the minimum weight allowance has been reduced by 10kg. This is an obvious benefit to the more diminutive ex-single seater drivers, but reduces the competitiveness of some of the older stalwarts (think Tim Harvey and Michael Caine).

Additionally, the continued constraints on adjustments to both suspension and aero components removes the potential for experienced teams and drivers to push the handling limits and so gain the traditional advantage that longevity often brings.

Finally, it’s also worth looking at the way Porsche support and promote their racing. Again, it’s to their credit that they invest heavily in format, paddock presence and prize structure, but however well intentioned this might appear, the emphasis of the last few years appears to combine with other factors to be aimed squarely at encouraging refugees from Formula Series’, rather than the more traditional “gentlemen drivers”.

In the hazy light of this October day, I can see the merit in Porsche’s plan. The globalisation of Formula One has widened the gene pool and the harsh reality for many talented young chargers is that even with an increase in seat numbers, it is nationality and market appeal that counts.

By offering a car that can make an effective transition from one seat to two; racing on nationally and internationally recognised packages; with opportunities for both progression and careers; racing against your peers in one of the Carrera Cups looks like a wise choice.

For Porsche the brand, it introduces them to a wealth of potential owners across trans-continental markets who see the cars taking to the track with a new generation of racers; not just the same old class of yesteryear.

The annihilation of risk

So returning to “understanding the psyche”, we have to understand that in their mind, only by offering the perfect car within controlled environments can Porsche roll-out their strategy. Risk is not a word that warrants mention.

Cars must appear brutish, yet reliable; sophisticated, yet manageable. And this is exactly what they are. And with a host of meritorious young drivers such as Mike Meadows, James Sutton, Nick Tandy, Sam Edwards, Euan Hankey and Stephen Jelly, all now challenging for domestic and international honours, and full grids across both hemispheres, it looks like the plan is working.

Cast your mind back only a couple of years and Carrera Cup GB was finding it difficult to maintain double-figure entries. That was with a car that was light and edgy and needed a level of understanding that only time and experience could give. And the Supercup was so inimical that even the best of our emerging drivers would struggle for presence – remember those fierce battles between Richard Westbrook and Barry Horne?

So which do we prefer? As spectators, we obviously want to see close racing with plenty of overtaking but not at the expense of depleted grids and an exclusion of incoming talent.

The issue is not unique. F1 went through the same only a few years ago but this isn’t a call for DRS. It is, however, a call for Porsche to consider what they will compromise to allow cars to be individually more competitive.

Ultimately, the answer may actually lie in a change of platform to the 991, but this is unlikely to happen until at least 2014 and so for the time being, other solutions need to be sought. A reduction in the size of the rear wing, combined with greater scope for adjustment might be one consideration? Or a change in rear tyre size / compound?

All I ask is that having rebuilt their championships, Porsche now open into dialogue with teams and drivers to best understand how they can maintain standards yet improve the spectacle before competitors and fans around the world start to sing “so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen and goodbye”.

The video campaign ‘Jump for JOY’ was BMW’s attempt to highlight the character and fun-loving nature of their customers, but couldn’t resist having a poke at boring stuffy Audi in an extended version of the video (below).

The “Jump for Joy” commercial spawned an ‘extended’ version where an Audi A4 owner tries to copy his BMW-owning neighbours – unfortunately he botches the attempt and ends up crushing his privates in the process. Click through to 1:13 to watch the painful moment..

So, with Audi’s current promotion of the R8 GT they’ve obviously decided to return the favour. Produced by Tonic International of Dubai, the message is simple, “..forget all this marketing fluff from BMW, with the R8 GT Joy finally has meaning”.

Audi’s £144,000+ R8 GT is the car maker’s fastest and most expensive model, using a 552 bhp V10 FSI powerplant it can accelerate from zero to 62mph in 3.8 seconds and to reach a top speed of 197mph. And rarity will be one of the reasons for joy if you’ve bought an R8 GT, with a worldwide production of just 333 units they will be a special sight on our roads.

BMW have been slow to respond to the R8 since it arrived on the scene 4 years ago, with nothing even remotely close within its range, so it’s no surprise to see Audi making hay in their latest ads.

Download a copy for your own use by clicking on the links below:

[styledbox type="download" ]

• [download id="8"]
  (1600px x 1052px – Click to download)
• [download id="9"]
  (1600px x 1052px – Click to download)

[/styledbox]

]]> http://skiddmark.com/2011/10/iotd-audi-r8-gt-jooooy-finally-has-meaning-wdownloads/feed/ 0 http://skiddmark.com/2011/05/mercedes-benz-sls-amg-roadster-the-gullwing-becomes-a-hot-rod/ http://skiddmark.com/2011/05/mercedes-benz-sls-amg-roadster-the-gullwing-becomes-a-hot-rod/#comments Sun, 29 May 2011 09:37:56 +0000 Steve Davies http://www.skiddmark.com/?p=22230 I must admit I’ve never been a fan of the gullwing doors on the SLS AMG, they add complexity where it really wasn’t needed and distract from the SLS AMG’s virtues as a driving machine. The New SLS AMG Roadster, that Mercedes officially revealed this morning, returns to a more purist design with the added bonus of releasing more of the AMG 6.3-litre V8′s wonderful sound for the enjoyment of its driver and passenger.

The technological highlights of the SLS AMG Roadster read like an A-B-C of modern sports car engineering: the combination of an aluminium spaceframe body, an AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid engine with dry sump lubrication developing a peak output of 563 bhp and 650 newton metres of torque, a seven-speed dual clutch transmission in a transaxle arrangement and sports suspension with aluminium double wishbones is guaranteed to make the hearts of sports car enthusiasts beat faster.

The compact fabric soft top of the SLS AMG Roadster opens and closes in just eleven seconds, and can be operated on the move at speeds up to 50 km/h.

The new AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension with electronically controlled damping is available as an optional extra. It enables the damping characteristics to be modified at the touch of a button. Using the AMG DRIVE UNIT, the driver of the SLS AMG Roadster is therefore able to choose his own suspension setup. Three modes are available: “Comfort”, “Sport” and “Sport plus”.

“AMG Performance Media” is a unique new feature: this innovative multimedia system, which Mercedes say was inspired by motorsport, offers a combination of numerous telemetric displays such as lateral and linear acceleration, various engine data and lap times on a racetrack, and also features high-speed mobile internet access.

Key features include:

• Real-time display of engine oil, coolant and transmission fluid temperature
• Real-time display of engine output, torque and accelerator position
• Real-time display of individual tyre pressures
• Real-time display of acceleration time from 0-62 mph (alternatively: quarter-mile)
• Real-time display of lateral and linear acceleration combined with braking performance and accelerator position, including memory function
• Recording of individual lap times on a closed-off racetrack, with sector times and memory function
• Integration of DRIVE UNIT functions to save setup data to memory and initiate RACE START

The chassis and body of the SLS AMG Roadster are of aluminium, a design combining lightweight construction with high strength. With a DIN kerb weight of 1660 kilograms, the Roadster is only 40 kilograms heavier than the Coupé. In fact the weight-optimised aluminium spaceframe weighs 243 kilograms, tipping the scales at just two kilograms more than the gull-wing model.

Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Cars: “The SLS Roadster is a super sports car, cruiser and highly desirable dream-car all in one. In its own distinctive way, it continues the succession of iconic and exciting sports cars from Mercedes-Benz.”

Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “Systematic lightweight construction, outstanding performance and a breathtaking design combined with sensuous open-air driving pleasure – the new SLS AMG Roadster perfectly embodies the AMG philosophy of German engineering and craftsmanship. The gull-wing model has already thrilled sports car fans all over the world, and now the open-top version is bound to cause a sensation.”

The SLS AMG Roadster was designed and developed in parallel with the Coupé and will be produced at the largest Mercedes-Benz production plant in Sindelfingen. The AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine produced by the AMG engine workshop in Affalterbach, continues the hand-assembled philosophy at AMG of “One man, one engine”.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster will be available in the UK from November 2011 and whilst UK Specification and pricing is yet to be confirmed, the selling price in Europe is € 195,160, which would equate to around £180,000 here in the UK.

Gallery

The open-top variant is the second car to be developed by AMG on the SLS chassis. The Coupé and Roadster concepts were created in parallel – which brought decisive advantages during the development process, but the AMG engineers have taken 3 years to develop the SLS AMG Roadster, paying particular attention to the aspects of bodyshell rigidity, driving dynamics, the soft top and NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness).

The roadster deploys the same 563 bhp V8 engine has its fixed roof sibling, and at just 243 kg the bodyshell of the Roadster tips the scales just 2 kg heavier than the Coupé.

Owing to the omission of the coupé roof and gullwing doors, the open-top SLS AMG has a reinforcing cross-member behind the seats which supports the fixed rollover protection system. Further reinforcements are made by a special bulkhead within the aluminium cross-member to provide acoustic insulation for the the 250-watt subwoofer of the Bang&Olufsen BeoSound AMG high-end sound system.

The three-layered fabric soft top of the SLS AMG Roadster, which is deposited behind the seats in a Z-formation to save space, is also an aspect relevant to handling dynamics. It has been designed to handle speeds up to the SLS AMG Roadster’s 198 mph maximum (electronically limited) and can be opened whilst moving at speeds up to 31 mph.

The development team are currently putting the roadster through “accelerated” endurance testing, which sounds as simple as letting a bunch of kids play around in the interior, but actually involves include 10,000 kilometres on the Nürburgring’s North Loop and 10,000 kilometres in city traffic. Where do I sign up?

The AMG engineers refer to these final stages as ‘torture’ testing, which must be reassuring for those customers spending close to £200,000 when the SLS AMG Roadster begins shipping later this year. You can see the results of all this hard work when it premieres at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) on 13 September 2011.

Gallery

It was a repeat of the 2010 result, and further underlines the team’s belief that The “Green Hell” remains BMW territory..

With sunny conditions and an air temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius, the VLN fans experienced a gripping race, which saw the front-runners racing closely together for most of the time. Having started from first (no. 43) and second (no. 42) on the grid, the two BMW M3 GT cars were involved in exciting duels and managed to complete the race without any technical problems, whereas some of their major rivals dropped back due to several incidents.

The lead had changed several times, before final-stint drivers Jörg Müller and Dirk Müller were able to score the one-two result. For Alzen this is his tenth overall victory in the VLN, while it is a first for Jörg Müller and Farfus.

A successful start for Mercedes

The SLS AMG GT3 which is contesting its first full season of racing, had an equally successful day with three cars in the top 10, two of them from the Black Falcon team. British driver, Sean Paul Breslin in the 3rd Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3, finished in 19th place with a best lap of 8:33.621.

The next race in the VLN series will be contested on 30th April.

Race results.

Six customer teams will be lining up on the North Loop with the racing version of Mercedes’ gull-wing model, including 3 cars from Black Falcon while Mamerow Racing, Heico Motorsport, Horn Motorsport, ROWE RACING and Race & Events GmbH will be at the starting line with one SLS AMG GT3 each.

Besides the performance of Mercedes gull-wing supercar, development has focused strongly on meeting the stringent safety standards of the championship as well as using the SLS AMG GT3 as a test bed to improve the already high standard of Mercedes race cars.

One prominent feature in the interior of the SLS AMG GT3 is the bucket seat, which is positioned within a safety cell of high-strength CFRP (carbon-fibre reinforced plastic) as in Mercedes’ DTM cars. And thanks to its special shape within the safety cell, which is bolted to the rollover cage and the aluminium space-frame, it provides considerably higher protection for the driver’s shoulders, hips and legs together with the HANS system (Head and Neck Support).

You may be surprised to hear that the racing GT3 model retains the gull-wing doors of its road going sibling. Like the production SLS AMG, the GT3 version is equipped with four pyrotechnical elements on the hinges of the gull-wing doors. These allow a rapid exit for the driver, or fast access by emergency personnel, should the vehicle be lying on its roof after an accident.

They are activated by the driver, using a switch on the centre console. Should he be incapable of doing this himself, the emergency personnel are able to pull on a ring easily located on the lower edge of the windscreen and marked “Emergency Exit”. The four pyrotechnical elements are then triggered, and release two roof hinges retaining each of the two gull-wing doors.

In addition the SLS AMG GT3 has polycarbonate side windows which can be easily removed by the driver or emergency personnel after an accident. The crash-protected location of the battery next to the centre tunnel, as well as the interior and exterior switches cutting off the power circuit, further demonstrate the efforts made for the greatest possible protection of the SLS AMG GT3′s driver.

VLN races at a glance:

• 2 April 2011: 58th ADAC Westphalia race
• 30 April 2011: 36th DMV 4-hour race
• 14 May 2011: 42nd Adenauer ADAC Circuit Trophy
• 28 May 2011: 53rd ADAC ACAS H&R Cup
• 11 June 2011: 51st ADAC Reinoldus endurance race
• 30 July 2011: 34th RCM DMV Grenzland race
• 27 August 2011: ADAC Ruhr Trophy six-hour race
• 24 September 2011: 43rd ADAC Barbarossa Prize
• 15 October 2011: 35th DMV 250-mile race
• 29 October 2011: 36th DMV Münsterland Trophy
• 10 December 2011: VLN annual prizegiving

Gallery