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Race Recap: 2013 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour race a feast of water, wrecks and yellow flags

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Australia, Racing

For the last two years, Audi has won what's called "The ultimate Aussie endurance race," the Bathurst 12-Hour event at Mt. Panorama, reverentially known as "The Mountain." It did so with factory-backed versions of the R8 LMS Ultra and factory-backed drivers sent over for the sole purpose of taking the checkered flag at the 3.861-mile course and then taking the silverware back to Ingolstadt.

Erebus Motorsport, owned by property developer Betty Klimenko, is 18 months old. You've read about Erebus in news about the V8 Supercar season, the team engaging in some international intrigue so it could run Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs against Holden, Ford and Nissan which also in the series. It took second in last year's Bathurt 12-hour race, and Klimenko said that this year they'd win it.

They'd have to get past Phoenix Motorsport, the Audi team that's taken two wins on the trot. Phoenix had different drivers this year, but the team still had race-winning experience and there were six other R8 LMS Ultras in the field with customer racing support, and we're still talking about Audi, a juggernaut going up against a team that, were it human, would barely be old enough to talk.

It was a crazy day on the mountain that would decide the day.

Continue reading Race Recap: 2013 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour race a feast of water, wrecks and yellow flags

Race Recap: 2013 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour race a feast of water, wrecks and yellow flags originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes launches SLS AMG GT3 45th Anniversary racecar

Zach Bowman — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Specialty, Racing

Mercedes-Benz has whipped up a special edition of its SLS AMG GT3 customer racecar to mark the 45th anniversary of the very first SL model. The company plans to build no more than five examples, each stitched together by hand in Affalterbach. Each of the bruisers will come with a special magno graphite matte paint slathered over carbon fiber bodywork. The racer wears a composite hood, trunk lid, aero work and doors. Jump inside, and the SLS AMG GT3 45th Anniversary offers a full race cage painted to match the vehicle's exterior as well as carbon-shell seats for both the driver and co-driver.

Meanwhile, each machine will receive an AMG 6.2-liter V8 hand-fitted by Bernd Schneider and an AMG technician. As you may recall, Schneider carried out most of the development testing of the SLS AMG GT3 and has won the DTM championship three times.

Buyers will receive their vehicles at a handover ceremony in Affalterbach, which includes a full factory tour by Schneider himself. If you want one, better scrape up €446,250, including the 19 percent Value Added Tax. That works out to around $578,250 at current conversion rates. Zing. Take a look at the full press release below.

Continue reading Mercedes launches SLS AMG GT3 45th Anniversary racecar

Mercedes launches SLS AMG GT3 45th Anniversary racecar originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pagani to debut ultimate Zonda R Evo at Goodwood

Noah Joseph — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Misc. Auto Shows, MISC

If you thought Pagani had replaced the Zonda with the Huayra, think again. The Modenese purveyor of the most exotic of supercars is apparently willing to continue building Zondas for moneyed buyers who still want them. And far from simply continuing the model it had, Pagani has been further developing the Zonda into ever-more extreme variants.

The latest, according to GTSpirit, will be the Zonda R Evo, a model Pagani is expected to bring to the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed. The track-only model would, if speculation manifests, combine the best features of the existing Zonda R (pictured above) with the output of the latest Zonda 760 RS. That means competition-spec suspension, brakes, aero and rolling stock with a 760-horsepower incarnation of the V12 built for Pagani by Mercedes AMG. That, for comparison's sake, is within spitting distance of twice the output of the original Zonda C12 that hit unsuspecting roads at the turn of the millennium.

With that much juice, the Zonda R Evo is tipped to hit 62 mph in under 2.7 seconds and bag a top speed of more than 218 mph. Former Formula One driver and multiple DTM champion Bernd Schneider is expected to drive the ultimate-Zonda-to-date up the hill at the Earl of March's estate at the end of the month.

Pagani to debut ultimate Zonda R Evo at Goodwood originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG straightens up and flies right

Chris Paukert — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, First Drives, Luxury

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG - Click above for high-res image gallery

On one hand, it may seem like an odd time for Mercedes to be jumping back into the ultra-premium end of the car market, particularly in light of its recent less-than-standouts efforts (think: McLaren SLR and the salesproof Maybach). But this isn't the case with the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. In fact, this isn't really a Gottlieb and Karl joint at all - at least not by any traditional definition.

The SLS is actually an Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach project. Huh? It's AMG's first bumper-to-bumper, start-to-finish project - and having just torn around the California countryside and hot-lapped around Laguna Seca, we're left wondering only one thing: Why did it take more than 40 years for this to happen? Well, perhaps we should cut Mercedes some slack, as it has only owned the high-performance arm since 1999, so perhaps the appropriate thing is to look at the SLS' 2009 rollout as something of a tenth anniversary present to itself. In that light, the folks from Stuttgart know how to throw one hell of a party.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG straightens up and flies right

First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG straightens up and flies right originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite visit from Heidi Klum, Audi DTM team loses at EuroSpeedway

Chris Paukert — Mon, 01 May 2006 09:04:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Europe, Audi

Could supermodel Heidi Klum be a closet gearhead? Despite parting ways with Renault F1 bigwig Flavio Briatore, the camera-friendly celebrity appears to still have a thing for motorsports, having reportedly 'coptered in to chat with the Audi DTM crew at the EuroSpeedway over the weekend. Klum talked with the team, then walked around the starting grid and took in the race from the Audi Lounge over pit lane.

Perhaps the four-ringed boys were a mote distracted, as they were unable to seal the deal on the track. Tom Kristensen (Siemens Audi A4 DTM) finished second, the only marque representative in the top seven spots. Mercedes dominated the standings, securing six out of the top ten positions, including eventual winner Bernd Schneider.

(Flavio and Klum are pictured)

[Source: PaddockTalk]

Despite visit from Heidi Klum, Audi DTM team loses at EuroSpeedway originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 May 2006 09:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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