2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series First Test


 There's a well-worn chestnut in the automotive world that it's better for a given car to be a chef's knife than a multitool, to transcend in one specific discipline rather than be OK in several areas. An expert beats out a dilettante. Whether or not this particular sentiment holds water is rarely if ever up for debate; that's why it's a chestnut. Most car people just seem to accept it a priori. It's dogma. As for me, sure, I love a distinct, clear-cut tool like a Caterham 7. It has one purpose: to go fast. Everything else like comfort, practicality, safety, and your skin be damned. That said, I also love the Rivian R1T, a truck with more superpowers—835 hp, 3.1-second 0-60 time, luxury cabin, off-road chops to conquer Moab, built-in stove!—than a giant squid. Now that's all been said, meet the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, a car built for one reason and one reason only: to set the production car lap record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Guess what: The mighty AMG did exactly that, beating out the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ's 6:44.97 record run by more than a second, with a time of 6:43.62. Impressive, especially when you consider the GT Black Series' time is a massive 21-second improvement over the AMG GT R Pro's 'Ring performance. To quote a certain hotel heiress, that's huge. Hats off to Mercedes-AMG for setting such an ambitious goal and then achieving it. (And before you fire off any angry emails, yes, there's the tuned Porsche 911 GT2 RS with the Manthey Performance Kit, which is an aftermarket purchase. You cannot buy a GT2 RS from the Porsche factory capable of repeating the Manthey car's 6:43.30 lap. The GT Black Series is also notable because it's the very last car that former AMG CEO/current Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers signed off on. Talk about going out on a high.)

Nhận xét

Đăng nhận xét

Bài đăng phổ biến từ blog này

Hyundai Kona N Line AWD

Hình ảnh
  What are the uninitiated to make of the   updated 2022 Hyundai Kona   in   new N Line trim ? The subcompact SUV's distinctive exterior is kind of cute,   kind of funky   and chunky, but not necessarily everyone's cup of tea. As an N Line offering, it's supposed to be sportier, and its size and fifth door have led some to consider the Kona to be something of a compact/subcompact hatchback instead of a small crossover SUV. The 2022 Kona N Line features the range's more powerful 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and our test vehicle has all-wheel drive. As for the N Line designation, that's a reference to the brand's "N" vehicles, like  the Veloster N ,  the Elantra N , and, yes,  the  Kona N , with N Line being a sort of stepping stone between the regular versions and the frenetic, high-performance full-N models. Those include the Elantra N Line, Sonata N Line, and mor...
Đọc thêm

Citroen C5 Aircross Hybrid 2020

Hình ảnh
  Until last year it was a 40-year   Citroën   tradition that the marque’s biggest and most expensive model should be a large, likeable, slow-selling and fast-depreciating business saloon. In 2019, however, the company corrected that mistake by launching a handsome and distinctive SUV flagship,   the C5 Aircross , though even that failed at first to join the electrification bandwagon that was already rolling fast. Now Citroën has remedied this shortcoming with a new two-model range of C5 Aircross plug-in hybrids that catapults it to the front rank of SUV efficiency. The entry-level Flair model costs a very reasonable £35,370, considering it comes with equipment like climate control, air-con and traffic-monitoring navigation, but the bargain is the Flair Plus, which costs barely £1500 more while adding more ornate 19in alloy wheels (instead of 18s), half-leather trim, an electric-adjust driver’s seat, radar cruise control and a hands-free motorised tail...
Đọc thêm

New Volkswagen Golf GTI

Hình ảnh
  Volkswagen has opened order books for the new, eighth-generation   Golf GTI , customer deliveries of which will start later this year. The newest version of the genre-defining hot hatchback is based on the Mk8 Golf, which was unveiled last year. It sticks closely to the established GTI template for the model, retaining the Volkswagen Group’s familiar ‘EA888’ turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and sending power to the car's front wheels exclusively. However, the standard version of the new GTI features all the additions fitted to the GTI Performance version of the Mk7 Golf, including boosts in power to 242bhp (from 228bhp) and torque to 273lb ft (from 258lb ft), a limited-slip differential and upgraded brakes. To please enthusiasts further, the GTI retains a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, although a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is again optional. Prices start from £33,460 for the six-speed manual and versions equipped with th...
Đọc thêm