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6 hours agoMercedes-AMG Doesn't Want Its New EV To Feel Like An EV
Mercedes-AMG's new electric GT features a tri-motor system and customizable driving dynamics for enhanced performance and handling on ice.
I think when we decided to give him the race seat one and a half years ago, we hoped for this trajectory. The ups and downs you expect from a young driver aged 18 in the first year, and eventually by the second year [we hoped] the success would materialize and I think this is happening.
We've been involved with the business for five years now. It's an incredible brand with lots of legacy and great values, and there's a long-term plan here. That was supported by two things last year: Carlos joining us, who obviously saw the opportunity when it came to wanting to win; and finishing fifth. And that just supported our story of going back to the top.
In the short term, expectations are brutally realistic, but this is still a team intent on making noise from day one. That intent will be made clear when Cadillac unveils the livery of its first F1 car during a Super Bowl commercial Sunday. Such a move is a statement and arrival aimed as much at mainstream America as at a paddock that, for years, questioned whether the brand belonged on the grid at all.
The project was originally intended to be much less, simply a garage for the owners' current beloved collection of five Porsches-two convertibles, a coupe, an SUV, and an electric sedan. But as they started talking, says lead architect Carl Baker, the mission crept to include "the ability to indulge all of their hobbies."
Like previous Honor RSR Porsche Design models, the latest Magic8 variant features a distinctive design with styling cues inspired by Porsche supercars. It also sports a nano-ceramic rear panel, which Honor claims offers a Mohs hardness rating of 8.5. Additionally, the Magic8 RSR Porsche Design is said to be 10% lighter than its predecessor. Notably, the camera module design is inspired by the matrix headlights seen on classic Porsche models.
In a more-natural habitat - the serpentine road course of Sonoma Raceway - this 1,250-horsepower hybrid advances its case as the fastest production car in American history, and among the speediest to ever roam this planet's surface.
The vibration into the chassis is causing a few reliability problems: mirrors falling off, tail lights falling off, all that sort of thing, which we are having to address. Fernando [Alonso] is of the feeling that he can't do more than 25 laps consecutively before he risks permanent nerve damage to his hands.
This is the first-ever Chinese Gran Turismo performance racer to be materialized, and the air flow obsession goes beyond everything you would imagine. Although one cannot drive it for real anytime soon, you can explore the two-door performance car in Gran Turismo 7, using the company's dedicated simulator with exact racing seats as the concept car.
The original 300 SL Uhlenhaut Coupe, the racing variant that never made it to public roads, remains one of the most valuable cars ever auctioned, fetching $143 million at a 2022 Sotheby's sale. So when concept designer Gabriel Naretto decided to name his reimagined Mercedes-AMG shooting brake after the man himself, the pressure to deliver something worthy of that legacy was immense.
Cadillac's response was to design specifically for that liminal space. The testing livery features what they call "the Cadillac precision geometric pattern" in gloss and matte sequences, turning functional camouflage into brand vocabulary. They're using the constraint of secrecy to communicate design philosophy, establishing that their approach blends automotive prototype discipline with motorsport theater. The giant Cadillac crest draped across the engine cover isn't trying to hide anything. It's declaring that the space between stealth and spectacle is itself worth designing for.
This is silly, but a particular lifestyle seemingly comes with it for anyone who drives a Mercedes. You might feel like you are taking on the responsibility of trying to show you are living a "rich" lifestyle, even if that isn't why you bought the car. Ultimately, this kind of pressure isn't for everyone and isn't guaranteed to happen, but many Mercedes owners complain about it after purchase.
Its design is characterized by a single, powerful line that runs from the sharp nose to the abrupt tail, creating a sense of forward motion even at a standstill. The body is a collection of interconnected trapezoids and clean angles, forming a cohesive whole that is both brutally simple and endlessly complex. This was a car designed as a piece of kinetic sculpture, an object whose form was so powerful it became a cultural touchstone for an entire generation.
The newly unveiled car is ultra-agile thanks to the weight reduction achieved by shaving off components like the skid-control, torque-vectoring, or automatic brake-assist. It doesn't even have power steering, and gives buyers the option to skip the air conditioning unit for weight reduction, making it the ideal fit for raw purists who want to feel every little change happening in the driving dynamics.