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Απο αρθρο στις 23-2-2004
The SLR was just the first shot: Mercedes-Benz and McLaren are beyond planning stages for a mid-engine, V8-powered supercar with sights set on Ferrari’s 360 Modena and Ford’s GT. The project car—though only in its formative stage—has a dedicated group looking into its engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing feasibility, and is codenamed P8. If given approval in the coming months, P8, which would slot between the robust SL65 AMG and the SLR McLaren, could be on the streets testing by late 2006 and in showrooms by late 2007.
“Yes, we are looking at a mid-engine road car,” Mercedes boss Jürgen Hubbert told AutoWeek last week. “But there is no decision on production.” Before production can happen, M-B and McLaren board members must give P8 unanimous approval.
Hubbert stressed the Mercedes supercar bears no relationship to the mid-engine ME Four-Twelve concept shown by Chrysler at Detroit. Mercedes engine-tuner AMG merely provided the 850-hp quad-turbo V12 for that concept, which Hubbert doubts will see production.
It is reasonable to think P8 will use the same lightweight carbon fiber monocoque construction as the SLR, and incorporate features such as Mercedes’ Pre-Safe early warning system that triggers safety systems in the event of an impending crash. Engineers are striving to keep weight to 3000 pounds, or close to that of the 360 Modena and Gallardo. “Anything lower would be utopian, given the stringent crash standards the new car will need to adhere to, both in Europe and the U.S.,” said an AutoWeek source. The ME Four-Twelve beat this weight target with similar equipment and a bigger engine but no price target.
**AutoWeek can reveal top-secret details about the P8’s powerplant. Codenamed M156, it is an all-new normally aspirated 6.3-liter V8 that is also destined to power future AMG versions of the E-, CLS-, S-, CL- and SL-Class cars.
The aluminum-block unit is based on Mercedes’ M273-designated four-valve-per-cylinder V8 due out next year, an engine that develops a reliable 500 hp on the engine dyno, say highly placed sources. A twin-turbocharged version that churns out a mammoth 700 hp is in early development, though that mill has not yet received the production green light.**
The M156 is being developed under AMG engine boss Rolf Zimmermann, who is the mastermind behind the 367-hp normally aspirated and 500-hp supercharged 5.4-liter V8 powerplants in AMG models now. Zimmermann also developed the 555-hp 7.3-liter V12 engine that powers the Pagani Zonda S.
Mystery still surrounds the gearbox choice for the new car. All of Mercedes’ recent performance cars—SLR included—get a beefed-up automatic transmission that runs the company’s so-called Speedshift electronics, which make for quicker gear changes.
Sources tell AutoWeek the most likely scenario is a reworked version of the new Mercedes 7G-Tronic unit. With torque converter lock-up on each of its seven forward gears, and electronics that allow it to skip ratios on kickdown, it could turn the monster output into scintillating performance—though without the tactile feel of a manual like those in the 360 Modena and Ford GT. The torque limit for this gearbox is well within what the V8 engine could produce.
And the price? Positioned between the SL65 AMG and the SLR, industry analysts predict a price tag for the two-seater of around $200,000—a slight premium over the current 360 Modena and a healthy $60,000 more than the $140,000 Ford GT. Still, that is a fraction of the $1.2 million a used McLaren F1 will cost now.
Source: Autoweek
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Απο αρθρο στις 23-2-2004
The SLR was just the first shot: Mercedes-Benz and McLaren are beyond planning stages for a mid-engine, V8-powered supercar with sights set on Ferrari’s 360 Modena and Ford’s GT. The project car—though only in its formative stage—has a dedicated group looking into its engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing feasibility, and is codenamed P8. If given approval in the coming months, P8, which would slot between the robust SL65 AMG and the SLR McLaren, could be on the streets testing by late 2006 and in showrooms by late 2007.
“Yes, we are looking at a mid-engine road car,” Mercedes boss Jürgen Hubbert told AutoWeek last week. “But there is no decision on production.” Before production can happen, M-B and McLaren board members must give P8 unanimous approval.
Hubbert stressed the Mercedes supercar bears no relationship to the mid-engine ME Four-Twelve concept shown by Chrysler at Detroit. Mercedes engine-tuner AMG merely provided the 850-hp quad-turbo V12 for that concept, which Hubbert doubts will see production.
It is reasonable to think P8 will use the same lightweight carbon fiber monocoque construction as the SLR, and incorporate features such as Mercedes’ Pre-Safe early warning system that triggers safety systems in the event of an impending crash. Engineers are striving to keep weight to 3000 pounds, or close to that of the 360 Modena and Gallardo. “Anything lower would be utopian, given the stringent crash standards the new car will need to adhere to, both in Europe and the U.S.,” said an AutoWeek source. The ME Four-Twelve beat this weight target with similar equipment and a bigger engine but no price target.
**AutoWeek can reveal top-secret details about the P8’s powerplant. Codenamed M156, it is an all-new normally aspirated 6.3-liter V8 that is also destined to power future AMG versions of the E-, CLS-, S-, CL- and SL-Class cars.
The aluminum-block unit is based on Mercedes’ M273-designated four-valve-per-cylinder V8 due out next year, an engine that develops a reliable 500 hp on the engine dyno, say highly placed sources. A twin-turbocharged version that churns out a mammoth 700 hp is in early development, though that mill has not yet received the production green light.**
The M156 is being developed under AMG engine boss Rolf Zimmermann, who is the mastermind behind the 367-hp normally aspirated and 500-hp supercharged 5.4-liter V8 powerplants in AMG models now. Zimmermann also developed the 555-hp 7.3-liter V12 engine that powers the Pagani Zonda S.
Mystery still surrounds the gearbox choice for the new car. All of Mercedes’ recent performance cars—SLR included—get a beefed-up automatic transmission that runs the company’s so-called Speedshift electronics, which make for quicker gear changes.
Sources tell AutoWeek the most likely scenario is a reworked version of the new Mercedes 7G-Tronic unit. With torque converter lock-up on each of its seven forward gears, and electronics that allow it to skip ratios on kickdown, it could turn the monster output into scintillating performance—though without the tactile feel of a manual like those in the 360 Modena and Ford GT. The torque limit for this gearbox is well within what the V8 engine could produce.
And the price? Positioned between the SL65 AMG and the SLR, industry analysts predict a price tag for the two-seater of around $200,000—a slight premium over the current 360 Modena and a healthy $60,000 more than the $140,000 Ford GT. Still, that is a fraction of the $1.2 million a used McLaren F1 will cost now.
Source: Autoweek
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Απο αρθρο στις 23-2-2004
The SLR was just the first shot: Mercedes-Benz and McLaren are beyond planning stages for a mid-engine, V8-powered supercar with sights set on Ferrari’s 360 Modena and Ford’s GT. The project car—though only in its formative stage—has a dedicated group looking into its engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing feasibility, and is codenamed P8. If given approval in the coming months, P8, which would slot between the robust SL65 AMG and the SLR McLaren, could be on the streets testing by late 2006 and in showrooms by late 2007.
“Yes, we are looking at a mid-engine road car,” Mercedes boss Jürgen Hubbert told AutoWeek last week. “But there is no decision on production.” Before production can happen, M-B and McLaren board members must give P8 unanimous approval.
Hubbert stressed the Mercedes supercar bears no relationship to the mid-engine ME Four-Twelve concept shown by Chrysler at Detroit. Mercedes engine-tuner AMG merely provided the 850-hp quad-turbo V12 for that concept, which Hubbert doubts will see production.
It is reasonable to think P8 will use the same lightweight carbon fiber monocoque construction as the SLR, and incorporate features such as Mercedes’ Pre-Safe early warning system that triggers safety systems in the event of an impending crash. Engineers are striving to keep weight to 3000 pounds, or close to that of the 360 Modena and Gallardo. “Anything lower would be utopian, given the stringent crash standards the new car will need to adhere to, both in Europe and the U.S.,” said an AutoWeek source. The ME Four-Twelve beat this weight target with similar equipment and a bigger engine but no price target.
**AutoWeek can reveal top-secret details about the P8’s powerplant. Codenamed M156, it is an all-new normally aspirated 6.3-liter V8 that is also destined to power future AMG versions of the E-, CLS-, S-, CL- and SL-Class cars.
The aluminum-block unit is based on Mercedes’ M273-designated four-valve-per-cylinder V8 due out next year, an engine that develops a reliable 500 hp on the engine dyno, say highly placed sources. A twin-turbocharged version that churns out a mammoth 700 hp is in early development, though that mill has not yet received the production green light.**
The M156 is being developed under AMG engine boss Rolf Zimmermann, who is the mastermind behind the 367-hp normally aspirated and 500-hp supercharged 5.4-liter V8 powerplants in AMG models now. Zimmermann also developed the 555-hp 7.3-liter V12 engine that powers the Pagani Zonda S.
Mystery still surrounds the gearbox choice for the new car. All of Mercedes’ recent performance cars—SLR included—get a beefed-up automatic transmission that runs the company’s so-called Speedshift electronics, which make for quicker gear changes.
Sources tell AutoWeek the most likely scenario is a reworked version of the new Mercedes 7G-Tronic unit. With torque converter lock-up on each of its seven forward gears, and electronics that allow it to skip ratios on kickdown, it could turn the monster output into scintillating performance—though without the tactile feel of a manual like those in the 360 Modena and Ford GT. The torque limit for this gearbox is well within what the V8 engine could produce.
And the price? Positioned between the SL65 AMG and the SLR, industry analysts predict a price tag for the two-seater of around $200,000—a slight premium over the current 360 Modena and a healthy $60,000 more than the $140,000 Ford GT. Still, that is a fraction of the $1.2 million a used McLaren F1 will cost now.
Source: Autoweek
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Αρο αρθρο στις 6-1-2004
LONDON - A joint venture of DaimlerChrysler and McLaren Cars may develop another vehicle in addition to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren sports car.
'We are currently looking into possibly building a further vehicle,' McLaren chief Ron Dennis said at the opening of the McLaren Technology Center last month in Woking, near London.
Juergen Hubbert, head of DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz car operations, said: 'Our focus is currently on the sales start of the SLR.
'But we are already looking into the future. We want to create a new brand.'
Hubbert said the proposed vehicle would be positioned between the Mercedes-Benz SL and the $400,000 SLR McLaren.
Although they emphasized that there is no decision to build the model, Dennis and Hubbert said they believe a production volume of 15,000 units would be realistic.
The first 30 SLR McLarens were finished quickly when the technology center opened May 12. The car's production volume will be 3,500 vehicles.
'The SLR took some doing,' Dennis said. 'In the beginning we thought we were better than we really were.'
He said McLaren lost a lot of time and money at the start of SLR production because the company underestimated Mercedes-Benz's high quality standards.
Customers face the consequences of these delays.
Hubbert said a customer who orders an SLR today and pays a deposit of $50,000 will get the car at the end of 2006 at the earliest.
The car has a base price of about $400,000.
*Gerhard Mauerer writes for Automobilwoche, a sister publication to AutoWeek. *
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Σημερινο αρθρο:
Still Cooking - - By GREG KABLE - - Source: AUtoweek
We can expect more than the SLR from the continuing partnership between McLaren and Mercedes-Benz, including the once-scuttled P8 supercar that gained a reprieve last year (“Not So Fast, McLaren P8 Supercar Back on Track,” April 11, 2005).
That’s the clear message from McLaren director Martin Whitmarsh on the state of his company’s relationship with partner and 40 percent shareholder Mercedes-Benz. Whitmarsh spoke at the recent rollout of the new MP4-21 race car at the Barcelona Grand Prix circuit in Spain.
“The level of interest in McLaren from Mercedes-Benz is higher than it has ever been,” Whitmarsh said. “There is a clear commitment to be in F1 in the long term and refreshed interest in road car activities. I think it is increasingly likely there will be a range of sports cars in Woking [McLaren’s manufacturing headquarters] in the future.”
Speculation in recent months was that cost-cutting by Mercedes’ newly installed boss Dieter Zetsche might eventually lead to the end of the McLaren-Mercedes partnership that began in 1995 when Mercedes began supplying engines for McLaren’s F1 team.
A Mercedes spokesperson refused to confirm Whitmarsh’s claim, but said a decision on the German carmaker’s commitment to McLaren would be made public soon. Word around Mercedes headquarters in Stuttgart is that Zetsche is keen to use McLaren to showcase Mercedes’ technology.
The first of the new joint-venture models expected to reach production is the mid-engine P8 supercar, partly developed by McLaren but placed on hold by former Mercedes boss Eckhard Cordes as part of a cost-cutting program early last year. Stuttgart insiders say the car is back in Mercedes’ future model program, with a launch expected in 2008.
Based around a unique carbon fiber monocoque manufactured by McLaren, the P8 originally was slated to get AMG’s new 6.3-liter, 510-hp V8 engine unveiled at last year’s Frankfurt motor show. However, our sources say P8 may now be in line to receive an even more powerful AMG 6.0-liter, 600-hp-plus turbocharged V8.
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OMG! Μακάρι να είναι πιο πισταδόρικο και όχι ένα GT σαν την SLR..
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Mercedes-McLaren: Στο προσκήνιο και πάλι η παραγωγή του P8 supercar
Στο πρόγραμμα παραγωγής της Mecredes-Benz και της McLaren συνεχίζει να βρίσκεται το P8 supercar, το οποίο αποτελεί το διάδοχο της SLR McLaren. Σύμφωνα με το διευθυντή της McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh, το ενδιαφέρον των δύο εταιρειών για τη δημιουργία και την παραγωγή ενός supercar με προδιαγραφές F1, παραμένει ζωντανό και υπάρχει πιθανότητα στο μέλλον να το δούμε να κυκλοφορεί στους δημόσιους δρόμους. Τον περασμένο Απρίλιο, το πρόγραμμα παραγωγής του Ρ8 βρισκόταν πολύ κοντά στην υλοποίησή του. Οι φήμες όμως, περί περικοπών της Mercedes, που ενδεχομένως να οδηγούσαν στον τερματισμό της συνεργασίας της με τη McLaren, οδήγησαν στη διακοπή του προγράμματος. Ο εκπρόσωπος της Mercedes αρνήθηκε να επιβεβαιώσει τις δηλώσεις του Whitmarsh, τονίζοντας ότι σύντομα θα υπάρξει επίσημη ανακοίνωση.
Το Ρ8 είναι το πρώτο αυτοκίνητο που αναμένεται να φθάσει στην παραγωγή, αν το αποφασίσουν οι δύο πλευρές, με την McLaren να είναι η κύρια υπεύθυνη για την ανάπτυξή του. Ορισμένα μέλη από την έδρα της Mercedes στη Στουτγάρδη ισχυρίζονται ότι το αυτοκίνητο βρίσκεται μέσα στα μελλοντικά πλάνα της εταιρείας και η έναρξη της παραγωγής του αναμένεται το 2008. Σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, το P8 θα εφοδιάζεται με ένα V8 κινητήρα AMG turbo, χωρητικότητας 6,0 λίτρων και απόδοσης 600 ίππων.
Mercedes McLaren P8