AMG Performance Media Track Monitor Shown

AMG recently showed its AMG Performance Media module for its cars. The video below shows the data that can be accessed via the APM. These include 0-100 km/h acceleration times, a G-meter to measure acceleration, braking and cornering forces, throttle and brake inputs, lap timer, engine output, tire pressures, engine temp and a history function for comparing your and the car’s performance across various tracks. For the enthusiast, monitoring these functions enables one to use the data to improve the performance of the car and driver combination.

These real-time data logging functions have been available for some time now from aftermarket companies. But by allowing this data to be accessed through the multifunction display, the interior of the AMG vehicle retains its look without having a tacky add-on mar the availability of the additional data.

By the way, the demonstration run you will see was done on an SLS AMG at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center

by Emmanuel (RSS feed) October 19th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Vintage race cars, pre-war models, one-off custom cars. Any one of these cars would fetch a commanding price if it were to find itself at an auction. But for the technicians at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, finding themselves in the middle of this rich automotive history is all in a day’s work. Entering the shop as rusting hulks, these cars each have a story to tell and the people in the Center are justifiably proud when what was once a heap of rusty metal components is turned into a concours-quality masterpiece.

As you will see, what these master craftsmen strive for is perfection in all aspects of a restoration. Whether it is in the exact tolerances of the mechanical parts, or the authenticity of the look or even in the way it’s put together. Because of this goal towards authenticity, the cars that come out of the shop don’t look restored but are instead presented as timeless pieces of automotive history.

CLS63 AMG Design Process Time-Lapsed

We all know that Mercedes-Benzes are highly complex cars that are masterpieces from the minds of designers and engineers from the company’s tech centers. Unlike the sometimes overwhelming feeds on new models and spyshots that we get on a weekly basis, the design process is not as readily available. But now, a time-lapse video has hit YouTube, showing some elements of the design process, from the proverbial clean sheet of paper, to a digital rendering on a computer, which will become the basis for CAD/CAM processes that make up the steps in automobile production.

As you will see, the video is a demonstration of the design process and not an actual work in progress. For one, the computer has obviously been set up in a conference room and, as we said, some steps are apparently skipped. Some commenters have also noted some faults in the original sketch. But as AMG says, this is a demo of how a great car like the CLS is made into a reality, and for most of the world, it is highly informative.