Crissus

I'm asking this question because i drove against a Ferrari 550 Maranello and a Lambo Gallardo Spyder lately.
Well its not that usual here in germany to have any sort of races on the public road, nor do we have 1/4 tracks that i'm aware of - the cooler such incidents are.

Ferrari Story:
3 weeks ago on the Autobahn there was a guy with a Ferrari 550 Maranello who was pushing every car from the left lane. So i thought at some point, well lets see if we can catch him at least.
You have to know, a Mercedes (even AMGs) is something "normal" here in germany, but a Ferrari is always something special, exotic, you see very rarely.
So we were both accelerating like crazy from 120kph (75mph) and boy that Ferrari makes some noise if it goes WOT in front of you - even in some distance. Screams like in the Formula 1.
Well and around 240 kph (150mph) i was getting so close to his back that he had to move on the right lane and let me slowly pass him at around 260kph (163mph).
As i was passing him, i saw he was a guy in the middle age with a younger and pretty blonde lady next to him. And suddenly he got hard on the brake (not because of traffic as there was non on the right lane at that point) and disappeared in my rear mirror.
Some miles later, i also thought, well lets give him a thumbs up or something so i also went on the brakes and slowed down waiting for him, but he was not appearing.
Then another few miles later the Autobahn was finished and ended in mid-sized city. He was on the same lane as myself, but as he was getting closer, he suddenly went all the way from left-lane, crossed 2 lanes right and evaded my as it seems and was gone.

Lambo Story:
There are two extremely tanned Bodybuilders who drive around my home town lately with a yellow Lambo Gallardo Spyder. And all the people are watching and cheering when they accelerate and driving by. Thats because like a Ferrari, a Lamborghini is also something very Rare and special.
Some days ago i was standing in a parking lot having a beer with my best friend and they passed by with their Lambo. So i said, let get em!
I started the car and followed them through the town into another town, etc.
They tried to get away from me inside the town and this Gallardo also screams like crazy when they went WOT but they couldn't really get away. Anyway, the town ended and into the next town there is a straight road approx 5km (3,2miles) long.
So we started at around 60kph (37,5mph) and both went WOT. I knew before, that the Lambo weights at least 400Kgs (800pounds) less than my CL and has the same HP, so i expected to loose totally.
But that thing could not get away from me.
In fact at around 200kph (120mph) i was again so scary close to their back, that i had either to move a bit away from WOT point on my gaspedal or to try to overtake them.
So i did the latter and tried to overtake them. However i was only veeeeery slowly gaining inch by inch, because i was not in their slipstream anymore, but still at around 250kph (156mph) we were side by side.
If this would have been the Autobahn, i think at 300kph (188mph) i would have passed him completely - at least that was the "felt tendency" there.
Anyway the road ended and we both went hard on the brakes.
In that next town on a larger crossing i was driving next to them and we were having a short chat about how cool his car is and that he didn't expected the heavy Mercedes to be such quick, bla bla bla.


So i never would have expected that my 2000kg heavy Mercedes is that quick against the super rare, super sport cars of italy.
My car i believe is stock unless the following mods:
- Secondary cats delete
- MKB X-Pipe and Resonator delete
- AMG Manufaktur (Performance Center) tune with no top speed limiter when the car was bought.

Thats it.

AndreNY

"Well its not that usual here in germany to have any sort of races on the public road, nor do we have 1/4 tracks that i'm aware of" --- well one things you guys have that the whole world doesn't is the Autobahn

And yes a CL55 will beat on a Gallardo V10 any day of the week even tough the Lambo has a bit more HP (25 more I think) it has almost 100 torque less then the Merc. Some people do not realize how quick 55's really are especially once your are rolling 50mph and step on it. I guess thank God for the Lambo you didn't have a pulley and a tune, you would have embarrassed those juice heads

Crissus

Yes that is correct. The 55Ks are really extremely quick. Nobody expects this even when they are co-driver for the first time and i floor the car from standstill or a slow roll.
I tell you, the first time i floored my car from standstill was in march in the year i bought it, at night while having 1°C (33.8°F) ambient temperatures. The shift from 1st to 2nd gear i almost lost my breath for a fraction of a second. My and my Co-driver could not believe it. That Torque was insane. :-) :-)
Well, and most of the todays youngster which i tell that the car has really 500HP (DIN) say something in the line of "Ohh nice 500HP, but its still a Mercedes so it must be a different 500HP. The car is most likely sluggish from down low", while standing next to their 3 Series BMWs with 2Liter inline six cylinder engines or their Honda Civics with 120HP. LOL!
They change their mind after the first test drive and the just 4.5 seconds it takes from 0-100kph.

Still amazing for myself that i can beat a Ferrari with over 500HP and a Lambo with over 500HP, despite both weighting much much less. Yes 77mm FSP is underway, cheap looking Kleemann Headers w. downpipes and 82mm TB lie down here to. Hopefully i find time to install it this years season still.

Blkvip

friends RS6, sti swapped 2.5 rs were left behind. never "raced" but just cruising with 996 turbos, c63's, i was keeping up no problem at all.

AMG's have the tq numbers over everyone else. i was completely stock i did around 410 WHP and 420 WTQ on dyno, can't remember exactly. tq alone is higher than more modern "sports" cars.

Welwynnick

I looked at lots of independent performance tests before getting my car, and my impression is that the 55/600 cars should be close to the early Gallardo and Ferrari 550 and 575. The early Lambo Murcielargo should also be similar, but I wouldn't actually expect those MB's to actually beat them. The explanation could be that the Italians, being highly tuned, are more likely to lose peak performance for age, wear, maintenance, tuning, etc.

Although some supercars have higher power to weight ratios on paper, these only relate to PEAK power. The Mercedes secret is AVERAGE power - the average power used over the range of revs that are actually used during acceleration. IE they have very flat power curves (as distinct from flat torque curves, which is what some people think you need to have good flexibility).

Nick

XZACM102

Cool story and a nice read, thx for sharing !

Nick63

Nice read, thanks.....I've had my CL55 for just a couple of months, and I'm still getting to know her really, just easing myself into it's abilities, so I haven't been out for a proper "Loon" just yet!
But this weekend, my wife and I were out and about in town, and the situation arose for me to get the CL moving, to get across a junction, before the lights changed, and the road ahead was wide, clear, and dry..............
HOLY F***! I held her down through first and second, and the Grunt was enough to make my wife slightly nauseous! It just didn't show any signs of letting up...........just went harder and faster......thank god for the excellent brakes! I'm not a foot to the floor driver by any means, it's just nice to know that you have something special at your behest, should you need it....I love my AMG. (Just wish I could rectify the Coolant! Visit Workshop! message...

Mercedes22

Yes very quick standard.

I have just had a Eurocharged S/C Pulley and Map 466.69 WHP + 516.44 WTG on the Dyno.

Now it's very very quick

Crissus

There was a famous test by a german car magazine in 2001 where they went to Nardo speedway to look for the V-max. The SL55AMG was quicker to 300kph (188mph) than the Lambo Murcielago... It was embarrassing for Audi/Lambo.
Here is a bit mentioned about that test:
http://www.autozine.org/Archive/Merc...d/SL_R230.html

GMBALL

Thanks for such an amazing story. Indeed, there is this special thing about AMG's.
I've got CL63 W216 and I've always thought that this car is fast, but is not as fast as some supercars, or supersedans. For instance, a friend of mine has Jaguar XFR-S with 550BHP + exhaust system (so around 570BHP). When he told me let's race, I told him that it's just a matter of how bad I will lose. Guess what, I would always pass him. We have tried from 30MPH, from 60MPH, from 100MPH, I would always pass him by 1/2 car length. I even have that somewhere on video.

I am really looking forward on racing Gallardo V10, beacuse it should be close to my car. I've driven LP560-4, that thing just flies, we have raced it with 600BHP Nissan GTR and GTR barely beat it by 1/2 car length. But the orignal V10 should be interesting match.

I would even love to try with CL55 as well.

AMGTestDriverNJ

That why I haven't been able to justify selling mine although I may finally have to soon. You can't beat the $ to HP ratio here, especially now. These cars can be had for summer job money...its nuts. I got mine 9 years ago for a heck of a lot more than you could fine one now in the nicest condition you'd find one in. Where else are you going to find a blown v8 with over 500 pound feet out of the box that has no problem stepping up to all these super cars. The only cars that really have ever left me behind in all the years I've had it have been an R34 Skyline and a few Turbo P cars. Ferraris/Lambos/Aston/Maserati get a good run with from the CL, and that's awesome for 12-15k. Don't ask it to take any corners though

principledchiro

LOL, my mother in law lives in Wyckoff. Same...keeping my 125k mile 06 CL55 AMG. Too much fun and ***** for a $130,000 car now had for only $14,900. Even before the mods Camaro SS, Challenger SRT, Porches, BMW, etc. ate MB dust. Now has the Eurocharged blower pulley, EC tune, EC I/C, Beltwrap, and K&N air filters. Guessing 560+ at the crank. Headers and TB up next for an additional 60 chp and trq.

Welwynnick

Find a second pair of rear wheels, and fit them to the front.

Then try taking some corners.

Nick

Ranger magnum

Just picked up my cl55 a few.days ago, and I can't stop laughing every time I drive it. Of course I don't laugh when I'm at the petrol station, as it eats petrol like godzilla eats tokyo.

I had a porsche C2S, and the CL eats its lunch like a schoolyard bully. Very happy with it.
I plan on a tune, lowering, and wheels.

Great site btw. I suspect I shall be here quite a bit.