Auditude

I know most of you are saying WTF?! C55 vs. an Audi A6 Avant? what kinda kill is this?

Welp, lemme tell you. I can't say that this is a kill story for me but rather I was the one "admiring" the C55 AMG badges from the rear.

I do not condone, in anyway, "street" racing...I've done my share in my hayday but I consider myself a bit more restrained and responsible nowadays...but this story just throws all that out of the window.

It was about 6:40am on 101 SB near San Mateo. I was cruising at a leisurely 60mph. Listening to whatever. I was looking around to see if there were any "nice" cars as I usually run across some tuned Euros or a spattering of exoticars when I noticed coming up at about 65-70 a lowered c-class in the #1 lane, I was #2. A few cars passed and then C55 was right next to me.

I looked over at him and he didn't even notice me, at least I thought, and then all of the sudden, punch, he speeds up and into my lane to take off.

At this point I shift over to TIP mode and get into 4th...then I take it down to 3 I'm at 4500-5000 rpm and climbing fast as I see this thing take off. I plant my foot and am tailing, somewhat, about 3-4 cars back. It's a bit congested due to morning commuters but the lanes just seem to open up like the red sea. I look down at my tach and speedo and I'm well into redline, closing to 92mph in 3rd, I upshift, still climbing, he's still pulling on my 5-6 cars we're at about buck 15 buck 20 and he goes left, I'm behind, still, and a crown vic with a Sgt. inside...don't ask how I know this...cut in front of me, I cut all the way over to lane 1 and both C55 and I are in the same lane now...I'm pretty freakin' impressed with how he's been pulling on me this whole time...but I'm equally impressed on how my baby is keeping up, or trying to, with him. I finally flash him while he's like 8-9 cars up on me and hit my hazards to tell him I'm cooked...

I went to go and catch up with him but he's still on it for a few more seconds...probably wants to rub salt in the old battle wounds...

We finally hit a patch of cars, as if there weren't any around already, and he's in #2, I'm in #1, I speed up to him and get along side of him to make contact and give him the sign of approval.

I just wanted to let him know that...my avant is completely bone stock with the exception of Eibach susp and 19" wheels...my engine is rated at 200bhp and weighs in at a hefty 3924lbs.

Not too bad for an outta shape heavyweight, grocery getter eh? I'd say...not your regular kill story. Things woulda been different on open stretch of road...but we weren't, and "street" racing is just that, all about dealing with what's around you...

thanks for the nice "run" though, C55, much respect and admiration, that car's got some serious HEAT, but I looked around in here (forums) to verify that a C55 actually existed. I thought that maybe yours was a badged-up C32 or C43...nice though!

Low and behold, you actually do exist...I'd have to say though, I would've thought that you would have buried my face in the sand...maybe it was the traffic, maybe it was my driving...maybe both, maybe none of the above...

Again, I just wanted to say thanks for the run and you've got yourself a nice monster there! I'm still grinning ear to ear!

dswildfire

c55 isn't out yet.

Improviz

Grey market car, a rebadge, or an Audi driver with poor eyesight?

MiamiAMG

Nice story, but you didn't race a real C55, the only C55's in existence are the older W202 models & they are not in the USA. There will be a C55 out next year, until then any "C55's" you see are just rebadged Benzes'.

Auditude

that I couldn't see what I was racing/chasing...lol. It's a W202 C55 AMG conversion that was done out of MoTo (?) Fabrication in SF. I saw the car on another post in the C32/43 forum and it was on ebay. Posting "C55 on Ebay" and that's the guy!

I can't think of any other C55 conversions in the bay area. I know the new C55 isn't out yet but this one sure is.

W202 chassis, that's why I initially thought it was some re-badged joker with a C32/43 boy was I ever mistaken!

MiamiAMG

C32 is a W203 not a W202(C43/C36/C280/C230/C230K)

Either way, what ever it was it was fast, 8-9 car lengths is pretty far behind to say the least

Ahmed

we will be getting them in nest month hopefully, then i'll be able to report to you guys on the ride and all. The real deal!

C55's are being talked about big time in these parts of the woods! I guess they really are a big hit!

My guess is u probably raced a C320. Cause had it been a C32 AMG, then you probably wouldnt have been able to see much if he had punched it! Let alone what a C55 would do!!!!

Auditude

as I said, I'm a completely stock 200bhp Audi A6 Avant Quattro, weighing in at a "paltry" 4000+lbs vs his much lighter C43 chassis with approx 400bhp.

I wasn't THAT far behind...8-9 car lengths at 115-120mph is almost on his a$$ in traffic. As I said, I don't condone street racing...

I won't lie, it was damn fun!

cheers

BenzC32

You probably raced a C320. If it's a C32, you would have lost more than 8-9 car lengths at 115-120mph.

Nice story!

Ahmed

if it had been the real deal AMG, then it would have been more like 80 to 90 car lengths my friend!

Auditude

tell the owner of the C55 that his car is a C320...here is the actual car that I "paced" around with...

I know some of the replies to this post have been exagerrations with regards to my "humble" audi even being allowed to have been "breathing the same air" as an MB, let alone a C55, but tell the owner of this C55 that he doesn't own one and that it isn't real and that it doesn't put out 400+bhp...

Some folks are just too much...all I wanted to do was share a simple story and some fun that was shared between two European Auto enthusiasts but everything has to get blown out of proportion.

80-90 car lengths, yeah, ok...I wouldn't have even seen him if he punched it...alrighty...I'm sure he was just "landing" and decided to "grace" my Audi and the other "drivers" with his presence and had to "clear his runway" for him.

the funniest thing about it is that this guy was a nice guy, wasn't all up in my face like some other MB members are...we shared a good moment or two enjoying our cars not comparing the size of our nuts...
here's the link to his car: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6334

what a waste of text

If the owner ever runs across this...hats off to you for the fun...I commute that route every morning M-F. I'm always open for another run.

Ahmed

look on the bright side, atleast we helped you edit your text. And ofcourse bring you back to reality! You need to have a sharp eye for these things if u wanna be on this forum, we're just tryin to give you a little of it!

overall though..... great story!

C230Kompressed

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...p;category=6334


dont u see the ebay link?. all you talkin ****...stfu

sorry auditude, ****in jerks everywhere on this god damn forum. need to ****in grow up...

Improviz

Why? Because the rule of thumb for drag racing is this: each 1/10 second margin in a 1/4 mile race translates to roughly one carlength. And a 200HP A6 runs the 1/4 mile in the low to mid 16 second range, while a true C55 would be running in the low 13's.

Meaning that he should be able to beat you by at least 3 full seconds, around 30 carlengths, in a 1/4 mile race. And that assumes you both punch it at the same time; by your own admission, he got on his first, *after* which you downshifted, meaning that unless you have the fastest reflexes known to man, you probably lost more than a few lengths just from the time he jumped on it to the time you reacted, downshifted/stomped the throttle, and had the car engage in a lower gear.

Even if you were able to react, activate the downshift, and stomp the throttle in 0.0 seconds, the car still takes around a second to downshift, meaning you'd have lost several carlengths before you even started to accelerate, even if you could do something physically impossible!

And look at how the two cars compare: here are the acceleration times for the C32, which is a bit slower than the C55, and the A6 2.8, from supersaloons.com:
A6:
0-60: 9.2 sec
30-70: 8.2 sec

C32:
0-60: 4.9 sec
30-70: 3.9 sec

So if, as the owner claimed on his ebay link, his car beat a C32 by three lengths or so, he'd be hitting 60 and the 1/4 a few carlengths quicker than the C32!

So yes, with all of that in mind, I'd have to say that your estimation of 8 or 9 lengths seems logically to be off the mark, and sounds pretty much impossible if the C55 owner was in fact going WOT.

No big deal, but we are sticklers for detail around here! And Audi has nothing to do with it; if someone in a C230 Kompressor posted the same thing, we'd have reacted in the same way.

Improviz

Auditude

Again, if folks were such sticklers then they'd read the post BEFORE replying and eating feet.

Street race = cars, obstacles, traffic etc.
Drag race = no cars, no obstacles nor traffic etc.

Sure, at Infineon (still Sears Point to me like 3com will always be "The Stick") or willows or anywhere that there is a "drag" strip his car would have made me turn tail and run. We weren't sitting at the tree, we were on a highway and I was already doing 60mph.

Whatever...moot point...thanks to those who bothered to "read" rather than judge. :o

Ahmed

i'm gonna buy it!

E55AMG99

Then this wasn't a race. You were simply trying to catch up to a car traveling at a high speed. He probably never saw you, right?

Still, isn't it impressive to see a tight little Benz being put through its paces?

mmgrad

wow... a custom made C55... dam, that is tight as hell...

given that they were able to fit a S55 engine in the C43's place... would that also mean that they could fit like a CL600 engine in my CLK430 engine bay?

the CL500 engine should be about the same size as my 430, so the CL600 wouldn't be much bigger???

just imagine that... a twin turbocharged V12 engine inside a CLK coupe... WOW... i'm a dreamin & a droolin....

E55AMG99

The naturally aspirated 55 motor is the same overall size and weight as the 430 and 500. Bolting one in is a snap!

The 600 would need a big shoehorn but wouldn't that be awesome!

Improviz

I did read the post before replying, and while you'd admittedly never get an "A" for clarity, the sequence you gave was:

1) you were traveling at 60, & noticed C55 coming up beside you;

2) he punched it, after which you punched it;

3) you said it was a bit congested, but that the lanes seemed "to open like the red sea", which indicates that traffic lightened up and you two had some running room;

4) you said that you were impressed with how you were "keeping up" with him, indicating a race, and that how he ended up 8-9 cars out, indicating a race.

5) you then bragged about how your 200hp, 4,000 pound Audi was "keeping up" with the 400 hp, 3600 pound Benz. Well, if he was constantly on and off the throttle due to traffic, what exactly does this prove? That if he lets off and you stay on, you can eventually close some distance? That you're a more reckless driver than he is?

You were clearly trying to make it sound like your car had made a respectable showing in a race, saying that he should've buried your face in the sand, that "maybe it was my driving" (yeah, in a tip), and so forth. Well, we ain't buying it, because we know what the capabilities of a true C55 are. And we know what it would do to a 200hp A6 .

If your point wasn't to imply that you were hanging tight with a car with double the horsepower of yours and 400 pounds less weight, I'm at a loss to say what it was.

Finally, I still maintain that in a real race, he'd leave you so far in the distance that you'd have trouble making out his taillights, whether the race started from 60 mph, a dead stop, or any other speed. A 16.5 second 1/4 mile car will get its clock cleaned by a 13.1 second car any day of the week. If you hung, he wasn't trying to hard, I can guarantee you that, because my car has that same motor, and I know fully well what it'd do to an A6, from any speed.

Ahmed

you know those were my exact thoughts but i didnt want to put them in so many words.

Improviz

i was gonna apologise for my sceptical point of view, but i guess we had every right to think that way!

Auditude

Again, thanks for taking the time to "read". Would you like salt with that foot?:o

Improviz

Trying to suger-coat your C55 smackdown isn't going to make it any sweeter for us; we know you got !!

Next time, try racing something a bit more up your alley, like a C220.

Anyway, enjoy your Passat!!

Auditude

kiss my what??!! Sure "bro"...alright "bro" you can kiss my pASSat anytime...the only thing brilliant about you is the color of your car.