I went to the AMG CHallenge on friday and have to say that the SL55 really surprised me. Our group went first on the big track to do the high speed lapping. My initial thoughts were that the E55 was the best of the bunch due to it's weight and power. When i did drive an SL55 i thought it was very front heavy and just didnt handle as well because of it. I was thinking the SL55 sucked to be honest and how i wanted it to have more rear weight or light weight or anything to make the push go away. All cars were in sport mode and we were not allowed to turn ESP off. I was doing about 90 in the big turn 1-2 and maybe 120 at the end of the backstretch. Coming into that big turn at 90mph with the wall right above you and tire marks of the less than fortunate leading into the wall made me think of how long i still had to live. If a tire were to blow or if i was to lose control while going around that high banked turn, death would be quick. Dale Earnhardt died in similar fashion. My only consolation. Because of that, I made the tires squeal a little, but not much.

Later in the day we were able to do some high speed runs again after class time and autocross and other drills and boy was it different. I wasnt "chicken" anymore and due to this new found confidence i decided to really push the cars. First drive was in a CLK55. I hadnt driven one in the morning but boy was i surprised. I was catching the bigger boys, especially in the turns. The car felt very nimble and i wouldnt mind owning one of these little guys. Braking and handling were excellent. Next i drove about 3 straight sessions in different colored E55's and i was expecting to be blown away. I wasnt blown away, but i was still very impressed with the cars handling and power. Speed was way up and i was much more aggressive into the turns and under braking. Going from 130+mph down to 70 for a turn is definitley a rush. The tires were complaining ALOT and tire squeal was definitley a sign that the car was being pushed alot more.

Lastly was my drive in an SL55. Again i was expecting it to suck due to the front heavy nose and the subsequent understeer. But i decided to give it a go and try to not dwell on my morning session. I had a faint hope that my new skills would show me i was wrong about the SL55. First lap was a slight warmup but i still made the tires scream through the tight slow turns. ESP would not alow any wheelspin on exit, but on entry and in midturn it had little effect. Lap 2 i hung it out and my biggest and most pleasant surprise was coming into the fast turn. Remember that wall is right above you and if a tire or any malfunction in the suspension were to happen, you head right into the wall ala Dale Earnhardt. Oh man did that car grip. It felt much more stable and secure when i pushed it this time. Maybe it was cuz i was going 10-15 mph faster. Coming out of the turn i was really pushing it at about 135 and the braking points came up really quick coming into a 70mph sharp downhill left. The downhill left was the most fun of the whole track, kinda like the Laguna Seca downhill right corckscrew maybe?? Anyway, the SL felt very stable and i was blown away at how it handled the higher speeds. The brakes are incredible and even though i think the E55 has the same brakes, the SL55 maybe has a lower center of gravity and had alot more "whoa".

Sorry for the long rant but yesterday left me feeling much more respect for our SL55's.

T

This seems to be a view shared by many automotive journalists. I reported this awhile back on the e55 forum and got all kinds of flack for it. Glad you enjoyed the day and thanks for the objective post.

The CLK55 was a blast, especially in the turns. I couldnt catch the bigger cars in the straights, but i reeled them in quick in the turns.

But boy did the SL55 squat and grip like i had never felt before at higher speeds. And my group pro driver really made an SL55 perform, tires screaming on entry and exit and everywhere he could, but that SL55 did not let go....well maybe on exit he punched it a little and the back end tried to come around just to show off his countersteering technique.

Maybe the reason some people bithc (spelling on purpose)here about the SL55 not having enough "feel" is because at normal driving speeds it isnt supposed to. If you want more "feel" at 40-80 mph (which is where most law abiding people drive) maybe you should buy a go-kart for the weekends and stop crying and whining about how your SL55 doesnt give you enough feel while braking or cornering.

Oh by the way, the head marketting guy from AMG admitted that they lurk here on mbworld ALOT, but never interfere.

T

Interesting, I wonder what name the AMG marketing guy's using?

I used to drive Porsche 930 turbos afew years back before I settled down to MB coupes, the 930's used to squat down low at high speeds as well. What a neat feeling .

I'm sorry I missed the event in Miami. Where in WPB is your practice?

Regards,

Im in Lake Worth for now and we also have a surgery center on Palm Beach Lakes Blvd which i dont usually work out of.

He made a point to say they dont interfere so maybe he doesnt have a screenname and doesnt post if thats what you mean.

T

Besides the confidence, it sounds like you gained some good skills.

The CLK is more nimble than its 600 to 700 lb. heavier brethren, but there aren’t too many 2 ton cars on screaming street tires that would be more fun than the AMGs.

I'm in east Boca and have an office in east Ft Laud.
What's your specialty?

It sure would be nice if the AMG guy threw his hat in the ring from time to time.

I track my SL55 pretty regularly and the first time I had it out the guys were sneering at me as they were used to seeing me in my old Indycar or a Ferrari...but when the SL pretty much embarssed everything in the street car groups (except for a couple of very highly modded vettes and Porsches on slicks)...they all wanted to know what the heck this thing was. Most had no idea that Merc made performance cars.

I ran the AMG Challenge in Vagas a couple of months ago and it was a blast. After hot lapping with Tommy Kendall in an E55, he gave me the confidence to push harder...and turn off the ESP. They left it up to us which way that we wanted to run...maybe because it was the advanced class. What he showed me was that even when it's off....it really isn't off. It will just allow you to get the tail out there a bit more before it steps in. In the E55 I was able to get the tail out about 45 degrees before it starts to step in. Kendall was brilliant in using that feature of the car.

I think all performance cars perform better and bite harder when they are driven hard....not abused...but driven with conviction. The SL has done nothing but amaze me both on the road and track. It was great to try all the other AMG offerings but I think that the SL55 is the best of the bunch....if it were only 1000 pounds lighter!!

Our AMG rep was Stratos....and was he ever an enthusiast!!! He wanted to know all about the mods that we were doing and if they really enhanced the cars, etc. We did some timed competitive laps at the end of the day in the CLK55...that was a great car but I would have liked to have given it a try in the SL since I'm more at home in the SL. But all in all....a great program and a great way to learn to drive your car. Merc and AMG should include a 2-3 day course in the cost of the car.

Does one get invited to these things or does one just sign up? I'd appreciate any info as to how to do an AMG challenge on a track. I've done some track days but this sounds like a lot of fun.

Thanks.

QUOTE]Originally posted by pablo4.2
Does one get invited to these things or does one just sign up? I'd appreciate any info as to how to do an AMG challenge on a track. I've done some track days but this sounds like a lot of fun.

Thanks. [/QUOTE]

Pablo:

You will love this stuff!! Your dealer should be able to get you all the info on the AMG Challenge. There are 3 levels:

Beginner.....$1500
Advanced....$1500
Ultimate......$7500....this takes place in Germany at Hockenheim and is a 3 day deal where you drive a CLK DTM and attend races as well. Pretty cool.

The first 2 are 1 day affairs offered at different track around the country. If you call Merc in Montvale and ask to speak with Stratos Nicolaides (he is the AMG rep that handles this stuff)...he will hook you up....and don't forget to tell him Dino from AZ says Hi!

Great insight Dino. I agree 100%.

The beginner's class was $1000 for most of us. The next level is $1500. The ultimate advanced class takes place this October 2-5 on the Hockenheim track in Germany like Dino mentioned.

Our celebrity drivers were Lynn St James of Cart and Indy fame, Randy Tolsma of NASCAR Trucks among other things, and John Paul of CART and Indy. We had a bunch more but those were the best known.

Ill be going next year to the other 2 if i can.

T

I was interested to read the opening comments since I just returned from the AMG Challenge event in Dallas.
Very well run operation. I was very impressed with the quality of the event, from the level of personal interaction with pros, to driving time, to food quality, to track quality, etc.

A few things I found interesting:

I can't believe how they let us beat the living cr@p out of those 40 AMG cars for 8 hours. The 540 degree spins on dry pavement, lateral g's to the point of loss of control on slalom and autocross, etc etc. Someone told me they used to let attendees bring their own cars. No way I'd ever consider doing most of those things to my car.

Head of AMG operations in the USA told me the SL65 will be listed at 0-60 MPH in 4.2, but he stated "it will go under 3.7 all day long".

Price on the SL65 was right around $179,000, and he said there are only 3 options: keyless go, parktronic, distronic.

SL55's exhaust note (when it's being hammered) is worth a good portion of its price premium.

I asked several of the pros (one to one discussions) which AMG product was their favorite overall. Most said the E55, followed by SL55, one S55 (not what I expected).

A couple of the pros raced the SL55 and E55 from a standing start and the E55 won by a car length.

The new C55 is a lot of car for the dollar (relative to other MB/AMG's).

I'll definitely sign up for the advanced AMG Challenge next year.

Interesting AMG. How long was the race between the E55 and the SL55? Thks.

Im thinking of going to the Indianapolis Challenge and doing the advanced since i missed out here in Homestead.

Who were your pro driver's/heads of group? I had Frank Bain(i think), but John Paul was also there and Lynn St James. Im curious if they have the same pro drivers at all the events, or just a few, or none at all.

T

Tommy Kendall was the primary celeb pro in Dallas.
I was in John Paul's subgroup.
No Lynn St. James in Dallas, though.
I'd guess that most of the pros are signed to participate in each of the AMG Challenge events (there are about 7 per year).

The SL55-E55 race was the length of the pit road. At least 1/4 mile, I'd guess.

Several of us at the Pocono Challenge (E55 owners) were very eager to try the SL55 on the road course. I've never pushed a car so hard. I was very impressed.


TJC