AMG Challenge in Vegas
#1
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
AMG Challenge in Vegas
I just attended the AMG Driving Challenge event in Las Vegas and it was great. I got to drive the SL55, E55, CLS55, CLK55, C55 & SLK55 all in one day under severe driving conditions. The two shining star of the bunch was the CLS55 and SLK55. The CLS55 handles so much better than our E55. The ABC suspension has been refined so there is less body roll and more stiffness but not sacrificing any of the ride. The steering is so much better were our E55 tends to understeer which the CLS55 does not have that same issue and is quite responsive. The CLS55 has a much throatier exhaust sound and sounds like an exotic auto. In many respect, the CLS55 has answered alot of the handling issues that we E55 owners have been complaining about. The SLK55 is just a blast to drive. It is so nimble and truly can be charactarize as a sports car. I was able to drift the SLK55 side-to-side on the slalom with confidence and not hit any cones. BTW, we were able to chat with the VP of AMG North America and we talk about the new line of motors coming for the E class. He did confirm that the 6.3 N/A will be out next year and a BiTurbo to follow within 6-12 months. The transmission will remain 5 speed since there will be so much torque coming from these new engine. Don't be surprise if the new 6.3TT puts out around 600hp. Additionally, they are also focusing on the handling of these AMG vehicles by continually refining the ABC suspension and providing stiffer setups. The CLS55 manufactered after September 2005 will offer an optional sport package which comes with LSD, stiffer suspension and composite brake pads (package #030 when ordering). I definitely recommend attending the AMG Driving Challenge event since you get to learn or improve better driving skills with all the different AMG vehicles which we completely abused. BTW, there was one participant who banged up a CLS55 against an embankment wall while coming into a turn during a lap run around the track. Bear in mind, these are all brand new vehicles that we were driving. I am probably going to sign up for the Fontana event in April again for the more advance course.
Last edited by adx; 03-29-2005 at 12:07 AM.
#3
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by macmtr
How do we find out about upcoming AMG Events?
Macmtr
Macmtr
Last edited by adx; 03-28-2005 at 11:12 PM.
#4
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
BTW another MBWorld member was there (Noredline) and he drove in from Phoenix. There was at least 70 people in attendance from all over the country which I got to know quite a few of them which can also be a great place to network with other die hard AMGrs.
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Northeast
Posts: 570
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
2002 MB E55 AMG
It would be interesting to know what happened with the guy who damaged the CLS. Did what happened in Vegas stay in Vegas???
Thanks for the report - looking forward to Lime Rock (August).
TJC
Thanks for the report - looking forward to Lime Rock (August).
TJC
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by adx
BTW, we were able to chat with the VP of AMG North America and we talk about the new line of motors coming for the E class. He did confirm that the 6.3 N/A will be out next year and a BiTurbo to follow within 6-12 months. The transmission will remain 5 speed since there will be so much torque coming from these new engine. Don't be surprise if the new 6.3TT puts out around 600hp.
Trending Topics
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Schiznick
What is the first name of the VP of NAmerica?
Rob also said Bluetooth will come out in '06 sometime.
#10
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Chappy
Did you take any pics?
Originally Posted by tjcMBE55AMG
It would be interesting to know what happened with the guy who damaged the CLS. Did what happened in Vegas stay in Vegas???
Originally Posted by AMG BLISS
I talked to the same guy, he said there will not be a 6.3TT.
Originally Posted by Schiznick
What is the first name of the VP of NAmerica?
All I can say after speaking with Rob, there is going to be alot of exciting vehicles to come from AMG. BTW, they are definitely going to have much more performance type suspension in the future to match the overall engine performance. The CLS55 is definitely a start in the right direction especially with the optional sports suspension package you can order starting after September 04. I am definitely an AMG customer for life.
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Arizona
Posts: 346
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
2015 C63 AMG 507
Hi all, hey ADX, you guys ever get together Monday night? I left a VM for Ron and never heard anything back. Probably just as well, I fell asleep fairly early.
I also spoke with "Rob" who confirmed the TT V8 coming out in late '07 after the N/A coming out in late '06.
What a great time it was too, Lots of great people there, the instruction was great, and driving all of the other AMG cars was a treat, I regret that I stuck with the E55 on the open laps though. After hearing the reviews of the handling I think I missed out. But I feel much more confident in my car after having driven one on the track! I had almost as much fun driving home, except for getting delayed for about 45 minutes at Hoover Dam. Later in the day, I ended up catching an SL55 who wanted to have some fun. There was a street bike ahead of him, and for about 30 miles or so, we had a blast, passing slower vehicles in unison. Dotted yellows and plenty of room ahead, nothing crazy, just fun! Yes, triple digits. The bike ended up pushing it a bit hard towards the end, he got impatient and passed a truck on the double yellow, unfortunately, behind the oncoming truck was a trooper who proceeded to brake and turn on his lights, he u-turned and pulled the bike over
Anyway, I highly recommend this event for anyone thinking about it. A BLAST!
I also spoke with "Rob" who confirmed the TT V8 coming out in late '07 after the N/A coming out in late '06.
What a great time it was too, Lots of great people there, the instruction was great, and driving all of the other AMG cars was a treat, I regret that I stuck with the E55 on the open laps though. After hearing the reviews of the handling I think I missed out. But I feel much more confident in my car after having driven one on the track! I had almost as much fun driving home, except for getting delayed for about 45 minutes at Hoover Dam. Later in the day, I ended up catching an SL55 who wanted to have some fun. There was a street bike ahead of him, and for about 30 miles or so, we had a blast, passing slower vehicles in unison. Dotted yellows and plenty of room ahead, nothing crazy, just fun! Yes, triple digits. The bike ended up pushing it a bit hard towards the end, he got impatient and passed a truck on the double yellow, unfortunately, behind the oncoming truck was a trooper who proceeded to brake and turn on his lights, he u-turned and pulled the bike over
Anyway, I highly recommend this event for anyone thinking about it. A BLAST!
#12
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Noredline
Hi all, hey ADX, you guys ever get together Monday night? I left a VM for Ron and never heard anything back. Probably just as well, I fell asleep fairly early.
I also spoke with "Rob" who confirmed the TT V8 coming out in late '07 after the N/A coming out in late '06.
What a great time it was too, Lots of great people there, the instruction was great, and driving all of the other AMG cars was a treat, I regret that I stuck with the E55 on the open laps though. After hearing the reviews of the handling I think I missed out. But I feel much more confident in my car after having driven one on the track! I had almost as much fun driving home, except for getting delayed for about 45 minutes at Hoover Dam. Later in the day, I ended up catching an SL55 who wanted to have some fun. There was a street bike ahead of him, and for about 30 miles or so, we had a blast, passing slower vehicles in unison. Dotted yellows and plenty of room ahead, nothing crazy, just fun! Yes, triple digits. The bike ended up pushing it a bit hard towards the end, he got impatient and passed a truck on the double yellow, unfortunately, behind the oncoming truck was a trooper who proceeded to brake and turn on his lights, he u-turned and pulled the bike over
Anyway, I highly recommend this event for anyone thinking about it. A BLAST!
I also spoke with "Rob" who confirmed the TT V8 coming out in late '07 after the N/A coming out in late '06.
What a great time it was too, Lots of great people there, the instruction was great, and driving all of the other AMG cars was a treat, I regret that I stuck with the E55 on the open laps though. After hearing the reviews of the handling I think I missed out. But I feel much more confident in my car after having driven one on the track! I had almost as much fun driving home, except for getting delayed for about 45 minutes at Hoover Dam. Later in the day, I ended up catching an SL55 who wanted to have some fun. There was a street bike ahead of him, and for about 30 miles or so, we had a blast, passing slower vehicles in unison. Dotted yellows and plenty of room ahead, nothing crazy, just fun! Yes, triple digits. The bike ended up pushing it a bit hard towards the end, he got impatient and passed a truck on the double yellow, unfortunately, behind the oncoming truck was a trooper who proceeded to brake and turn on his lights, he u-turned and pulled the bike over
Anyway, I highly recommend this event for anyone thinking about it. A BLAST!
#13
MBWorld Fanatic!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Long Island
Posts: 2,006
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'07 Porsche 997TT
Originally Posted by Noredline
Hi all, hey ADX, you guys ever get together Monday night? I left a VM for Ron and never heard anything back. Probably just as well, I fell asleep fairly early.
I also spoke with "Rob" who confirmed the TT V8 coming out in late '07 after the N/A coming out in late '06.
What a great time it was too, Lots of great people there, the instruction was great, and driving all of the other AMG cars was a treat, I regret that I stuck with the E55 on the open laps though. After hearing the reviews of the handling I think I missed out. But I feel much more confident in my car after having driven one on the track! I had almost as much fun driving home, except for getting delayed for about 45 minutes at Hoover Dam. Later in the day, I ended up catching an SL55 who wanted to have some fun. There was a street bike ahead of him, and for about 30 miles or so, we had a blast, passing slower vehicles in unison. Dotted yellows and plenty of room ahead, nothing crazy, just fun! Yes, triple digits. The bike ended up pushing it a bit hard towards the end, he got impatient and passed a truck on the double yellow, unfortunately, behind the oncoming truck was a trooper who proceeded to brake and turn on his lights, he u-turned and pulled the bike over
Anyway, I highly recommend this event for anyone thinking about it. A BLAST!
I also spoke with "Rob" who confirmed the TT V8 coming out in late '07 after the N/A coming out in late '06.
What a great time it was too, Lots of great people there, the instruction was great, and driving all of the other AMG cars was a treat, I regret that I stuck with the E55 on the open laps though. After hearing the reviews of the handling I think I missed out. But I feel much more confident in my car after having driven one on the track! I had almost as much fun driving home, except for getting delayed for about 45 minutes at Hoover Dam. Later in the day, I ended up catching an SL55 who wanted to have some fun. There was a street bike ahead of him, and for about 30 miles or so, we had a blast, passing slower vehicles in unison. Dotted yellows and plenty of room ahead, nothing crazy, just fun! Yes, triple digits. The bike ended up pushing it a bit hard towards the end, he got impatient and passed a truck on the double yellow, unfortunately, behind the oncoming truck was a trooper who proceeded to brake and turn on his lights, he u-turned and pulled the bike over
Anyway, I highly recommend this event for anyone thinking about it. A BLAST!
#14
Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
04 SL55 (sold),05 SL55, 09 SL63, 07 C2S cab Porsche,
Had a blast too..
I'll post some of the photos I took later on when I download them from my camera. BTW, That shirt they put in our bag was ay too small for a large.
#16
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Xeron
I'll post some of the photos I took later on when I download them from my camera. BTW, That shirt they put in our bag was ay too small for a large.
#18
Almost a Member!
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: So. Cal.
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Call Me Rex
The track laps were a blast -- also the slalom and autocross evolutions. I enjoyed it all so much that I had to sing a tune:
Got a big white X on the top of his car
Rex keeps his speed in a little glass jar
Racer X on the road, Rex on the track
Little cartoon Nips -- Racer X on attack!
--From "Racer X", by Big Black
I couldn't help singing that all the way home!
NB: I was in the yellow group.
Got a big white X on the top of his car
Rex keeps his speed in a little glass jar
Racer X on the road, Rex on the track
Little cartoon Nips -- Racer X on attack!
--From "Racer X", by Big Black
I couldn't help singing that all the way home!
NB: I was in the yellow group.
Last edited by Luthor; 03-30-2005 at 11:36 PM.
#20
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'08 E63 - P 30, 66GT 350 (sold)
Graduate program on Tuesday was awesome....
Below is a link with pictures.
BTW, the VP was not a VP but a product mgr. He really did know his stuff and a great guy. He told me they are going away from a super charged V8 in the SL to a normally aspirated one due to the pedestrian law that is being implemented in Europe. Sounded like '07 timeframe.
Also mentioned a customizing program that will allow a customer to pick any ext. color you desire. Probably see some hideous MBZ's in the future :p
What a blast!
https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....7&postcount=25
BTW, the VP was not a VP but a product mgr. He really did know his stuff and a great guy. He told me they are going away from a super charged V8 in the SL to a normally aspirated one due to the pedestrian law that is being implemented in Europe. Sounded like '07 timeframe.
Also mentioned a customizing program that will allow a customer to pick any ext. color you desire. Probably see some hideous MBZ's in the future :p
What a blast!
https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....7&postcount=25
#21
Almost a Member!
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: So. Cal.
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Euro Law
He told me they are going away from a super charged V8 in the SL to a normally aspirated one due to the pedestrian law that is being implemented in Europe.
Posted by VinceB
Posted by VinceB
#22
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'08 E63 - P 30, 66GT 350 (sold)
Pedestrian law requirements...
He said there is rumor that some mfgs will have the hood at least partially open, reverse hinge like a Jag or BMW (at least the older ones open that direction) in an effort to somehow protect a pedestrian? Maybe bump them off the front of the car verses into the windshield? He further mentioned that a super charger is a large block of metal sitting up high, presumably causing more danger than maybe a plastic airbox. Turbo's may sit lower in the engine bay. Doesn't make much sense to me but...
He confirmed there will be a SL 550 with somewhere around 400 horsepower (new S 500 motor) then a SL55 version with over 500 hp, also non-aspirated. He didn't mention anything about TT but then again, I did not ask. I implied the changes to the AMG motor were for reliability or cost savings and that is when he mentioned the pedestrian thing. Seems wierd but who knows? Implied these changes will hit in '07.
He confirmed there will be a SL 550 with somewhere around 400 horsepower (new S 500 motor) then a SL55 version with over 500 hp, also non-aspirated. He didn't mention anything about TT but then again, I did not ask. I implied the changes to the AMG motor were for reliability or cost savings and that is when he mentioned the pedestrian thing. Seems wierd but who knows? Implied these changes will hit in '07.
Last edited by VinceB; 03-31-2005 at 09:56 AM.
#23
Newbie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Northern NJ
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
2001 E55
Was there for the second day - Graduate Course. Format was better than last year. Instead of the goofy passing exercise on a course that looks like the greek letter omega, they modified the autocross with longer straights where you would play cat anad mouse with an instructor car and practice passing. The course they set up for the autocross resembled more of a road course than an autocross...very enjoyable, fast course.
The SLK 55 was the definite surprise for me...very nice power to weight ratio, nice balance, much lighter than the rest...awesome on the autocross setup. The CLS 55 was a monster as expected...didn't think it handled "better" than the E...in fact, found it to push too much on the road course compare to the E. (not that I am complaining...it was still a hoot to drive). Still pretty amazingly tossable given its heft. Does sit a bit lower and has beefier rubber...headroom is a bit scarce, particularly with the helmet on. Detailing much sweeter than the E in my opinion.
No S or CL's this year...just the CLS, E, SLK, SL, C, and CLK (not too many of them either)
Had the silly skid car set-ups again...would really rather have a drifting session or a short 8 with traction off, first gear and a little sprinkler action...much more realistic that way!
The big course set-up at Vegas was sweet...three high speed sections (front, back and infield)...the front straight probably topped at 120 or so (really didn't pay too much attention to the speedo) back straight maybe 100 on a good run...a couple of 180's thrown in the mix and a few switchbacks/chicanes.
Hot laps as usual was the highlight...you just never know how slow you are going until you are in the passenger seat with a pro. After that lapping session, I probably could've gone 5 seconds faster on the course easy (Had Derek Hill...guy was really racing...had the car up in the air for one of s curves coming off the front straight...basically jumped the two curves (straightened up the line for those turns, that is for sure)...I am convinced that the motor mounts will crack one of these days on the poor unsuspecting owner of this slightly used E55...several years downt he road
Those of you planning on going will most definitely enjoy the day...another reason I was glad I flew out there for the program since there were only 36 -37 people signed up out of a max of 50 - according to Rob Allan - Manager, Product Management at AMG
Now I need to figure out how to convince the wife I need the CLS55 as well as the SLK55... :v Gotta say, the SL still looks better but I am no longer as smitten with it given that the SLK performs better at a 40-50% discount...
The SLK 55 was the definite surprise for me...very nice power to weight ratio, nice balance, much lighter than the rest...awesome on the autocross setup. The CLS 55 was a monster as expected...didn't think it handled "better" than the E...in fact, found it to push too much on the road course compare to the E. (not that I am complaining...it was still a hoot to drive). Still pretty amazingly tossable given its heft. Does sit a bit lower and has beefier rubber...headroom is a bit scarce, particularly with the helmet on. Detailing much sweeter than the E in my opinion.
No S or CL's this year...just the CLS, E, SLK, SL, C, and CLK (not too many of them either)
Had the silly skid car set-ups again...would really rather have a drifting session or a short 8 with traction off, first gear and a little sprinkler action...much more realistic that way!
The big course set-up at Vegas was sweet...three high speed sections (front, back and infield)...the front straight probably topped at 120 or so (really didn't pay too much attention to the speedo) back straight maybe 100 on a good run...a couple of 180's thrown in the mix and a few switchbacks/chicanes.
Hot laps as usual was the highlight...you just never know how slow you are going until you are in the passenger seat with a pro. After that lapping session, I probably could've gone 5 seconds faster on the course easy (Had Derek Hill...guy was really racing...had the car up in the air for one of s curves coming off the front straight...basically jumped the two curves (straightened up the line for those turns, that is for sure)...I am convinced that the motor mounts will crack one of these days on the poor unsuspecting owner of this slightly used E55...several years downt he road
Those of you planning on going will most definitely enjoy the day...another reason I was glad I flew out there for the program since there were only 36 -37 people signed up out of a max of 50 - according to Rob Allan - Manager, Product Management at AMG
Now I need to figure out how to convince the wife I need the CLS55 as well as the SLK55... :v Gotta say, the SL still looks better but I am no longer as smitten with it given that the SLK performs better at a 40-50% discount...