: : Mercedes-Benz Owners : :

October 07 News

		Fastest ever SLK Mercedes has revealed details of its fastest SLK Roadster yet, the 400bhp SLK 55 AMG Roadster Black Series. Using a 5.5-litre engine, the SLK’s power has been boosted from 360bhp to 400bhp and weight has been reduced by 45kg. Power has been boosted by fitting a sports air filter and a newly developed exhaust system, with power fed through a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox. This means the German sports car rockets from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds and, with the electronic limiter removed, runs on to a top speed of 173mph. Rolling on 19-inch AMG alloys, the car’s handling has been improved with racetrack-optimised suspension, while stopping power is boosted with larger brakes. And the AMG is made more exclusive with its restyled front and large air intakes. Mercedes is also offering the SLK with a skid-reducing limited slip differential for an additional Ł2,400. Various carbon fibre options can also be added to the package for between Ł1,800 and Ł4,300. The Mercedes SLK 55 AMG Roadster is available by special order for around Ł63,000.

		Boat show winners Congratulations to our lucky winners in the recent Mercedes Owner Boat Show competition. The answers were: a) Ocean FM and b) HMS Bounty. J Brown from Hampshire, R Harvey from Dorset and W Crump from Dorset each receive a pair of tickets to the Southampton Show.

		The Real Chitty Bang Bang Tied up in the history of Mercedes-Benz and Brooklands is the story of a famous car that inspired Ian Fleming to create the book and classic movie musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was recently revived as a stage show. The real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a racing car built in 1921 by Count Louis Zborowski, an eccentric gentleman wealthy enough to own and race many cars both in Europe and America. He took racing very seriously but was known for his outlandish approach and colourful clothing, bringing to mind Fleming's movie character of Caractacus Potts. Count Zborowski built four aero-engined cars and called three of them Chitty Bang Bang. Chitty 1 was the first amateur aero-engined machine to achieve great fame at Brooklands racetrack. The 23-litre six-cylinder Maybach Gotha Bomber engine was obtained from the WWI Disposals Board and shoehorned into a pre-1914 chain drive Mercedes chassis, which had to be lengthened to accommodate it. It appeared at the Brooklands Easter meeting in 1921, where it was described as ‘a brutal car put together by a madman’, none-the-less winning various races. Despite her original dodgy exhaust, Chitty was not named for the noise she made. The name of the car was actually derived from the words of a bawdy World War I soldier's song. Officers would obtain a weekend pass or ‘chit’ so they could go to Paris for a couple of days and enjoy the favours of the ladies of the town at their leisure: ‘Chitty – bang bang.’ A far cry from the wholesome lyrics of the Sherman brothers Oscar nominated song, which later guaranteed the car a fame that Count Zborowski could only have dreamed about.

		Executive E-Class Mercedes is offering a special edition E-Class saloon for the corporate sector. It's called Executive, of course, and is based on the E220 CDI Classic. It has extra equipment worth Ł2,545 as individual options, but costs Ł677 less, at Ł28,515. Kit includes a telephone connection system with steering wheel-mounted controls and six-CD autochanger, and there's a choice of three metallic paint colours. It's finished off with chrome doorsills, unique 16" alloy wheels and black leather-look upholstery; and it also has dual-zone climate control and electrically-adjustable front seats. Options include an automatic gearbox (Ł1,480), an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and driver's door mirror (Ł225), electrically-adjustable/heated door mirrors (Ł230), heated front seats (Ł320), parking sensors (Ł605) and split/folding rear seats (Ł340). Mercedes suggests this model is ‘a very cost-effective entry into Mercedes E-Class ownership' for company car drivers. Sorry, business executives.

		Frugal Sprinter An engine that is not running does not need any fuel. This truism helps the Mercedes Sprinter to save fuel and thereby reduce its environmental impact. If the vehicle is stationary with the engine idling and the transmission in neutral for more than three seconds, the engine is automatically switched off. As soon as the driver depresses the clutch pedal again, the engine re-starts. The potential for saving fuel is considerable: in some cases, depending on application and traffic density, drivers manage to cut fuel consumption by as much as 20%. On average, the amount saved will probably be somewhere between five and eight percent. The system performs to best advantage in urban use involving frequent stops in traffic queues or at traffic lights.

		Mclaren Mercedes fined As we go to press we learn that the McLaren Mercedes F1 team has been fined $100 million and excluded from the constructor’s title in connection with the spying scandal that has plagued the sport all season. The sport’s governing body found McLaren guilty of cheating by using data obtained from Ferrari, its main rival, to improve its own car, it said in a statement following a hearing in Paris. The team may continue to race, however, and its drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, will be allowed to keep their points and remain eligible for the drivers’ title. It was the harshest punishment given to a team in the 57-year history of the sport.

		Ride & drive at Eastwell Manor Mercedes-Benz Kent hosted a Summer Ride & Drive event in the grounds of Eastwell Manor Hotel near Ashford. A full range of Mercedes sports cars, luxury saloons and 4x4s was available on the day for guests to drive and be driven in.