MARCH 23, 2022

(Mercedes-AMG images)
This is the Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series - the most powerful customer sports car ever developed by Mercedes-AMG. With this exclusive, track day use-only limited edition, the Mercedes-AMG motorsport department is celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Affalterbach-based company. Limited to 55 units, the Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series serves as a memento to AMG founders Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher and their philosophy: making the best even better yet. The heart of the Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series is the Handcrafted - and enhanced - AMG 4.0L V8 Biturbo engine from the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series. For instance, thanks to custom motorsport injectors and a specific engine application, the power unit equipped with a flat-plane crankshaft now delivers 778HP and 627 lb-ft of torque. A sequential Hewland HLS 6-speed racing gearbox with adjustable differential transfers the power to the rear axle. Like in all the models from the GT family, it has been installed on the rear axle in transaxle configuration and has a torsion and torque resistant connection to the engine by means of a carbon fiber torque tube. The suspension of the Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series features comprehensively adjustable four-way Bilstein dampers and a bunch of other tricks. Other stuff? The hood, fenders, side sills, trunk lid and rear bumper are made of carbon fiber, helping to reduce the curb weight to 3,086 lb. The integrated louvers of the carbon wing on the front axle provide a higher downforce. The side sills with elements of black visible carbon, transitioning into vertical blades both at the front and the rear, significantly contribute to an optimal airflow around the vehicle. To ensure effective cooling of the rear brakes, the sills also incorporate cooling air ducts. The rear bumper with double diffuser and lateral wheel arch air outlets also speaks to the racing DNA of the Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series. Exclusive, high-sheen milled and forged 18-inch wheels are used. An exclusive semi-gloss special finish in MANUFAKTUR Cirrus Silver Magno with design elements in red and anthracite is applied. Contemporary racing safety equipment and Big-Ass brakes are also included. The steering wheel, exclusively developed for the GT Track Series in cooperation with the sim racing experts at Cube Controls, has a wide adjustment range and numerous control opportunities. The pedals can also be adjusted. The dashboard with visible carbon and a matte finish includes a fully programmable BOSCH DDU 11 Driver Display Unit, designed for intuitive operation and user-friendliness. Moreover, it incorporates a comprehensive data logging system for motorsport purposes, for instance a lap trigger to keep track of lap times. The GT Track Series is one of the first cars to feature the newly developed system. The special series is limited to 55 units, each of them built by hand in Affalterbach. A high-quality embossed "1 of 55" plaque in the interior identifies every Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series as a unique piece from the special edition. Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series owners benefit from a comprehensive service and support range that is continually being developed and expanded. It also includes such privileges that normally are exclusive to the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams: a technical training prior to delivery of the vehicle, individual engineer support during track days and club sport activities upon request, a service hotline during race weekends, as well as logistical services such as an optimal spare parts supply. Technical support is guaranteed by the motorsport experts at HWA AG, carrying out services and rebuilds as Mercedes-AMG's development and production partner. The exclusive online-based ordering and information system "Customer Service Portal" is in place for ordering accessories and spare parts as well as providing all technical documentation. Worldwide sales of the Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series are being handled from Affalterbach where Mercedes-AMG has its headquarters. Customer delivery of the special edition starts in the second quarter of 2022. The list price of the Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series including air conditioning is € 369,000 plus VAT. A spare parts starter set, seat and helmet ventilation system, drinking system and passenger safety cell are available as options. Further equipment options are available upon request. We can bet you will see one at a Big Deal auction by next fall, if not before.

(Honda images)
Honda has opened its new $124 million state-of-the-art wind tunnel facility, ushering in a new era of development testing capabilities for Honda and Acura products, as well as the company's race vehicles. The new Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO) facility, located at the independent Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC) in Central Ohio, is the world's most advanced wind tunnel, with three separate state-of-the art testing functions — aerodynamics, aeroacoustics and racing — in one location. One of the most advanced of its kind anywhere, the wind tunnel uses a unique interchangeable modular ground plane system capable of aerodynamic vehicle testing of production vehicles and race machines. With a five-belt rolling road system designed for production vehicle development and a second single wide-belt system for testing both high-performance sports cars and purpose-built race vehicles, the tunnel can generate wind speeds of more than 190 miles per hour. The wind tunnel can quickly enable a sophisticated acoustic test system for an aeroacoustic testing mode that utilizes a powerful system of acoustic arrays, made up of microphones and cameras, able to collect real-time data and precision measurement. This becomes even more important as an element of vehicle design as Honda moves toward its electrified future.

(SUPER73 images)

Since its inception, Irvine, California-based SUPER73® has challenged the conventions within the emerging e-bike community, establishing the company as an American lifestyle adventure brand specializing in electric motorbikes. And the latest news does nothing to dispel that notion. The company is presenting its radical SUPER73-C1X Concept, a machine designed to reformat and redefine the line between e-bike and motorcycle conventions. The C1X is a street-legal concept that will provide a “step-up” vehicle from the current SUPER73 offerings, elevating adventures by achieving motorcycle performance with dramatically reduced size and weight. Development of the C1X is the direct result of feedback from existing SUPER73 riders, a large percentage of whom expressed interest in graduating to a street-legal motorcycle. The C1X Concept represents a significant leap forward in the company’s development program to enable its worldwide band of loyal followers to make a logical transition from the existing SUPER73-RX flagship model. With a targeted top speed in excess of 75mph, the production version of the C1X will require a rider to possess a motorcycle endorsement to their driver’s license, vehicle registration and full insurance. Its 31” seat height and minimal footprint, however, means it is lightweight and highly maneuverable, providing an ideal platform for riders wishing to pass the DMV riding test. Among its priorities, The SUPER73 design team was aiming for a reduction in the overall footprint of a typical motorcycle. This was accomplished with the introduction of 15” wheels versus typical 17” motorcycle counterparts. The team also took a revolutionary approach to mounting the motor rearward of the swingarm pivot point. This innovative architecture permitted an ultra-agile 51” wheelbase and removed the chain slack issues experienced with conventional motorcycles. Further enhancing the Concept’s agility is a mass-centralized chassis/battery configuration, the precise specification of which will remain under wraps until further testing is completed. The SUPER73-C1X Concept will introduce a fast charging solution that will enable an 80% charge in less than an hour, providing a city range of approximately 100 miles. While the C1X design program began more than a year ago, it will be a moment before the public can purchase the first production units. Development is well underway and SUPER73 is now accepting reservations for the C1X for a late 2023 production date. A reservations for the groundbreaking electric motorbike can be secured for $73, which not only allows customers to secure their place in line but also gives them an opportunity to provide feedback and stay up to date with development progress as the C1X moves closer to production. For more info go to www.Super73.com.

(Lamborghini images)
Lamborghini Polo Storico will be at the Rétromobile classic car show in Paris from March 15-20. The Sant’Agata Bolognese company’s participation in the event is officially kicking off a year of tributes to its legendary 12-cylinder engine’s history, before the hybridization process begins in 2023 with the launch of the first hybrid production model. Displayed on its stand will be a reconstruction of the first Countach (the LP 500 prototype from 1971) and the body of a Miura P400 SV that is being restored by the Polo Storico team in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

The AE Song of the Week:

Worked the bars and sideshows along the twilight zone
Only a crowd can make you feel so alone
And it really hit home
Booze and pills and powders, you can choose your medicine
Well here's another goodbye to another good friend

After all is said and done
Gotta move while it's still fun
Let me walk before they make me run
After all is said and done
I gotta move, it's still fun
I'm gonna walk before they make me run

Watched my taillights fading, there ain't a dry eye in the house
They're laughing and singing
Started dancing and drinking as I left town
Gonna find my way to heaven, 'cause I did my time in hell, oh yeah
I wasn't looking too good but I was feeling real well

Oh after all is said and done
I gotta move I had my fun
Let us walk before they make us run

After all is said and done
I did alright, I had my fun
But I will walk before they'll make me
I will walk before they'll make me (run)
I will walk before they'll make me (run)
I will walk before they'll make me run

So if it's all been said and done
I gotta move I had my fun
Let me walk before they make me run

So let me walk before they make me run
I want to walk before they'll make me run

"Before They Make Me Run" by The Rolling Stones from the album "Some Girls" (1978).* Written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. A couple of videos today: The first is The Rolling Stones in Paris, 2003, Watch it here. And the second is Keith and his band The Expensive Winos at the Beacon Theater on March 10, 2022. Watch it here. 

*This song talks about the rock and roll lifestyle that got Keith Richards in trouble. The song was recorded while he was out on bail after getting caught with heroin and arrested for drug trafficking in Toronto in 1977. He was found guilty of the lesser charge of heroin possession, and sentenced to probation. Richards sang lead and did the majority of the work on this song. With Keith's drug charges pending, Mick Jagger took a lot of control on the album, but this song was pretty much all Keith. The original title was "Rotten Roll." Richard's vocals were double-tracked to make them stand out. This lyric in the first section is about Keith Richards' good friend Gram Parsons:

Booze and pills and powders, you can choose your medicine
Well it's another goodbye to another good friend 

A member of The Byrds, Parsons died in 1973 at age 26 after taking an overdose of alcohol and morphine. His corpse was stolen and burned in the Mojave Desert. An engineer named Dave Jordan helped mix this song. He went on to work with groups like The Specials and The Pogues. This was one of the songs that took Keith Richards the longest time to work in the studio. He explained in his book Life (2010): "For sheer longevity - for long distance - there is no track that I know of like 'Before They Make Me Run.' That song, which I sang on that record, was a cry from the heart. But it burned up the personnel like no other. I was in the studio, without leaving, for five days... I had an engineer called Dave Jordan and I had another engineer, and one of them would flop under the desk and have a few hours' kip and I'd put the other one in and keep going. We all had black eyes by the time it was finished. That's probably the longest I've done. There have been others that were close - 'Can't Be Seen' was one - but 'Before They Make Me Run' was the marathon." (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)