SPEED & STYLE: RACING PERFORMANCE MEETS MODERN LUXURY IN MONACO

One Star – Two Worlds with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton

Monaco/Stuttgart. The two drivers from the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, met during the run-up to the Monaco Grand Prix on 29 May 2016 for a sensational event off the racetrack. Hamilton put his driving ability to the test on the water with a Cigarette Racing speedboat. Rosberg showed what a relaxed lifestyle cruising off the coast of Monaco looks like on the Mercedes-Benz Style luxury motor yacht. The stunning pictures of the spectacle can be viewed at http://mb4.me/speed_and_style.

With the motto "Speed & Style" the two demonstrated that the worlds of modern luxury and racing performance blend perfectly under the Mercedes-Star – both on water and on land. Hamilton showed the world of performance with the "Cigarette Racing 50 Marauder AMG Monaco Concept”, inspired by the current MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 car, which he also brought to the event. Meanwhile, Rosberg demonstrated the world of modern luxury with the S-Class Cabriolet and the Mercedes-Benz Style luxury motor yacht "ARROW460-Granturismo".

"The Cigarette Racing speedboat and our Mercedes-Benz Style luxury yacht ‘ARROW460-Granturismo’ represent a coming together of two design icons. Each of them is hot & cool as their design is both attractive and surprisingly new, making both boats perfect embodiments of emotion and intelligence," states Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Daimler. He adds: "The ‘ARROW460-Granturismo’ carries our Mercedes genes throughout. We have transferred an automotive design idiom to a yacht – and this design statement far outside the usual mainstream in the boat industry allows us to create a totally original aesthetic."

Ever since the brand exists, motorsport has been part of the DNA of Mercedes-Benz and is one of the core activities creating performance and power. This is framed by modern luxury that embodies the brands design philosophy of sensual purity by the highest measure of emotionality and technical perfection. This perfectly illustrates the standards of the founding fathers Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, always to strive for the best and thus to delight both heart and mind in equal measure. This results in products with a timeless attractiveness that fascinate people around the globe.

Pure performance and power

The high-performance boat “Cigarette Racing 50 Marauder AMG Monaco Concept” is equipped with the most powerful series-production twin engines in the Cigarette portfolio. Two Mercury Racing V8 racing engines each with 1140 kW (1550 hp) take the 50 foot-long (approx. 15 metres) and eight foot-wide (approx. 2.40 metres)powerboat to an estimated top speed of more than 228 km/h (more than 142 mph). The characteristic design and the thoroughbred motorsport technology are inspired by the performance brand Mercedes-AMG and the current MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 car.The boat is made in a new type of layup process which has been specially developed for racing and reduces weight but also ensures better handling under high loads.

The Mercedes-Benz designers were responsible for the exterior design featuring black and silver tones contrasted by sporty turquoise green highlights as well as for the interior design which is inspired by the classic Cigarette Racing cockpit. Furthermore, the user interface offers state-of-the-art technologies: computer-based control, four high-resolution displays, Garmin navigation, and a Pure audio system. The price of this unique boat is approx. 1.6 million US dollars (when purchased FOB Monaco).

Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing have been working in partnership since 2007. Both share racing roots and the uncompromising passion for performance plus the aim to always deliver optimum achievements.

Modern luxury on the water

Designed by Mercedes-Benz Style and developed together with Silver Arrow Marine, the luxury "ARROW460-Granturismo" motor yacht celebrated its world premiere in April 2016. With this model, Mercedes-Benz is developing a completely new boat concept. The 14-metre-long 706 kW (960 hp) "Silver Arrow of the Seas" combines the performance of the famous Mercedes-Benz sports cars with unique innovations from the boat industry. The yacht has classic automobile proportions that bring the hallmark Mercedes design idiom of sensual purity onto the water in a highly emotional and dynamic form. The yacht also combines the advantages of an open boat with those of a hull cabin cruiser in unique fashion. Its crossover design offers the ultimate in variability, resulting in a boat that is equally suitable for day trips and overnight stays on board. The yacht offers room for up to ten people and is available in the fully equipped Edition 1at a price of 2.5 million euros.

With the world premiere of the "ARROW460-Granturismo" the Mercedes-Benz Style designers have made Gottlieb Daimler's dream come true. 130 years after the invention of the automobile, individual mobility is now possible on land, on water and in the air. In 2011 the “Airbus Helicopters H145 Mercedes-Benz Style" lifted off as the first mobility product beyond the automobile.

Mercedes-Speedboat "Wiener Neustadt"

Speedboats of the house of Mercedes own a long tradition. Already in 1906, the Mercedes-Speedboat “Wiener Neustadt” caused sensation. Designed by the engineer Fritz Maier, it was driven by a 147 kW (200 hp) strong Daimler-eight-cylinder engine, which was built by the first Daimler-engine-company in the Neustadt of Vienna. Due to the high waves the boat threw at races in front of the Côte d’Azur, it was called by the nickname “whale”.

Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online: www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com

Further information about Cigarette Racing Team and Silver Arrows Marine is available online at:www.cigaretteracing.com and www.silverarrowsmarine.com

CLIO R.S.16: A NEW CONCEPT CAR TO SHOWCASE RENAULT SPORT’S EXPERTISE

• Concept car celebrates Renault Sport’s 40th anniversary and return to Formula 1
• Clio R.S. 16 grafts the Renault range’s highest-performing engine into a Renault Clio and features the colours of the 2016 R.S. 16 F1 single-seater
• Clio R.S. 16 to be unveiled at the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix

Renault Sport have unveiled a new concept car on the streets of Monaco’s famous Grand Prix circuit today driven by Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Kevin Magnussen.  The Clio R.S.16 is the highest performance Renault Sport road-going vehicle ever and its reveal in 2016 celebrates both 40 years of Renault Sport and Renault’s return to Formula One as a constructor.

Developed in record time

“Our aim was to produce a concept car with genuinely outstanding performance credentials,” notes Patrice Ratti, Managing Director of Renault Sport Cars, leader of the project which particularly inspired the development team’s specialists. “On paper, producing a Clio R.S. powered by our most potent engine – namely the 275-horsepower two-litre power unit which delivers peak torque of 360Nm – was an extremely appealing idea, but we had to make sure it was feasible.”

Thanks to new working procedures involving teams from the worlds of motorsport and road cars, the development of the highest-performance road-going Renault Sport car ever took just five months from start to finish.

A variety of technical challenges

Finding the ideal way to house the engine, transmission and cooling system of the Mégane R.S. 275 Trophy-R was a significant challenge. The exhaust system was also revised as a function of the engine’s potential, while the suspension was engineered to match the car’s outstanding performance characteristics. Careful attention was paid to the sound produced by the car, too, and an Akrapovič twin exhaust system was selected.

Performance-led design

The design and development team dealt successfully with the constraints inherent in the Clio R.S. 16 project (body widened by 60mm, 19-inch wheels and optimisation of the engine cooling system) to produce an expressive, sporty stance. The result is enhanced by an LED R.S. VISION chequered-pattern lighting signature featuring exclusive multi-faceted reflector technology.

Renault Sport’s trademark Liquid Yellow has been combined with gloss black details to mirror the livery of Renault Sport Formula One Team’s R.S.16 F1 single-seaters.

After today’s first public airing in the streets of Monaco, the car’s next official appearance will be the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 23-26.

Audi experiences disappointment in the Eifel

Following three class and three overall victories since 2009, Audi had been planning for another good showing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours this year. However, with two races cars supported by Audi Sport customer racing in the top ten, the 44th running of the event proved disappointing. As the best Audi teams, Belgian Audi Club Team WRT achieved eighth place and Twin Busch Motorsport position ten. “The large crowd of fans has gotten used to Audi being in contention for the top spot with many other sports car brands in this legendary race year after year,” said Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “We’d have liked being in this position again, but that wasn’t possible this year, not least due to the balance of performance rating, among other things.” Even our top drivers had to take high risks in order to keep pace with the front runners.  Of the six teams relying on the Audi R8 LMS Belgian Audi Club Team WRT was the best to cross the finish line. Robin Frijns/Stuart Leonard/Edward Sandström/Frédéric Vervisch (NL/GB/S/B) achieved eighth place in an accident-prone race. They finished the 24 hours nearly unharmed. Only when Sandström touched the guard rail once in rain, the squad had to change a suspension component. Twin Busch Motorsport was the second-best Audi team in the Eifel. Twin brothers Dennis and Marc Busch (D), together with Christian Mamerow (D) and René Rast (D), took tenth place following an impeccable drive.  The setbacks suffered by the other Audi squads showed how treacherous the conditions were. Following the interruption of the race in the early stage due to heavy rain and hail, Alex Yoong (MAL), with the Audi race experience, had an accident at night in slightly foggy conditions. In the early morning hours, misfortune struck last year’s winner Nico Müller (CH) from Audi Sport Team WRT. He had to evade a rival standing in the opposite direction of traffic and touched the guard rail. The subsequent repair took three hours. Only three laps later, there was a misunderstanding when two-time winner Markus Winkelhock (D) from Audi Sport Team Phoenix hit the Audi of Connor De Phillippi (USA) from Team Montaplast by Land-Motorsport. Both cars could not be repaired anymore. An incident of contact between a rival and experienced campaigner Frank Stippler (D) in the number “5” Audi deprived Phoenix Racing of a top-6 result shortly before the end of the race. Two all-privateer driver teams were happy about their positions in the top 20. Christian Bollrath/Maximilian Hackländer/Ralf Oeverhaus/Micke Ohlsson (D/D/D/S) achieved 14th place with the Audi race experience. Team Car Collection Motorsport was on the Nürburgring grid with Audi for the first time and, with Ronnie Saurenmann/Peter Schmidt/Andreas Ziegler (D/D/D), advanced to position 18