A Day without Speed Limits

Watching a Formula 1 car zip down the race track is one of the most thrilling moments that an auto enthusiast might experience. The sound of engines roaring at unimaginable RPMs, the blurring of colors as cars skim by like bullets - truly a rush! One wonders what it must feel like to be in the midst of something so high octane that pushes man and machine to their limits. Would a seat in the cockpit make for an auto enthusiast’s ultimate exhilaration?
 

The Mercedes-Benz Track Day Experience was an event that put most of these questions to rest. Hosted at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC), Sahara Force India’s Mercedes drivers Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg took to the wheel with a single motive - to push their cars to the very edge while giving media personnel, our YEO customers and auto enthusiasts a feel of how it is to race in a GP!

A stack of papers to be signed as an acceptance of indemnity clauses, a briefon driving dynamics and rules by Mr. Hari Singh and the lucky Track Day participants were ready to shut the visors on their helmets. What followed was a gut wrenching blast as they zipped across the BIC at speeds at excessive speeds of 200kmph in the C63 AMG one of the most powerful cars in its league and Mercedes-Benz's official car for the DTM circuit! Auto enthusiasts and young entrepreneurs alike were treated to the ‘the drive of their lives’. Post racing, it took them a while to get over the hair-raising speeds that they had travelled at. The enthralled look on all faces at the end of the day served as a testament to the fascination that the Mercedes-Benz Track Day Experience had delivered.

Mercedes-Benz has always been a strong advocate of motorsports & so have its initiatives in the country:

• In the F1 arena, Mercedes-Benz today has the distinction of having three teams, and their six cars, running on Mercedes-Benz engines.

• Sahara Force India's showcase in F1 is woven around engines manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, and the continuous podium appearances across different race tracks and varied conditions are a testimony to the technological prowess of the engines.

• Sahara Force India as the 'only Indian' F1 team on the circuit, along with Mercedes-Benz will be striving with newer initiatives to popularize motorsports in the country.

• The initiation of such collaboration together with Mercedes-Benz will go a long way in sculpting the future of motorsports in India, with the active help of our partner JPSI.

• The AMGs have been revered in the motoring circuit with high esteem ever since its inception and each race reaffirms the belief in the amazing performance capabilities of this beautiful racing machine.

• In India, just like the other part of the world, the AMGs have won hearts of all motoring enthusiasts and is synonymous with performance motoring.

• The entire range of AMG from Mercedes-Benz's stable are offered for sale in India for customers and enthusiasts who are passionate about performance motoring.

Two golden steering wheels for Mercedes-Benz

Stuttgart – No other automotive brand has had more success in the "Golden Steering Wheel" awards than Mercedes-Benz. This year's Europe-wide vote saw the M-Class and the SLK each win their respective category. These two first places put the Stuttgart-based premium-brand manufacturer at the very top of the "Golden Steering Wheel" all-time winners' list. Mercedes-Benz has won the award, one of the most important distinctions in the European automotive industry, a total of 21 times. The awards were presented to Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, and Professor Dr Thomas Weber, Daimler AG Board of Management member responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, in Berlin last night.

Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

More than 260,000 readers of the German publications "Bild am Sonntag", "Auto Bild" and their European sister publications in 22 countries registered their votes in this year's "Golden Steering Wheel" awards. The winner of the SUV class was determined in a direct vote, so making the Mercedes-Benz M-Class the winner of the "Golden Steering Wheel" in this group. The SLK won its category after being shortlisted along with four of its competitors. In the unimpeachable judgement of a panel of experts, and after undergoing real-life testing, it too was awarded the "Golden Steering Wheel" in its category.

Readers from across Europe valued not only the M-Class's characteristic and distinctive design and its variable interior, with that all-important sense of wellbeing, but also the excellent energy efficiency and thus environmental acceptability of this premium SUV. The permanent all-wheel drive system of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class also proved a determining factor thanks to its well-balanced ride comfort along with excellent driving dynamics, both on and off road, along with the car's outstanding range and high level of safety.

What ultimately swayed the result in favour of the SLK Roadster in the "Golden Steering Wheel" competition was, above all, the way it manages to combine light-footed sportiness with stylish comfort, striking sports car design with absolute everyday practicality, and superb performance with exemplary ecological credentials. With the excellent performance it derives from its economical and yet powerful engines, along with technical innovations such as the unique panoramic vario-roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL, which can be switched from light to dark at the touch of a button, the SLK takes driving pleasure and open air enjoyment to a whole new level.

This year's double win in the "Golden Steering Wheel" awards marks the continuation of a fine tradition: with a total of 21 victories to date, the brand with the three-pointed star now leads the field of the most successful car brands to win the competition for the "Golden Steering Wheel", a prize that has been awarded since 1976.

Celebrating 125 Years of Innovation

The 1886 Benz patent motor car: the world’s first car.

If truth be told, before this date there had already been “auto-mobiles” powered by steam or electricity. But not only did Carl Benz hit upon the brilliant idea of using an internal combustion engine as the drive system for a “self-mover”; he was also the first to have the tenacity to secure success for the invention. On 29 January 1886 he presented his stroke of genius at the Imperial Patent Office – the car was born. His single-cylinder 4-stroke engine with a displacement of 0.954 of a litre anticipated elements still found in every internal combustion engine to this day: a crankshaft with balance weights, electric ignition and water cooling: enough to generate 0.55 kW and a top speed of 16 km/h, virtually corresponding to the power of a whole horse. Snorting loudly and hissing terrifyingly, the newfangled motor car must have seemed like the work of the devil to some back then.

Anyone brave enough to try out Benz’s invention was a true pioneer, for there was no road network, there were no workshops, and they had to forge their own replacement parts. Nevertheless, no less than 25 production-version units of the patent motor car were sold. Daimler built his “motorised carriage” that same year.
Benz initially had a slight edge over Daimler, but then Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft designed a car that was a model for the industry, going down in history as a “Mercedes”.

So, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of such an epic event in History, we're going to take a drive down memory lane with the 'Back to the Future' contest.

Dedicated to the Mercedes-Benz enthusiast, the 'Back to the Future' contest is all about our 125 years of innovation. So, if you think you know all there is to know about your favorite automobile brand, why not test your knowledge against other fans across the country? Then, if you can beat out the best of the best, you can travel back in time, with Mercedes-Benz as your guide. The lucky winner will have the chance to visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, where they can experience for themselves the magic of years gone by and the fascination of future wrapped by.

For the automobile fanatic, this is a dream opportunity & definitely not one to be passed up so easily. So, if you think you have what it takes, just head on over to your nearest Mercedes-Benz India dealership or connect with us on our official Facebook page. Answer all the questions correctly & you will be in the running for the adventure of a lifetime.

125 years down the line & we're still just as committed to bringing you the latest & best in innovative automobile technology. And, with your continued support & friendship, we promise to bring you 125 more!