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Category: Highlight

  • Electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class launches in 2024

    Mercedes-Benz will launch a battery-electric version of the iconic G-Class in 2024, the automaker said on Thursday.

    Confirmation of the electric G-Class, which could go by the name EQG, was made during a presentation outlining Mercedes’ plans to transition to a full-electric brand by 2030. Yes, get ready to say goodbye to internal-combustion engines at Mercedes-Benz, including at Mercedes-Benz AMG.

    Mercedes CEO Ola Kaellenius first mentioned plans for an electric G-Class in 2019. At the time, he said Mercedes had looked at discontinuing the G-Class, but he felt that the last Mercedes to be built should be a G-Class.

    But why the long gestation? The big and blocky G-Class will require a substantial kilowatt-hour rating and Mercedes may want to wait until battery technology improves. It isn’t clear whether Mercedes will electrify the G-Class platform, or install the G-Class body on one of its electric platforms.

    A plug-in hybrid G-Class is likely to eventuate before the electric version, and it could come with an AMG badge attached. AMG plans to introduce plug-in hybrid technology across its range before switching to a full-electric lineup, and the Affalterbach tuner is known to be readying a powerful setup incorporating a V-8. This setup debuts shortly in the GT 4-Door Coupe and will offer more than 800 hp.

    Note, if you want an electric G-Class today, there’s a company in Austria by the name of Kreisel that offers an electric conversion, though so far the company has only shown converted versions of the previous-generation G-Class. Kreisel’s setup features an 80-kwh battery and an electric motor at each axle for a combined 482 hp. One of the first people to take up Kreisel’s G-Class electric conversion was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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  • Bugatti bought back the first Veyron Grand Sport prototype and restored it

    Bugatti on Tuesday presented the first of its cars from the modern era to receive a restoration and certification via the automaker’s La Maison Pur Sang program.

    The car is the first prototype example of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, and the version used for the Veyron Grand Sport’s debut at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It’s finished in white silver metallic paint and features a Cognac brown leather interior.

    The La Maison Pur Sang program, which operates out of Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim, France, and whose French name roughly translates to “The Thoroughbred House” in English, was launched in early 2020 with the aim of providing both existing owners and future potential owners with an official detailed history of its vehicles.

    Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport prototype #001

    Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport prototype #001

    This is particularly important in the world of collector cars, especially when those cars may have been used in competition or owned by famous individuals, which is the case for virtually all of Bugatti’s early models. According to Luigi Galli, the head of the program, he and his team are able to trace the history and determine the authenticity of any Bugatti model and its parts, regardless of age.

    The program also offers a full restoration service and an upgrade service where only official parts are used, ensuring that any modifications made will not impair the car’s certification.

    In the case of the Veyron Grand Sport prototype, which Bugatti only reacquired from an unnamed seller in 2020, a complete strip-down was undertaken to identify the parts used and restore any that were worn. Multiple body panels were repainted and leather and aluminum elements in the cabin were all replaced. With the work completed, the car was almost immediately snapped up by a new collector, according to Galli.

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  • First Lewis Hamilton Formula One car up for grabs sells for millions at auction

    A race-winning McLaren Formula One car driven by Lewis Hamilton was sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction over the weekend, and the final bid came in at 4.73 million British pounds (approximately $6.45 million).

    It isn’t the highest price paid for a F1 car from the modern era. That honor goes to Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F1 car from the 2021 season that sold in 2017 for $7.5 million. Of course, when it comes to the highest price paid for an F1 car, Juan Manual Fangio’s Mercedes-Benz from the 1954 season takes the prize, selling for almost $30 million back in 2013.

    Hamilton’s car is the McLaren MP4-25 from the 2010 season. It was driven that season by both Hamilton and his teammate at the time, Jenson Button, with its best finish being Hamilton’s win at the Turkish Grand Prix. It’s the first of Hamilton’s former F1 cars to hit an auction block.

    The car was put into storage at McLaren after the 2010 season and only brought out again in 2019 when it underwent a restoration in 2019. The work was performed by McLaren’s heritage department and included a complete teardown of the car, after which all safety-critical items were inspected, tested, and replaced as needed. The engine was also sent over to its original supplier, Mercedes, to have it brought back to factory standard.

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    The car is fully certified by McLaren, and it can still be used for track driving, the listing claims, though even a decade-old F1 car is likely far too much for most drivers to handle. We should also add that you need multiple engineers just to start a modern F1 car, let alone see it run smoothly on a track.

    Powered by a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter V-8, the MP4-25 was notable for introducing the infamous “F-duct.” Named for the positioning of an outlet near the letter “f” in sponsor Vodafone’s name, the duct was activated by the driver covering up a small hole with his leg. This redirected airflow, reducing aerodynamic drag and adding up to 6 mph on straights, according to the listing.

    The F-duct was briefly a must-have feature in F1, allowing teams to keep downforce-generating aerodynamic appendages for corners while eliminating some of the drag penalty on straights. Most teams introduced their own versions, but the system was eventually banned.

    The MP4-25 also represents the end of an era for McLaren. The team began a decline after the 2010 season, in part because it had to play second fiddle to the Mercedes factory team. Hamilton joined Mercedes for the 2013 season, and has now won six of his seven championships with them. Meanwhile, McLaren is once again achieving solid results, and has gone back to Mercedes power after lackluster years with Honda and Renault power units.

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