All posts by Francis Mitterrand

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The Mercedes-AMG One is still the king of the Nürburgring Nordschleife

In 2022, Mercedes-AMG unveiled one of the fastest road cars in the world, the Mercedes-AMG One, and everyone was waiting to see its capabilities on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife race track. At the end of that year, the car appeared on the track and set the fastest lap time in the road-legal racing car category. Two years later, the Mercedes-AMG One beat itself and showed that it will rule this track for a long time.

The Mercedes-AMG One is powered by a 1.6-liter Formula 1 V6 turbo engine with 566 hp (422 kW) at 11,000 rpm, which in combination with four electric motors delivers a total of 1,049 hp (771 kW). That’s enough power for this supercar to reach 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, 124 mph (200 km / h) in less than six seconds with a top speed of 217 mph (350 km / h). The engine is paired with a 7-speed gearbox.

As in 2022, Mercedes driver Maro Engel was behind the wheel and the new fastest lap time on the 20,832 km (12,944 miles) long track is 6 minutes and 29.09 seconds. That is 6:09 seconds faster than the previous one (6 minutes and 35.18 seconds), but also the first time that a production car crossed the track in less than 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

There are few super-powerful cars that could set lap times close to or better than the Mercedes-AMG One in the future, and some of them are the Porsche Mission X, Aston Martin Valkyrie or the Rimac Nevera R.

Source: Mercedes-AMG

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The Mercedes-AMG One is still the king of the Nürburgring Nordschleife
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McLaren P1, RB7, Subaru and Pro4 Truck in a drag race

Drag races are popular events where car enthusiasts present their tuned cars by racing against each other. One such event was organized by Red Bull, where an F1 Car, a Rallycross Car, a Drift Hypercar and a Pro4 Truck demonstrated their impressive capabilities on a modified race track.

Red Bull built the ultimate race track where each driver set a lap to make sure that the track is fair. Each vehicle had its own line specifically built for its strengths in order to even the odds and see which one comes out on top.

The Pro4 was driven by off-road racing champion Andrew Carlson, and his car develops more than 960 hp and weighs 2,041 kilograms. Behind the steering wheel of the McLaren P1, which has more than 1,000 hp and weighs 1,400 kilograms, was Mad Mike Whiddett. The powerful Subaru was driven by World Rallycross Championship champion Scott Speed, and the car has more than 600 hp and weighs 1,300 kilograms. The RB7 F1 car, which has 750 hp and weighs 640 kilograms, was driven by Patrick Friesacher.

The first to go out on the track was Friesacher, who also has the longest line, but thanks to the best aerodynamics, he achieved a lap time of 1:20.36. At one point, the RB7 car reached a speed of 288 km/h. After him, Mad Mike Whiddett came out on the track and his show started with a powerful engine sound and burning tires. He had to drift in every corner in order to maintain speed and record the best possible time. In the end, he achieved a lap time of 1:21.40 (+0.84).

World Rallycross Championship champion Scott Speed ​​had the advantage of his Subaru’s fantastic acceleration and the ability to drive off-road terrain outside the track, which ultimately earned him the third fastest lap time, 1:20.56 (+0.20).

Andrew Carlson drove the shortest line compared to all the participants. Its advantage was the best suspension, which allowed the Pro4 Truck to jump over the track and also race off-road terrain with ease. He ended up with a best lap time of 1:20.23.

Finally, it was time to see who would win in a head to head race. Subaru had the best start as the RB7 car soon took the lead. However, the longest line was too much for the RB7 car, which eventually arrived last. The fastest was Mad Mike Whiddett in a McLaren P1, second was Andrew Carlson in a Pro4 Truck while third was Scott Speed ​​in a Subaru.

Source: Red Bull via YouTube

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McLaren P1, RB7, Subaru and Pro4 Truck in a drag race
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Volvo supports a ban on ICE cars after 2035

Although many European car manufacturers have abandoned the plan to become fully electric by 2030, and put their focus on hybrids, they still believe in the EU’s plans. One of them is Volvo, which believes that the EU must not abandon the ban on the sale of ICE cars after 2035.

At the beginning of 2021, Volvo announced that it is rapidly moving towards the complete electrification of its fleet by the end of the decade. However, production problems and a drop in demand for EVs showed that everything was too fast. This forced Volvo to change its plan and face reality.

The Swedish company has announced that it will continue to produce cars with internal combustion engines after 2030, but they will have mild hybrid systems and will be produced in limited series. Also, the plan is for PHEVs and electric cars to account for between 50 and 60 percent of total sales by the end of this year. This target is too ambitious if we consider the sales of the last few months when fully electric cars accounted for only 26 percent of the total sales.

Volvo and 49 other car companies have signed a declaration with which they unreservedly support the European Union’s plan to ban the sale of cars with internal combustion engines, which should enter into force from 2035.

Some car companies disagree with the Swedish manufacturer. Similar opinion is shared by officials in several European Union countries who consider the plan absurd and unsustainable. The goal of the European Union is cars without harmful emissions, but not at any cost. In theory, this leaves room for internal combustion engines that would use synthetic fuel or hydrogen.

Source: Euronews