Mercedes-Benz Announces CLA45 AMG Racing Series Concept
Mercedes-Benz has turned another one of its models into a racecar, and will be debuting the CLA45 AMG Racing Series concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The CLA45 AMG Racing Series features a special, wider race suspension that allows for adjustment to meet the needs of individual tracks and races. Track and camber is adjustable, as are suspension level, spring rate, and damper characteristics. It has ventilated disc brakes at all wheels. The AMG light alloy wheels are wrapped in Dunlop racing rubber. An integrated pneumatic lifting system in the car’s underbody helps make for faster wheel changes during pit stops.
The car’s front and rear apron, flared wings, and side sill panels are all constructed of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. It features vents in the wheel arches, as well as a front splitter, rear diffuser, and adjustable rear wing. The Racing Series also gets quick-release catches for the hood and trunk lid.
Inside, the CLA45 AMG Racing Series is equipped with a steel roll cage, carbon-fiber Recaro bucket seat, and HANS system. A fire system is integrated into the interior. The car features a racing steering wheel with paddle shifters, and center console switches for onboard electronics, hazard warning system, and fire system.
The CLA45 AMG Racing Series’ output would vary depending on race regulations, but normally, the car’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine makes 360 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. Gears are shifted with an AMG seven-speed Speedshift DCT transmission. The car can be provided with all- or front-wheel drive.
Have a closer look at the CLA45 AMG Racing Series in the attached image gallery. Scroll down for more information in the press release, below.
New to the CLA range: CLA 45 AMG Racing Series
The CLA 45 AMG Racing Series concept car that is celebrating its world premiere at the IAA in Frankfurt/Main provides a preview of another customer sport racing car from Mercedes-AMG.
Affalterbach/Stuttgart. The CLA 45 AMG Racing Series demonstrates our desire to further increase our commitment to customer motorsport. We are also seeking to offer interested customer teams a competitive, near-standard racing car with an excellent level of safety in the popular four-cylinder segment," says Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. "The tremendous success of the SLS AMG GT3, which is now being raced by customer teams across five different continents, makes us highly confident." In addition to a string of individual race wins, the SLS AMG GT3 also racked up a number of championship titles, including the FIA GT3 European Championship (2012), the FIA GT1 World Championship (2012), as well as the ADAC GT Masters title (2012). In 2013 the SLS AMG GT3 even managed to take the grand slam of GT3 endurance classics with four victories in succession.
The CLA 45 AMG Racing Series is destined for the crowd-pulling race series featuring 2.0-litre turbocharged cars and may be deployed internationally if demand is high enough. The technical specifications will vary according to the race rules and race series. The engine output and power transmission are variable, with permanent all-wheel drive or purely front-wheel drive possible as in the standard version.
Chassis and body: pure racing car technology
The special racing suspension has a wider track at the front and rear, and allows numerous adjustments for an individual racetrack setup. The suspension level, spring rate and damper characteristics are adjustable, as are the track and camber at the front and rear axles. The AMG high-performance braking system with ventilated discs all-round is equipped with an anti-lock system.
Typical racing car features made completely from carbon-fibre (CFRP) make the extravagant design of the standard CLA 45 AMG even more spectacular: they include a new front and rear apron, flared wings and side sill panels. In addition, treadless racing tyres ensure an impressive width. Thanks to carbon-fibre rear wings and large cooling apertures for engine and brake cooling, the CLA 45 AMG Racing Series makes an imposing impression even when stationary. For use on the racetrack, the already good aerodynamic attributes of the four-door high-performance coupé are further optimised by the newly developed carbon-fibre components:the front apron with a front splitter ensures additional downforce, as do the rear diffuser with three fins and the adjustable rear aerofoil. The air intake in the side sill panels ahead of the rear wheels ensures effective cooling of the rear brakes.
A functional racing car atmosphere predominates in the interior: the roll-over cage is made of high-strength steel. An exemplary level of safety is ensured by the carbon-fibre P 1300 GT racing bucket seat from Recaro, prepared for the HANS system (Head and Neck Support), and the integrated fire extinguishing system. The racing steering wheel with shift paddles for gearshifts allows perfect vehicle control.
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