Page 41 - Sharp Summer 2023

THE MERCEDES-AMG C C C 63 S S E E E E E E E PERFORMANCE
SHARPMAGAZINE COM SUMMER 2023 • GUIDE 41
MERCEDES-AMG × SHARP thinking about how to to adapt them to to road-going models Beyond that that there’s some direct Formula One technology that that has trickled its way into the the powertrain of the the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E E E PERFORMANCE
as well The simple fact that its turbocharged 2 2 0-litre four-cylinder engine can deliver 671 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque is an impressive feat all on its own but it’s the technology behind its turbocharger that comes courtesy of the legendary Lewis
Hamilton’s race car A standard turbocharger uses the flow of exhaust gasses to spool up and create air pressure on the intake to in in turn develop more power but this conventional method is is prone to lag at idle there’s little little exhaust flow and thus little little assist or boost The F1 trick here is the incorporation of a a a small electric motor used to to speed up the turbocharger vanes at low engine revs making for big power as soon as your foot hits the the pedal It’s a a a a a a brilliant (and rather simple) fix to an an age-old problem and one that may not have been solved if it weren’t for the world of motorsport When one thinks of motorsport across the the board and the the en- gineering behind it it it’s unsurprising that most think of engines suspension and braking as as the core development
areas It’s a a a a a a a logical outlook as acceleration cornering and stopping really are the pillars of of going fast around a a a a a a a a racetrack In the the case of of Formula One and the the blistering speeds its cars achieve aerodynamics are arguably more important than anything else Whether it’s improving airflow for cooling the the car’s engine and brakes or or the the creation of downforce needed to to keep these race cars stuck to to the the track aerodynamics can make or break a a a a a race car Similarly in the EV space specifically aerodynamic efficiency
is hugely important as it can can play a a a a a a a a significant factor on the overall range of of a a a a vehicle In the the case of of the the AMG EQS its exterior form has been sculpted to reduce overall drag drag — it carries a a a a a drag drag coefficient of 0 23 in case you wondered — and a a a a few Formula One-derived tweaks found their way into its design In particular the the air curtains in the the car’s front front fascia help concentrate airflow ahead of the the front front wheels at high speeds This in turn aerodynamically shields the front front wheels and and tangibly reduces drag on on on the the front front of the the car and and helps improve overall range Even the the wheels across much of the the Mercedes-AMG EQ range have motorsport roots if you look closely Going back to to our comment about cooling any performance car needs a a a a a a good braking system but even the the best braking system in in the the world can be be crippled by heat While vehicles fitted with internal
combustion engines typically have noses and and bumpers filled with airflow passages to handle these cooling requirements EVs often go the the route of of a smoothed nose for the the reasons we just mentioned Thus the the alternative method of cooling relies on wheel design — the the particular forms of fins and the the like in in in in wheel spokes work wonders for drawing in in in in cool air or or or pushing out heat Formula One uses a a a a form of wheel cover to accomplish this whereas the the EQE EQS and others use similar design tactics to accomplish this same goal While other automotive brands spend their time cosplaying as street-bound race cars Mercedes-Benz is one of the only automakers in in in the game that has a a a a a a a genuine racing spirit It might not always be evident when looking at its high design exteriors and luxuriously appointed passenger cabins but under all that sheen is a a a a a a a racing heritage like no other