1 month ago
32
Open-top two-seat sports car uses the high-tech safety device straight out of Formula One and can top 315km/h without a roof.
The Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed is the car maker’s vision of a two-seat F1 car for the road – with no roof, windscreen or even windows – in a limited run of 250 individually-numbered examples with road legality yet to be confirmed.
Set for left-hand drive only, pricing is yet to be announced and while Mercedes-Benz Australia told Drive the special edition is not intended for local showrooms, there is nothing to prevent keen Australian enthusiasts ordering one when production kicks off in 2025.
The first of the new Mythos series the PureSpeed is based on the four-seat Mercedes-AMG SL63 soft-top but adds a host of unique racing-inspired design treatments for an open-air experience paying homage to the company’s Formula One (F1) team.
The PureSpeed ditches the roof altogether, with a pair of rear turrets behind the two sports – ditching the second row seats – joined by a large, thick roll-over tube mimicking the F1 Halo device.
Introduced to the racing category in 2018, Halo is a thick, super-strong titanium and carbon-fibre tri-bar protecting the driver’s head – given there is no roof in an F1 car – in the event of an extreme collision.
In the PureSpeed, the Halo-like tubular steel frame works with the standard integrated roll-bars and not only serves as a safety device but helps stiffen the vehicle to help driving dynamics.
The Halo also means there’s no front or rear windscreen – or any windows at all – only a small deflector across the front of the cabin to guide air.
To help reach the 4.0-litre V8’s 315km/h top speed without messing up your hair, a pair of racing helmets painted to match your exterior colour choice come with the car.
It gives the car a unique look, its front-end design inspired by the AMG-One hypercar with a unique bonnet designed to improve stability of a vehicle without a windscreen.
There’s also one-off 21-inch forged alloy wheels with elements designed to help aerodynamics, showing off AMG ceramic brakes, while a new boot lid, under-body panels and a rear lower diffuser are part of the aero package.
Raw carbon-fibre body elements combine with the two-colour paintwork shown in the reveal car, part of the AMG motorsports package – but you can also choose the classic Mercedes-Benz racing silver as homage to its motorsports heritage.
It’s one of many tributes, including the number 10 graphic on the front guards celebrating the 100th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz’s Targa Florio victory – a road race held in Sicily, Italy, from 1906 until 1977 – with Christian Werner and Karl Sailer taking the 1924 race in #10 for the car maker.
The area behind the cabin is said to be inspired by the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR sports car driven to victory by Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson in the 1955 Mille Miglia race in Italy.
The crystal-white themed cabin itself has both analogue elements – such as a PureSpeed-specific IWC clock mounted in the centre of the dash – to the three-dimensional illuminated AMG logos between the leather sports seats.
The V8 packs 430kW and 800Nm of torque – the same figures as the SL63 – through a nine-speed auto, while its 0-100km/h time of 3.6 seconds and 315km/h is identical to the SL63, too.
That may not matter, given the point-to-point driving dynamics – which includes the rear-wheel steering designed to improve high-speed composure and agility – are the focus of the PureSpeed.
While Mercedes-AMG says its “the ultimate driving experience”, bragging rights still belong to the SL63 S E Performance which combines the 4.0-litre V8 with a plug-in hybrid electric set-up for a 2.9-second 0-100km/h and 317km/h top speed.
