Official F1 Safety Cars: Mercedes SL 63 AMG and C 63 AMG Estate

The 2009 Formula 1 season's safety will be ensured by two specially-prepared high-performance versions of the Mercedes Benz SL, at all of the 17 races, starting with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from 27 to 29 March 2009.

To be able to keep up with the F1 cars, AMG, the performance brand of Mercedes Benz, developed the AMGSPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission which features column shift, making it possible to change gears in just 100 milliseconds. The transmission controls the AMG 6.3l V8 engine, which delivers 457 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque.

Racetrack performance is ensured by the specially-developed coil-over suspension, which can be customized to a specific racetrack by means of individual suspension setup configurations. The combination of 3-stage ESP and rear-axle differential lock with 30 percent locking effect provides optimum traction in all weather conditions.

An adjustable coil-over suspension and 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels, measuring 8 and 9 inches wide and fitted with tires of sizes 235/35 (front) and 255/30 (rear), help to ensure good contact with the road. The powerful AMG high-performance braking system, with its internally ventilated
and perforated composite brake discs on the front axle, is used to allow extremely short stopping distances.

In order to guarantee greater reliability, the cooling of engine oil, transmission oil and power steering has been optimized, this being visible also from the new AMG front apron with its considerably larger cooling-air openings.

Two safety cars (SL 63 AMG) and two medical cars (C 63 AMG), one each as backup, were developed for this year's season, after numerous test drives on various racetracks in order to tune the suspension and verify all the systems and components.