C 6

3 A

MG

Cou

pe B

lack

Ser

ies

Lau

reu

s W

orld

Spo

rts

Aw

ards

A

yrto

n S

enn

a an

d h

is 1

90 E

Issu

e 1

·201

2

FRUGAL E 300 BlueTec HybridTOPS Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner WINTERPROOF Lech am Arlberg

ALUMINUM Lightweight evolution

THE NEW A-CLASS Geared to the future

Mercedes-Benz

1·2012

www.mercedes-magazine.com i s s n 16 17–6677

STAR-STUDDED CAST The new SL steals every scene

B L I N D T E X T, 19 . 0 6 . 2 010

M I S S I O N T H E S H A D O W of his famous father Keke no longer obscures the achievements of Nico Rosberg. The

Formula 1 driver has yet to emulate Rosberg snr. in securing a World Championship title, of course, but

that would appear to be a matter of when rather than if. Indeed, alongside ambition, incredible driving

talent and an unwavering will to win, it is the consistency of the Mercedes AMG Petronas pilot in delivering

when it matters that stands out most. Barely does a race go by without Nico finishing in the points, barely

a season where the upper reaches of the final standings do not feature his name. His ever-deepening well

of experience also benefits the team, needless to say: the 26-year-old’s racing mind gives the pit engineers

an astute personal insight into where the car can be improved, to go with the data gathered from the car’s

telemetry. This expertise is sure to prove valuable over the coming season; perhaps it will even tip the

balance in Nico’s bid to thread his F1 Mercedes around the circuit faster than any other man/machine

combination. With 20 races on the 2012 calendar, this is set to be a long season, but also one promising

great excitement for F1 fans around the world.

M E L B O U R N E , M A R C H 18 , 2 012

M E L B O U R N E

Shining lightwww.mercedes-amg-f1.com

PH

OTO

: D

AIM

LER

AG

/ C

OV

ER:

MA

RC

TR

AU

TMA

NN

, M

AR

KU

S B

OLS

ING

ER,

DA

IMLE

R A

G

5

6

N E W W O R L D Visions, ideas and innovations for the future

8 O U T O F L . A . Somehow familiar, yet so much better – the new SL

16 D R I V I N G F O R C E The fascination of motorsports, speed and technology

48

H E A R T T O H E A R T The E300 BlueTec Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient luxury-class car

V I S I O N S Mercedes looks to the future at the LA Design Challenge

12

14

F L AW L E S S D E S I G N The second-generation CLS has extended its lead even further

H I G H AC H I E V E R An interview with mountain- slayer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

P O W E R B O O S T Road-ready F1 technology: the KERS system

34

44 56

W H E E L S F O R R E E L S A designer from Germany creates Hollywood’s sci-fi vehicles

10 M I L E A F T E R M I L E A Mercedes fan drives all the way from Bahrain to the Nürburgring

30 B L AC K B E AU T Y C63 AMG Coupe Black Series – the most powerful C of all time

50

A L L C H A N G E The DTM has rewritten the rules; Mercedes is ready

54

M O N I T O R P E R F O R M A N C E

Mercedes-Benz

1 · 2 0 1 2

A U T O M O T I V E

P E R F O R M A N C E

7

I N S P I R AT I O N Art, culture, architecture and style to whet your curiosity

60

M I R AC L E M E TA L Aluminum is a dazzling success – not just in the new SL

70

L E A D I N G E D G E Design mastery: the new A-Class flexes its muscles

62

M O D E R N

M O M E N T S

PH

OTO

: M

AR

C T

RA

UTM

AN

N

I N D U L G E N C E Journeys, places, pleasures and lifestyles to dream of

74 S P O R T S O S CA R S Celebrities celebrate the Laureus World Sports Awards

94

M O B I L I T Y

P E A K S E A S O N Lech beckons with deep snow and other highlights

76

SOUR POWER Manfred Klimek sniffs out delicacies. This time: balsamic vinegar

90

S T A N D A R D S

5 M I S S I O N Nico Rosberg

8 8 J U S T PA S S I N G Peter Glaser bids farewell to familiar sights

8 9 M A S T H E A D

9 8 R E T R O S P E C T I V E Ayrton Senna and his 190 E

M O N I T O R

T H E “ PA PAYA P L AYA P R O J E C T ” in Tulum, Mexico, is an experiment in creating a temporary paradise – a “pop-up” beach resort that shuts down its 99 cabañas (which range from those with a sea view to jungle huts with bunk beds) after a mere five months. For this short period, the project offers not so much luxury as relaxation in the sun, with a spa, yoga and concerts. In mid-May it is supposed to close again, but the man behind it all – Claus Sendlinger – won’t exclude the possibility that the dream might be prolonged.

The Formosa Tower in Taiwan is due for completion in 2017

PH

OTO

S:

PR

, P

OR

TRA

IT:

JEA

N-L

UC

LU

YSS

EN/

MA

DA

ME

FIG

AR

O

The Cabañas cost between 60 and 380 euros per night

I N TA I W A N , the Formosa Tower is due for completion in 2017. This huge yet delicate-looking steel structure 300 meters (almost 1,000 ft) high boasts a large roof garden – a modern oasis in urban surround-ings. “It is supposed to do for our century what the Eiffel Tower did for the 19th,” explains its Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. Illuminated by LED lamps, the tower has inte-grated solar cells, rainwater collec-tion and wind turbines.

Cherry Blossom Canopy by

David Wiseman

A R C H I T E C T U R E

Garden with viewwww.twtower.com.tw

R E S O R T

Short-term paradisewww.papayaplayaproject.com

8

A R T I S T David Wiseman designs flowers and climbing plants that grow up walls and across ceilings. The blos-soms are made of porcelain and the branches and leaves of copper, brass, steel or plaster. Wiseman usually creates white gardens on the ceilings of private clients’ houses, but also decorated Dior’s Shanghai boutique with lilies of the valley. “I want to bring nature into people’s houses,” says Wiseman – by way of explaining his latest project: West Hollywood Library has recently found a white tree growing up its stairwell.

A R T

Growth industrywww.dwiseman.com

I N N O V A T I O N S V I S I O N S I D E A S F U T U R E P E O P L E

Artist Mathieu Lehanneur

D E S I G N E R and artist Mathieu Lehanneur has created an installation that can forecast the weather – acting as a sort of window into the future. A data termi-nal collects real-time weath-er information and creates an impressionistic picture of the sky on a round screen. For Lehanneur, “Demain est un autre jour” (Tomorrow is another day) is an opportu-nity to investigate the princi-ples of uncertainty, unavoid-ability and spirituality more closely. That’s all well and good – but it also functions as a highly attractive weath-er forecaster.

O N S U N N Y D AY S many cars can be seen with comic figures and cute puppies in their side windows – but only seldom do you come across an aesthetically pleasing sun blind. Designers Karen Olze and Julian Appelius had this in mind when they came up with the idea of “Blind Passengers”: Boticelli’s favorite model can now be glimpsed surveying the evening snarl-up, Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring can be seen flirting at the red lights, and even Rembrandt’s Jesus gazes serenely at the passing landscape. Around 11.50 euros.

Boticelli's Simonetta as a backseat driver

V I S I O N

A window on the futurewww.mathieulehanneur.fr

D E S I G N

Sunblindwww.julianappelius.de

S P O R T

More than a canoewww.backyak.de

9

T H E B A C K YA K may not be able to do everything – but it is certainly pret-ty versatile. The canoe can be taken to bits and carried on your back like a sort of barrel-shaped rucksack. When it is assembled it holds two adults and a child, but can also be split into two (see below). However, there’s more to it than that: add a few extra elements and it turns into a raft, a catamaran or even a toboggan. Made of carbon fiber, it is 5.4 meters (almost 18 ft) long and weighs 18 kilo-grams (40 lb), with the weight distributed across the two rucksacks that also form part of its hull. From 3,790 euros.

The Backyakcan be split

into two for canoeing with a friend

A German designer is busy creating futuristic vehicles for Hollywood’s sci-fi heroes.words hannah sartorius

F I L M C A R S

Wheels for reels

A U T O M O T I V E

H

10

arald Belker doesn’t look much

like a time-traveler, with his de-

signer stubble and a casual shirt

that clearly doesn’t come from

the future. But appearances can be decep-

tive: Belker is a man who spends most of

his working day in the year 2035. What’s

it like? He smiles and takes a deep breath:

“Man, it’s big there.”

The German automotive designer is cur-

rently working in Los Angeles on the

Pulse film project, for which he is de-

veloping streamlined magnetic levi-

tation vehicles that zoom through

urban canyons between glittering sky-

scrapers. The vehicles are destined to offer a

high-speed spectacle that will make today’s

Formula 1 racing cars look like horse-drawn

carriages. Harald Belker studied automo-

tive design at the famous Art Center College

of Design in Pasadena, and subsequently

retinal scan. And for Tron: Legacy, released in

2010, he was also involved in developing the fa-

mous light motorcycles that race across virtual

surfaces leaving a trail of pixels in their wake.

The automobile as metaphorHarald Belker works with screenplay authors

rather than engineers. “I wish there were more

films in which a vehicle plays a leading role,”

he comments. After all, the automobile and the

dream of individual freedom that goes with it is

a central element in modern man’s self-percep-

tion. So when Belker redesigns the automobile

for the year 2035 or 2080, he is at the same time

painting a picture of the social values of that

particular era.

“Science-fiction films have a huge influence on

our culture,” says Belker. They are, he argues,

more realistic than you might imagine. “They

embody our vision of tomorrow’s technologies.

People were first introduced to touchscreens

worked for some years in the Mercedes-Benz

Advanced Design Unit in Orange County before

settling in California.

On the sideboard in his office in L. A. he has a

collection of small model cars on display. How-

ever, most of his vehicle designs can be found

not on the street but on the cinema screen: Belk-

er is the most sought-after vehicle designer in

Hollywood’s film industry.

Whenever a sci-fi film director wants a means

of transportation worthy of being seen on the

highways in 2045, he turns to the man from

Germany – the birthplace of the automobile.

Back in the 1990s, Belker designed the Batmo-

bile for the comedy film Batman and Robin. “The

movie was terrible,” he admits, but everyone

vividly remembers the vehicle with its aggres-

sive gothic styling.

For Steven Spielberg’s dystopian vision of the fu-

ture in Minority Report (2002), Belker designed

a futuristic vehicle that Tom Cruise unlocks by

and speech recognition in Star Wars. Today,

these are part of our everyday lives.”

So even though Belker no longer works for an

automotive company, one could argue that he is

still, in a way, designing tomorrow’s cars. And

every year he sends his latest prototypes and

concept cars off to a very special test circuit –

the cinema screen.

Pulse is destined one day to replace Formula 1 – Belker is already designing the racetracks and a wide range of different vehicles. He was also involved in designing the Batmobile (bottom right) for the film Batman and Robin.

PH

OTO

S:

CO

UR

TES

Y O

F H

AR

ALD

BEL

KER

DES

IGN

11

M O N I T O R

E F F I C I E N T M O B I L I T Y

Heart to heart

Twin motors, fewer refueling stops: the car of the future combines power with fuel efficiency.words michael moorstedt

U N V E I L E D to the public at the Detroit Auto

Show early this year, the car of the future

seems remarkably familiar. On the outside,

there’s nothing to tell the Mercedes-Benz

E 300 BlueTec Hybrid apart from its conven-

tionally powered siblings. You wouldn’t think

that Mercedes-Benz had just revolutionized

the luxury class and created the most fuel-

efficient full-size sedan in the world. For the

hood of this model shelters not one motor but

two: a four-cylinder diesel engine alongside an

electric drive motor, which generates enough

power to support all-electric operation over

short distances.

So the moral, once again, is that appearances

can be deceptive – even if those first appear-

ances happen to be very easy on the eye,

thanks to the classically elegant design lan-

guage that marks out this Mercedes-Benz, too.

The NEDC fuel consumption of the E 300 Blue-

Tec Hybrid comes out close to the four-liter

mark, at 4.3 liters per 100 kilometers (54.7 mpg),

to be precise. This is assisted by an intelligent

start/stop system in addition to regenerative

braking, which causes the electric motor to

act as a generator when the driver steps on the

brake. As a result, some of the vehicle’s kinetic

energy is converted back into electric power,

which is stored in the lithium-ion battery pack.

And the drive system features another fuel-

saving feature: it can support coasting with

the engine switched off.

The new model, unlike many other hybrids, in-

volves no compromises on driver or passenger

comfort: thanks to intelligent packaging, the

electric motor and batteries fit easily into the

engine compartment with no loss of interior

space or storage capacity.The bar display is a fun incentive to adopt an even more fuel-efficient driving style P

HO

TOS

: P

LAIN

PIC

TUR

E; D

AIM

LER

AG

S TAT S

E-ClassE 300 BlueTec Hybrid Sedan

Engine / OutputCombustion engine: 2.1-liter four-cylinder diesel, 150 kW at 4,200 rpm;max torque 500 Nm at 1,800 rpm; electric motor: 20 kW; max torque 250 Nm

Transmission7G-Tronic Plus

Acceleration0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.5 s

Top speed 242 km/h (150 mph)

Fuel consumption urban: 4.3–4.2 l diesel/100 km(54.7–56 mpg)intra-urban: 4.3–4.2 l diesel/100 km(54.7–56 mpg) combined: 4.3–4.2 l diesel/100 km(54.7–56 mpg)

CO2 emissions combined: 109 g/km (175 g/mi)

Cd 0.26

The values stated were calculated according to the measuring methods specified in the cur-rently applicable version of Directive 80/1268/EWG. The data do not relate to a specific vehi-cle and are not part of the specification, but are merely for the purpose of comparing different vehicle types. The figures are provided in accordance with the German regulation “PKW-EnVKV” and apply to the German market only.

w w w . m e r c e d e s - b e n z . c o m

12

14

M O N I T O R

The Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios caused quite a stir with the spectacular concepts they unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Design Challenge.words mart in trockner

D E S I G N S T U D I E S

Future visions

PH

OTO

S:

DA

IMLE

R A

G

E V E R Y Y E A R since 2005, the Design Chal-

lenge has taken place as part of the Los Angeles

Auto Show. It sets out to identify the outstand-

ing ideas and creative designs that – sooner

rather than later – are going to impact on our

sense of style. Last year, the distinguished panel

of judges was looking for the most spectacular

new film car for Hollywood, and the designers

from Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios

in Sindelfingen and Carlsbad (USA) walked

away with two awards. Their short film about

the Mercedes-Benz Silver Lightning – involv-

ing two rebellious crash dummies speeding

through a futuristic megacity to rescue their

beloved Mercedes Silver Arrow – was declared

“Best Animation”. And another award went to

the smart 341 Parkour as the most spectacular

new screen automobile for Hollywood. It was

the second time that smart had won an award in

this prestigious competition.

Every year during the Los Angeles Auto Show, the LA Design Challenge – one of the most prestigious events in the industry calendar – grants automotive designers an opportunity to present their visions of the future.

COMPETITION

Design Challenge

The smart 341 Parkour (left) was singled out for an award. Bird’s-eye view of a Silver Arrow study (below)

The Mercedes-Benz Silver Lightning made a triumphant appearance in L.A.

16 17

A U T O M O T I V E

Sporty, comfy, pacey... It's the perfect roadster.

16

BLO

US

E:

STE

LLA

MC

CA

RTN

EY

; PA

NTS

: D

IOR

; S

HO

ES

: G

IUS

EP

PE

ZA

NO

TTI;

SU

NG

LA

SS

ES

: C

HLO

E

16 17

And check out those edgy looks.

O U T O F

words luk as m. guster photos marc tr autmann

17

18 1918

A U T O M O T I V E

S T Y L I S H

The SL has a great figure seen

from the front and the back. It’s all in the genes.

18

18 191919

20 2120

A U T O M O T I V E

20

P. 1

8–21

: SU

NG

LAS

SES

: DIO

R, C

HLO

E

20 2121

OPEN HEART, OPEN MINDWith the roof folded away in the trunk, it’s time to enjoy that SL Roadster feeling. It takes just 16 seconds to feel the wind in your hair.

21

22

L U X U R Y

Inside the SL there’s more

room than ever. Complete with classy decor.

22

M A G A Z I N

2323

A U T O M O T I V E

24 2524

STAR QUALITYThe new SL is the George Clooney of roadsters: charming, athletic, cultured. Oh yes – and rather sexy…

A U T O M O T I V E

24

24 252525

FAC

ING

PA

GE:

DR

ESS

: M

ICH

AEL

KO

RS

/ T

HIS

PA

GE:

DR

ESS

: H

ERV

E LE

GER

26 27

he sun is high in that blue Californian sky. The

baking asphalt is shimmering in the noonday

heat. The highway stretches arrow-straight away

into infinity. It’s time for a showdown – with the

new SL-Class Roadster. No contest: sunlight

glances blindingly off the chrome star on the ra-

diator grille, so it’s impossible to look straight at

the matte-gray car. The world-famous Mercedes

symbol has been reworked for this latest genera-

tion of the legendary two-letter sports car, and

now merges seamlessly with the chrome strip

across the center of the grille. Externally, the

Roadster appears almost unchanged, even to fa-

miliar eyes. And yet the subtle differences are

there. The new SL is 5 centimeters (2 in.) longer

and 5.7 cm (2.2 in.) wider than its predecessor:

sculpted contours and sharp angles give the

car a powerful, almost aggressive look, further

enhanced by upward-slanting headlights. The

new SL is elegant and exciting – a real bad-boy

aristocrat.

No need to flaunt itIf you stand directly in front of the car, it’s clear

the shoulders are wider and the body tapers

slightly toward the front. Despite this muscular

impression, it’s no surprise to find the Roadster

has a lower drag coefficient than ever: the air

resistance of outer skin, wheels and underside

has been minimized.

That’s as it should be – after all, the first SL,

built back in 1952, was a racing car. And 60

years on, the development team remembered

one of the striking features of that early ances-

tor, the 300 SL: its lightweight construction.

SL actually stands for Sport Lightweight, and

the most recent addition to the family tree does

full justice to the badge. Built almost entirely out

of aluminum, the new SL weighs up to 140 kg

(approx. 300 lbs) less than its steel predecessor,

improving the luxury sports car’s fuel efficiency

and handling.

The California sun is still beating mercilessly

down – it’s enough to make a girl glow. But not

for long: turn the key in the ignition and the good-

humored growl of the engine instantly

T

B A D B OY

Every good girl loves a bad boy. The

SL can flex those muscles better than

most.

26

26 27

A U T O M O T I V E

27

P. 2

2:

BLO

US

E: R

AC

HEL

RO

Y

P.2

3:

DR

ESS

: H

ERV

E LE

GER

; B

LOU

SE:

STE

LLA

MC

CA

RTN

EY,

PA

NTS

: D

IOR

; S

HO

ES:

GIU

SEP

PE

ZA

NO

TTI:

SU

NG

LAS

SES

: C

HLO

E;P.

26

: D

RES

S:

PO

RTS

196

1, T

IGH

TS:

WO

LFO

RD

, S

HO

ES:

GIU

SEP

PE

ZA

NO

TTI

P.

27:

DR

ESS

: M

AR

CH

ESA

A family thatbecamea legend

brings on the goosebumps. No over-excited roar-

ing or howling here – we’re not talking crude

muscle car, we’re talking refined speedster. The

SL 500 is powered by a new 4.7-liter, V-8 gaso-

line engine producing a magnificent 320 kW.

Maximum torque has jumped by 32 percent to

700 Newton meters. And yet despite all this extra

potency, fuel consumption is down by 22 percent

– helped along by a new start/stop function, fitted

as standard.

And seductive murmurs, too…Don’t be misled by the gracious manners – this

isn’t an engine to underestimate. The eight cylin-

ders run so quietly, the 7G-Tronic Plus automatic

transmission so smoothly, that you may find the

speedo needle nudging the limit before you’re

aware of it. This is a car that treads softly – un-

less you push it. Put your foot down and the V-8

growl swells to a roar as the car sprints from zero

to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.6 seconds. And

yet inside the car, all is calm, even as the harsh

desert landscape flies past.

With the roof up, external noise is almost com-

pletely banished. The Active Body Control (ABC)

intelligent suspension system soaks up bumps

and potholes so you don’t even notice them – it’s

like gliding on ice.

But hit the curves and the sporty side comes out,

with no loss of confidence or control. A low center

of gravity and neutral weight distribution make

for a perfectly balanced driving experience – the

electro-mechanical Direct Steer system responds

with exceptional precision. What’s so special

about it? It adjusts to match the car’s speed and

steering angle, which means that, as well as giv-

ing you extreme agility through bends and ulti-

mate straightline stability, it makes the car easy

to park, too.

Now all that lies before us is the sun-drenched

highway – nothing else to see but barren land-

scape stretching away to the horizon on all sides.

Time to give it some gas and head for the hills.

Everything flows together in a perfect, timeless

moment – a twitch of the volume control and you

can feel the music pulsing from the FrontBass

Gorgeous ma-terials, lovingly crafted, for a truly luxurious interior

A U T O M O T I V E S TAT S

SL RoadsterSL 500 BlueEfficiency

Engine / Output4.7-liter V-8 engine,320 kW at 5,250 rpm;max. torque 700 Nmat 1,800–3,500 rpm

Transmission7G-Tronic Plus7-speed automatic

Acceleration0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 s

Top speed 250 km/h (155 mph) (electronically limited)

Fuel consumption urban: 12.9–12.7 l Super/100 km(18.2–18.5 mpg)inter-urban: 7.1–7.0 l Super/100 km(33.1–33.6 mpg) combined: 9.2–9.1 l Super/100 km(25.6–25.9 mpg)

CO2 emissions combined: 214–212 g/km(344–341 g/mi)

Energy rating E

Cd 0.29

Luggage capacity364–504 liters

The values stated were calculated according to the measuring methods specified in the currently applicable version of Directive 80/1268/EWG. The data do not relate to a specific vehicle and are not part of the specification, but are merely for the purpose of comparing different vehicle types. The figures are provided in accordance with the German regulation "PKW-EnVKV" and apply to the German market only.

w w w . m e r c e d e s - b e n z . c o m

1963

–197

1

1955

–196

3 W 121 The 190 SL is the first open-toppedproduction sports car in the SL family.

1957

–196

3 W 19 8 The inspiration for the 300 SL Roadster was no lesser model than the Gullwing.

W 113 The roofline of the hardtop W 113 earned it the nickname “Pagoda”.

28

4329

STY

LIN

G:

AN

GEL

A K

ELLE

Y; P

RO

DU

CTI

ON

: S

IMO

N S

CH

WA

RZ/

NO

-NA

ME

PR

OD

UC

TIO

NS

; H

AIR

: R

IAD

AZ

AR

/IN

TRO

AR

TIS

TS.C

OM

; M

AK

E-U

P:

AN

NIE

IN

G/

CEL

ESTI

NE

AG

ENC

Y.C

OM

; LO

CA

TIO

N:

SA

N B

ERN

AR

DIN

O C

OU

NTY

/

EL M

IRA

GE;

SP

ECIA

L TH

AN

KS

TO

TH

E IN

LAN

D E

MP

IRE

FILM

CO

MM

ISS

ION

; A

RC

HIV

E P

HO

TOS

: D

AIM

LER

AG

speakers that are mounted in the hollow alumi-

num bulkhead behind the footwells.

A steel-blue sky is visible through the Magic Sky

Control roof – one press of a button and the roof

darkens, plunging us into cool shade. Another

press, and the roof takes just seconds to fold itself

neatly away in the luggage compartment.

We’re starring in our very own road movie –

alone on the highway with the wind in our hair,

we can immerse ourselves in that special, inimi-

table roadster feeling. The electric wind deflector

is a boon for the front-seat passenger, protecting

neck and hairdo from the airflow. Better still,

concealed vents in the headrest issue a steady

stream of warm air, meaning you can continue

driving with the top down well into the cooler

months.

“It never rains in Southern California” went the

song by Albert Hammond back in the early 70s.

But even if it did, we wouldn’t be in the least

bit worried. That’s because the SL is fitted with

the new Magic Vision Control wash/wipe sys-

tem – a heated wiper blade with built-in nozzles

squirts water just in front of the leading edge

of the blade and wipes it away immediately, so

the driver’s view of the road is never obscured.

It’s part of the safety culture that has long been

a paramount consideration for Mercedes. In-

deed, this luxury sports car is fitted with all the

safety and driver support systems the develop-

ment team has ever thought up, from Pre-Safe

accident prevention through Distronic Plus prox-

imity control to automated parking, courtesy of

Active Parking Assist.

It’s been a long, exhilarating day out in the Cali-

fornian desert. The sun finally disappears behind

the hills, but the journey – well, we could keep

on cruising for ever. A coffee cup symbol pops up

on the Roadster’s instrument panel: the Attention

Assist drowsiness detection system thinks it’s

time for a break, even though we feel we could

keep on driving for hours in the SL. Because it’s

that kind of car.

IN THE BEST TRADITIONThe 300 SL’s successor picks up the gauntlet of its legendary forebears.

I M P R E S S I V E

Slanted headlights give the SL

the poised look of a powerful predator ready for the kill.

1989

–200

1

1971

–198

9

2001

–201

2R 12 9 The first cabriolet to feature an automically extending rollover bar.

R 107 With a production run of 237,287, the R 107 is a familiar classic.

R 2 3 0 The customary soft-top is replaced by a folding Vario roof made of steel.

Greetings from SYRIA

FROM

G

reetings

Acropolis, Athens

King Fahd Causeway1200 m

Greece

IGOUMENITSA

Greetings from BAHRAIN

ANCONA

Bahrain

PRAGUE

Liechten

steinVADUZ

MANAMA

ANKARA

ISTANBULTurkey

ALEPPOCzech Republic

ATHENS

A U T O M O T I V E

A U T O S T O R I E S

The desert callsEbrahim Abul drove his Mercedes sedan from Bahrain to the Nürburgring – and back again. tr anscrip t ion jenny buchhol z i llustr at ions anna l inder

30

THE CAR WAS spray-coated with a mixture of sand and water, the only way to protect the headlights and paintwork.

Greetings from SYRIA

FROM

G

reetings

Acropolis, Athens

King Fahd Causeway1200 m

Greece

IGOUMENITSA

Greetings from BAHRAIN

ANCONA

Bahrain

PRAGUE

Liechten

steinVADUZ

MANAMA

ANKARA

ISTANBULTurkey

ALEPPOCzech Republic

ATHENS

was the year I bought my Mercedes

C-Class in Bahrain. When I went to pick it

up, the dealer pointed out that the car came

with an international warranty. Well, if that

isn’t a sign, I thought to myself – for two years

I’d been dreaming of driving a car all the way

across Europe to Germany’s Nürburgring. Do-

ing a lap there is like being able to

stick a gold star on your resume. I’m

employed at the Ministry of Finance,

and had managed to save up enough

money and vacation for just such a

trip. I told my friends of my daring

plan and invited them to join me. “How

about us all driving up to the Ring this

summer?” I said to them. And they re-

plied, “No way, you must be crazy! Your

plan’s crazy. And we’re not crazy, so

we’re not coming!” Fine, I thought, I’ll go

by myself.

Detour: to the Colosseum

I set off from Manama on July 11, 2010 at

seven in the morning. I’d checked the route

on Google Earth, loaded navigation and speed

trap apps onto my cell phone, got cash in seven

currencies, packed the camera and tripod, and

also had icebox full of water and Pepsi with me

to keep me awake on the long stretches. The car

had been spray-coated at the front with a spe-

cial sand mixture. That’s an absolute must when

driving through the desert if you don’t want to

have to replace the headlights and repaint the

car afterwards. Even at a baking 50° Celsius

(120°F) outside, my car’s air-con kept me nice

and cool. My route took me through Jordan

and Syria to Turkey, where I spent two nights

in Istanbul.

On day 5 of my trip, I started out toward Igou-

menitsa on the west coast of Greece. On the way,

I called an old college friend: “Anéstis, I’m in

Greece. Where are you hiding out?” I asked. “In

the north,” he said. “ We’re going to a wedding

in the village of Florina. Why don’t you come

along?” I didn’t need to be asked twice. What

a party! I learned Greek step dancing, and the

other guests asked me whether I went on such

trips because I had too much money. “It’s not a

question of money, it’s a question of courage!” I

exclaimed. “And if no one else will summon up

the courage, then I will.”

Before taking the ferry to Ancona the next day, I

had my car washed – you can’t roll off the ferry in

Italy with dead flies on your radiator! It was still

early when I arrived, so I set off on a five-hour

detour to Rome. I tapped the Colosseum into the

navigation system, and the crazy thing took me

via some back streets right up to the monument!

Irritated carabinieri rushed over to investigate,

but even they could see that the sat nav was the

guilty party.

Finish line: the Nürburgring Maranello, Davos, a two-day side trip to Prague,

then on to the Nürburgring. The last part of the

drive was awesome – I could drive fast and the

rain was coming down. I loved it! The best part

about my hotel was waking up the next day not

to the twitter of birds, but to the deafening roar of

V-8 engines! I bought a circuit ticket, turned up

the music and passed through the barrier. BMWs

and Porsches raced by, while I took the circuit at

a leisurely 200 km/h (125 mph) – I wanted to re-

ally appreciate where I was. When it was over, I

stuck the Nürburgring sticker on the trunk, took

one last tripod shot of the car, the Ring and me,

then got back behind the wheel again.

2009Start: Bahrain. Finish: Nürburgring,

via the whole of Europe

31

COLOSSEUM, ROM

E

Greetings FROM

Greetings from MONTE CA

RLO

N

ürburg

ring

G

reetin

gs fr

om

ROME

VERGIATE

DAVOS

ITALY

PARIS

NÜRBURGRING

GERMANY

MO

NAC

O

MONTE CARLO

Switzerland

FRANCE

main road did I find a gas station attendant

who could give me 20 liters (4.3 gallons). “I’m

traveling though the country and need to get

to Turkey,” I told him, to which he replied,

“I can see you’re not from round here. Drive

around for a while and come back once the

cars here have gone. Then I’ll give you another

20 liters.”

The rest of the drive went

quickly, via Istanbul and Syria

back to Jordan. In Saudi Arabia

I got some more sand mixture

for my car, ready-mixed in cans

– this time it was a sunset red

color. After 24 days and 15,523

kilometres (9,645 miles), I arrived

back in Manama. I filled my travel

blog with pictures and videos and

sent the link to everyone. It wasn’t

long before my friends started call-

ing me: “Ebrahim, why didn’t you

tell us what it was going to be like? We’d have

come with you right away!”

Return journey: fuel shortagesI’d reached my destination. What next? I wanted

to see more cars, so I drove to Stuttgart to

visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum, where I

posed with my well-traveled car for a souvenir

photo. Later I went to Paris to meet up with

a friend for dinner, and then headed south to

take a look at the Prince of Monaco’s vehicle

collection. I parked my C-Class between the

Lamborghinis and Bentleys at the entrance

to the Monte Carlo Casino and then watched

from a cafe opposite as people took snapshots

– of exotic cars and the unusual license plate

in between them.

It was time to drive back through Italy to

Greece again. On the ferry, an Audi driver

warned me that there was no fuel there due

to a strike. I assured him that I could drive

911 kilometers (566 miles) on a full tank, and

mine was still half full. Because I wasn’t con-

cerned, I first drove to Athens and visited the

Acropolis. Then I got the navigation system to

list all the gas stations heading north-

wards. But none of them had any fuel.

The shoulder of the highway was lit-

tered with vehicles that had run out of

gas. I still had enough left to drive about

250 kilometers (150 miles), but it was twice

that far to Aridaía, where my friend Anéstis

was expecting me for dinner. Only when I got

to a village 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the

THE BESTthing about waking up right next to the Nürburgring: being greeted by the roar of V-8 engines instead of twittering birds.

T R AV E L

StatisticsNo. of traffic tickets: 0

Longest single drive in hours: 16

Highest toll charge in euros (paid in Italy): 83

Total number of km driven: 15,523

Greatest distance on a full tank in km: 911

Steak and chips dinners: 3

Number of vehiclemuseums visited: 4

Biggest spontaneousdetour in km: 707 (Davos – Prague – Nürburg)

Sand mixtures: 2

w w w . e a b u l . b l o g s p o t . c o m

32

A U T O M O T I V E

F L A W L E S S D E S I G N

A perfect synthesisFor those who appreciate the finer things in life: the four-door Mercedes Coupe. words christof v ieweg photos manuel übler

34

A U T O M O T I V E

The CLS was the first car to combine

the benefits of a sedan with

coupe-style dynamism

35

A U T O M O T I V E

36

Setting new engineering standards is par for the

course with the CLS

37

A U T O M O T I V E

38

The well-proportioned and athletic exterior

of the CLS Coupe elicits an instant response

from drivers

39

A typical hallmark of the Mercedes coupe models: the large grille-mounted star

40

A U T O M O T I V E

he pounding hearts, the mix of curiosity,

excitement and passion – memories of that

first unveiling remain so fresh and vivid , it

seems like only yesterday that we first set

eyes on the car. With effortless assurance,

the CLS achieved something rather rare

in automotive history: as well as instantly

appealing to drivers’ hearts, it also made a

deep and lasting impression, going on to

become something of a cult car.

First released by Mercedes-Benz in 2004, the

CLS pioneered a new class of vehicle, one that

merged two previously separate genres. As

a four-door model, the CLS was as comfort-

able and spacious as a sedan, yet at the same

time it had all the dynamism and elegance

one would expect of a coupe. Once again, the

brand was a step ahead. As Mercedes put it

at the time, the CLS was “a coupe generation

ahead of the rest”.

Commanding presenceWith the second generation of the CLS,

launched in spring 2011, Mercedes-Benz

once again widened the gap. Although much

of the new CLS’s charisma is inspired by the

design language of its predecessor, there is

now noticeably more emphasis on the sporty

and dynamic elements. This is largely down

to the restyled front end, which adopts a

number of design themes from the legendary

Gullwing model to give the car a powerful,

commanding presence.

The eye is drawn to the discreet but unmis-

takable muscularity of the fenders, and to

wheel arches that wrap snugly around the

wheels, again emphasizing the sense of a

well-toned physique. The tightly drawn lines

of the bodywork reinforce this athletic

T

41

A U T O M O T I V E

STYL

ING

: CLE

MEN

TIN

E G

UIL

MO

TO; P

. 34/

35 S

ET: L

LAD

RO

; P. 3

6/37

SET

: MEI

SS

EN; P

. 38/

39 S

ET: H

ERIN

G; P

. 40/

41 S

ET: N

YMPH

ENB

UR

G; P

. 42

SET

: JO

NAT

HA

N A

DLE

R

The trim strip running across the entire width of

the instrument panel is available in a choice of

poplar, ash or burl walnut.

Luxurious materialsFor added individuality, the CLS Coupe can also

be supplied with carbon or piano lacquer trim

as an alternative to wood. The lacquer’s exqui-

site sheen reflects the elaborate and painstaking

workmanship that has gone into producing it. Up

to seven coats are applied, each of which is indi-

vidually ground and polished to create a shining

example of meticulous craftsmanship.

But attractive styling and luxurious materials

aside, the four-door coupe – like every genuine

Mercedes-Benz – is also a benchmark in engi-

neering. For example, the CLS is the first car in

the world to offer LED High Performance head-

sculpting: they deftly break up the surfaces and

create an intriguing counterpoint between light

and shade, adding to the Coupe’s arresting body

language.

But the appeal isn’t limited to the outside of the

car. Thanks to the seductive charm of the in-

terior, the magic carries on working long after

you’ve settled into your seat. Above all, it is the

careful attention to detail that lends the cabin its

distinctive and original character.

The metallic surfaces of the switches, buttons

and controls, for example, feature a fine, raised

pattern that is appealing to both the eye and the

hand. A particularly striking aspect is the con-

trast between satin and high-gloss finishes, of

which the center console is an eloquent exam-

ple with its matte galvanized air vents flanking

an analogue clock set in a high-gloss surround.

lamps; all the lighting functions in these head-

lamps are LED-based. This option also comes

with Adaptive High Beam Assist, while the LEDs

additionally provide the infrared light for the

night vision system.

With an average life expectancy around five

times that of bi-xenon headlamps, and with low-

er power consumption, LED lighting has a bright

future ahead in automotive design.

Elsewhere, the electronic assistance systems

continue the theme of innovation combined with

practicality. They support the driver not only in

critical situations – helping to prevent accidents

– but also in ordinary, everyday driving, e.g. by

helping the driver maneuver automatically into

a parking space at the end of a journey. After all,

when it comes to the CLS, driving enjoyment is

sometimes all about simplicity.

42

S TAT S

CLSModel series CLS-Class

Power range386 kW–150 kW Fuel consumption urban: 13.9 l–6.4 l/100 km(16.9–36.7 mpg)inter-urban: 7.6 l–4.4 l/100 km (30.9–53.4 mpg)combined: 9.9 l–5.1 l/100 km(23.7–46.1 mpg)

CO2 emissions combined: 231–134 g/km(371–215 g/mi)

Energy ratingF to A

The values stated were calculated according to the measuring methods specified in the currently applicable version of Directive 80/1268/EWG. The data do not relate to a specific vehicle and are not part of the specification, but are merely for the purpose of comparing different vehicle types. The figures are provided in accordance with the German regulation “PKW-EnVKV” and apply to the German market only.

w w w . m e r c e d e s - b e n z . c o m

44

A U T O M O T I V E

S U M M I T T A L K

High achieverGerlinde Kaltenbrunner has climbed all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters (26,247 ft) without supplemental oxygen. She was motivated by ambition – but also by what makes her happy. interv iew mart in trockner i llustr at ions berto mart inez

I’ve ticked off mountaineering. It’s my passion. And my

husband and I have many other projects ahead of us. Now

that the 8,000ers are out of the way, we’ve got plenty of

remote and challenging 7,000-meter peaks waiting for us.

The sort of mountaineering you do is potentially fatal. You

have lost friends and colleagues in the mountains.

I know there’s a certain inherent risk in everything I do

on the mountain. So I’m careful and try to keep risk to a

minimum. But that’s no different from everyday life. Acci-

dents can happen whatever you’re doing, whether you’re

in the car or on a mountain bike. Don’t forget, mountain-

eering is my choice. I set myself the goal of climbing a

particular mountain. My ambition is to realize my dreams

and live them to the full.

So the thought of giving up has never crossed your mind?

Never. If you are passionate about something, that

thought never crosses your mind. It remains your passion

for life. Of course it’s hard when you’re forced to turn

back just short of your goal – especially after several at-

tempts. But the mountain will always be there tomorrow.

Conditions can be pretty inhumane on an 8,000-meter

mountain. Temperatures of 40 degrees below freezing are

not uncommon, and then there are the storms and avalanch-

es. Why do people choose to put themselves in such danger?

Wait a second, you’re focusing only on the unpleasant

side of high-altitude mountaineering.

he has succeeded where others have failed. Men

included. In fact, men most of all. Gerlinde Kalten-

brunner, 41, has climbed all 14 of the planet’s

mountains over 8,000 meters (26,247 ft). With-

out supplemental oxygen. Some summits she has visited several

times. Others required more than one attempt. But in the end for-

tune favored the Austrian and she finally conquered her personal

bête noire, K2. For Kaltenbrunner, who lives in Germany’s Black

Forest, the achievement brought contentment and fulfillment.

Now she is on the lookout for new heights to scale.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, what were your first thoughts

when you finally set foot on the summit of K2 after so many

failed attempts?

To be honest, my mind was a blank. As I climbed the

last few steps to the highest point, I just tried to take the

moment in. I wasn’t able to put my feelings into words.

After so many setbacks and losses in the past, I felt only a

profound sense of joy at being on the summit.

Do you not feel an emptiness now that you’ve achieved your

lifelong ambition?

No, I can’t say I recognize that feeling at all. It’s not as if

S“TURNING BACK IS HARD. But the mountain will still be there tomorrow.”

45

A U T O M O T I V E

OK, tell us about the nicer aspects.

Of course you have to deal with low temperatures, snow

and lack of oxygen. But there are also the moments

when the sky clears and you’re left looking out over a

breathtaking panorama. At moments like these, I feel I’m

tapping into pure energy. And I know exactly why I put

myself through everything.

So mountaineering is also partly about achieving happiness?

I’d call it fulfillment. To experience nature in its primordial

state is simply magical.

Have you ever been afraid of a mountain?

No, I’m never afraid. But I have great respect. I’ve always

had enormous innate trust. I’m always telling myself eve-

rything will be OK, no matter what. And naturally, I try to

make the best of whatever circumstances I find myself in.

Does danger excite you?

No, danger isn’t at all exciting. It’s just that sometimes

you can’t avoid getting into dangerous situations.

How does someone like you relax?

At the moment I find the best relaxation is to go for a

90-minute run in the woods.

So you’re not one for beach holidays?

No, not at all. I’ve never just had a beach holiday. If I’m

ever on a beach, then it’s usually in combination with

rock climbing. I enjoy that. That’s my idea of a holiday.

C A R E E R

Highs & lows

8,027 m (26,335 f t) R O C K Y S U M M I T BROAD PE AK 8,047 m (26,402 ft)

1994 Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner achieves her greatest dream aged 23: she climbs the 8,027 m Rocky Summit (sub summit) of Broad Peak.

5,947 m (19,511 f t ) A L PA M AY O

1999For all her ambition, Kalten-brunner is not obsessed solely with 8,000-meter peaks. She also enjoys “smaller” mountains, such as Alpamayo in Peru.

8,201 m (26,906 f t )C H O O Y U

1998 Kaltenbrunner’s first 8,000-meter main summit, having successfully climbed a number of 6,000-meter (19,685-ft) peaks in China and Nepal in previous years. But mountaineering is still a hobby at this point.

“ TO EXPERIENCE nature in its primordial state is simply magical.”

46

Mountaineers die every year while climbing. What are the

most common mistakes people make in the mountains?

People often set goals that are too ambitious, or over-

estimate their physical resources.

What sort of things should one never do on a mountain?

Well, that’s a lengthy list. It can be fatal to put yourself

under too much pressure, to be overambitious or to see

your goal as reaching the summit at any price.

Would mountaineering without the extreme aspect – in the

Dolomites, say – be as much fun?

I’d say that would be really great – I absolutely love the

Dolomites!

Are you currently looking for new goals?

I’m constantly on the lookout for new mountains I really

want to climb.

Does that mean you choose to climb a mountain for its

beauty?

For sure. Beauty is what stimulates the desire. First I look

at a mountain and try to feel its energy, sense its true na-

ture. Then it starts to become a mind thing, I’m intrigued

by its beauty. That’s what makes the difference, what

makes me want to climb it.

What makes a mountain beautiful?

Every mountain has a really special side. You just have to

find the one that appeals to you.

8,125 m (26,658 f t )N A N G A PA R B AT

2003The turning point in her life. After her fifth 8,000- meter peak, the qualified nurse makes extreme mountaineering her career.

8,611 m (28,251 f t ) K 2

2007Kaltenbrunner’s first attempt to climb K2 – and not the last. She would return in 2009 and 2010 – on both occasions without success.

8,848 m (29,029 f t ) M O U N T E V E R E S T

2005Her first attempt at climbing the highest mountain on Earth ends in failure. The expedition is called off to rescue a sick team member.

8,611 m (28,251 ft) K 2 2011On top at last. After 17 years and several failed attempts, the Austrian finally climbs the last of the 14 summits over 8,000 meters – without supplemental oxygen.

“ FIRST I LOOK AT A mountain and try to feel its energy, sense its true nature. Then it starts to become a mind thing; I’m intrigued by its beauty.”

ILLU

STR

ATI

ON

S:

BER

TO M

AR

TIN

EZ

CO

UN

IT.N

L

Do you prefer getting around on foot or do you take the car?

I enjoy walking whenever possible and if it’s not too far.

But I also need a vehicle to get around Germany, Austria

and Switzerland for my lectures.

Can you relax while driving?

Yes, that’s never a problem. I always have music with me.

How would you describe your style of driving?

I’m never stressed out. And I always factor in plenty

of time.

What irritates you when you’re driving?

Traffic jams on the highway.

Do you ever lose your temper?

No, I’m not an impatient person. As an extreme climber

you need patience – if only to sit out the long waits at

base camp. And I think I approach everyday life with that

same calmness.

47

For motor-sports fans: the Art Ball Collection

S I T T I N G I N T H E C O C K P I T of a racing car is many people’s dream. Now anyone denied this pleasure can instead enjoy these seat pods from the Art Ball Collection designed by Anthony Jannarelly and Benoit Fraylon. The two Le Mans-based French automotive designers have decorated the iconic seat pods with motifs from motor racing – for example the helmet design of Brazilian Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna (center). Another model is dedicated to the Mercedes 300 SL (left) that set up a new average speed record at Le Mans in 1952.

T H E H I S T O R Y of motorsports has had a make-over. In Anthony Pritchard’s book Racers: Memoirs of the Gentlemen Drivers, British amateur drivers from the 50s, 60s and 70s tell their stories. It all makes for an affectionately nostalgic – and at times slightly romanticized – account of the sport.

F U R N I T U R E

Designer seatswww.racing-emotion.com

B O O K

Drive reportswww.palawan.co.uk

T R AV E L B A G

Mille Migliawww.bf-sportwagen.de

I N 19 5 5 T H E M E R C E D E S - B E N Z 300 SLR took part in the Mille Miglia race for the first time. The young Stirling Moss left the grid bearing the number 722 and won the race with consummate ease. Juan Manuel Fangio came second – also in a 300 SLR. In honor of this double victory, English leather specialist Caracalla – Bath has designed this “Mercedes Benz 300 SLR” travel bag that bears the number 722 on its side.

P E R F O R M A N C ER A C I N G P A S S I O N T E C H N O L O G Y S P E E D

48

I N H I S T I M E he was regarded as the greatest and most multitalented racing driver the world had ever seen: Jacky Ickx. But the man who won the Le Mans 24-hour race no fewer than six times never allowed anyone to glimpse his private life. Until, that is, documentary maker Philip Selkirk was given exclusive access to Ickx and combined this with rare footage to produce the fascinating film Frankly... Jacky Ickx. In addition to interviews with Ickx himself, the film also feature friends and colleagues such as Sir Jackie Stewart, Ron Dennis, Sir Stirling Moss, Jean Todt and Jochen Mass.

THE LE MANS CL ASSIC takes place every two years. It comes around again in 2012, when a range of historic racing cars will again make their appearance at the famous track between July 6 and 8. This year, Mercedes has a very special rea-son to be taking part as it will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the SL: it was back in 1952 that a 300 SL won the famous Le Mans 24-hour race for the very first time.

T E C H N O L O G Y T R A N S F E R from the race track to the road still sometimes happens, and the SLS AMG E-Cell, which goes into series production in 2013, is a case in point. As in the Formula 1 car, the road version has a continuously variable transmission system and components made of carbon fiber. The electric drivetrain was developed by the F1 team Mercedes AMG Petronas in Brixworth, UK. The liquid-cooled 400-volt battery of the SLS AMG E-Cell is charged by regenerative braking, as in the Formula 1 version.

H I S T O R Y

Le Mans Classic 2012www.lemansclassic.com

E - AU T O M O B I L E S

SLS AMG E-Cellwww.mercedes-gp.com

DV D

Jacky Ickxon screenwww.grandprix-dakotashop.com

Even at an early age, Jacky Ickx

was regarded as an exceptional talent

The classic racing cars make no concessions to each other

FOTO

S:

DA

IMLE

R A

G (

2),

WW

W.B

F-S

PO

RTW

AG

EN.D

E, I

MA

GO

SP

OR

TFO

TOD

IEN

ST,

GE

TTY

IMA

GES

49

The Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell goes

from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4 s

P E R F O R M A N C E

50

n the face of recurring financial crises, the

spooked and prudent can be seen scurry-

ing for the nearest safe haven. Some plow

their money into gold, others take refuge

in bricks and mortar. Us? We’d recommend a

more pulse-quickening escape from the econom-

ic doldrums, whose dividend payouts – in the

form of driving pleasure – are never less than

generous.

You would rarely accuse the “standard” AMG

models of being underpowered, but the elite,

special-edition Black Series models have sharp-

ened up their act just a little extra. The latest

AMG spin-off is a case in point. Our C 63 AMG

Coupe Black Series (which comes with shimmer-

ing gold paintwork, as if to further its case as

a reliable home for your money) generates 380

kW and 620 Newton meters of torque, while the

AMG engineers have given the chassis, steering

and brakes even more bite. The result is an un-

compromising racing machine that can be driv-

en every day. If that sounds like a contradiction

in terms, think again.

A M G B L A C K S E R I E S

Darkmatter

Read between the lines: the C 63 AMG Coupe

Black Series makes its mark on road and

driver alike

Some consider it a risk, but a sports car can prove a sound investment. Especially when it’s a coupe from a very special series.words and photos volker r achow

The high-revving, naturally-aspirated V-8 engine develops 380 kW (at 6,800 rpm) from a 6.3-liter displacement

I

51

P E R F O R M A N C E

(2.24-mile) lap. Let’s not forget, we’re driving a

car whose sporty bucket seats carry the driver

and passenger in comfort and that has space in

the back for more than just their golf kit. But all

this is forgotten when the beast is stirred.

The lefthander up to the Rahal Straight is flat

out, the C-Class Coupe’s roll stabilization sys-

tem keeping everything in shape. Lurking on

the other side of the crest is the Corkscrew; the

drop into the legendary left-right combination is

blind. The Alcantara steering wheel darts dra-

matically left, then right as we clock 101.6 km/h

(63.1 mph), pulling 1.03 g around the outside of

the corners. That’s the word from the onboard

computer, which also measures a 0 to 100 km/h

(62 mph) time of under four seconds, courtesy of

the slick racing tires. 4.2 seconds are required

with standard tires fitted.

The bold investor casting his eye beyond the

markets will glow with pride as he surveys his

C 63 AMG Coupe Black Series – and conclude

that the roads are indeed paved with gold.

Time to head out onto the Laguna Seca race

circuit near San Francisco to inspect our invest-

ment. The Track Package (including sports tires

and rear differential cooling) and Aerodynamics

Package (with a front splitter, “flics” and an ad-

justable rear wing) turn the car into a fine circuit

weapon, as and when required. Gear changes are

negotiated in a lightning-fast 100 milliseconds;

there’s no time to lose when there’s driving to

be done!

Even in the pit lane, the car’s naturally-aspirated

V-8 engine airs its addictive growl. The SLS uber-

sports car joining us for several dozen laps is

hard pushed to turn its exotic genes into a lead

of less than a second at the end of a 3.6 km

The steering wheel has an Alcantara/leather cover-ing (right). The optional Aerodynamics Package consists largely of carbon components (below)

The comfortable bucket seat keeps the driver firmly supported, even when the centrifugal forces tug at him through tight corners

S TAT S

C-ClassCoupeC 63 AMG Coupe Black Series Engine / Output6.3-liter V-8 high-revving naturally-aspirated engine, 380 kW at 6,800 rpm;max torque 620 Nmat 5,200 rpm

TransmissionAMG Speedshift MCT 7-speed sports transmission

Acceleration0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.2 s

Top speed 300 km/h (186 mph) (electronically limited)

Fuel consumption urban: 18.2 l Super plus/100 km (12.9 mpg)inter-urban: 8.8 l Super plus/100 km (26.7 mpg)combined: 12.2 l Super plus/100 km (19.3 mpg)

CO2 emissions combined: 286 g/km (460 g/mi)

Energy rating G

Trunk capacity 450 liters

The values stated were calculated according to the measuring methods specified in the current-ly applicable version of Directive 80/1268/EWG. The data do not relate to a specific vehicle and are not part of the specification, but are merely for the purpose of comparing different vehicle types. The figures are provided in accordance with the German regulation "PKW-EnVKV" and apply to the German market only.

w w w . m e r c e d e s - a m g . c o m

PH

OTO

S:

DA

IMLE

R A

G (

3)

52

PH

OTO

S:

DA

IMEL

R A

G

54

85 wins in 159 races make the C-Class the

most successful car in DTM history. The four-

door Sedan which contested the touring car

series last year will be replaced by its two-door

Coupe sibling in 2012. Gary Paffett was the

first driver to try the full bucket seat in the AMG Mercedes C-Coupe out for

size. After an extended test run at Monteblanco in Spain, he explained what

had changed: “The car is lower and wider than in recent years. It’s noticeably

different to drive than previous DTM cars. And you can spend more time

on the limit under braking into a corner.” The new steering wheel gearshift

paddles are a factor here, but not the only one. It’s clear how much Paffett is

enjoying the new car and the technology that makes it work. With wider tires

and numerous other revisions to the cars, the forthcoming season – which

pits Mercedes against not only Audi but also the returning BMW squad –

promises more thrills and spills than ever.

T H E N E W D T M A M G M E R C E D E S C - C O U P E

Dressed for successChange is afoot in the DTM: new rules, standard parts for all the cars and a new manufacturer on the block. And could this be the season when two trumps four for Mercedes-Benz? words tob ias nebl

1 S TA N DA R D PA R T SAudi, BMW and Mercedes will do battle with identical weap-onry in 2012 – at least as far as the aerodynamic components, gearbox and brakes of their cars are concerned. The new DTM rules stipulate the use of stand-ard parts in those areas. Clear-est to the eye will be the front splitter and rear wing.

2 T I R E STires are the black gold of motor racing. As in 2011, Hankook will supply the teams with their race rubber again this time around. However, the tires for 2012 are slightly wider and have an increased section width, which should result in greater mechanical grip and reduced wear.

3 G E A R B OXPeer through the side window of the 500 hp machine and you’ll spot another new feature: the gear lever is conspicuous by its absence. The drivers will instead flick through the gears of the standard gearbox speci-fied by the new regulations using shift paddles mounted directly on the steering wheel.

4 S A F E T YLike their Formula 1 cousins, the DTM cars will – for the first time – be built around a carbon- fiber monocoque. A steel roll cage is also part of compulsory specification. The safety con-cept for the cars rounds off with a total of six “crash absorbers” for the front, rear and flanks of the cars.

The changes for the 2012 season:

A U T O M O T I V E

D T M S E A S O N 2 012

DatesApril 29Hockenheimring (D)

May 06Lausitzring (D)

May 20Brands Hatch (GB)

June 03Red Bull Ring Spielberg (A)

July 01Norisring (D)

July 15Show Event OlympicStadium Munich (D)

August 19Nürburgring (D)

August 26Circuit Park Zandvoort (NL)

September 16Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (D)

September 30 Valencia (ES)

October 21Hockenheimring (D)

w w w . d t m . c o m

55

KERS for all! The brake energy recovery, stor-age and retrieval system pioneered in Formula 1 is poised to take a quantum leap, with road drivers standing to benefit from the Mercedes technology in the near future.

ormula 1 legend and Mercedes

AMG Petronas driver Michael

Schumacher has over two

dozen switches and buttons at

his fingertips inside the cockpit, all of which

he has to be able to master blindfolded. One of

this impressive array allows him, as it were, to

activate the future of electric drive systems.

The button Schumacher presses to engage his

KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) ena-

bles this highly complex technology to convert

energy generated under braking – and nor-

mally flushed away in the form of heat – into

electricity, and to store it in a battery. Here, it

can be released with a push of that button to

power an electric motor linked up to the car’s

combustion engine.

The ongoing development of this visionary

brake energy utilization concept and the

transfer of the expertise into everyday road

cars are following a clear path. “Optimizing

energy density and, at the same time, reduc-

ing the weight of KERS are our key areas of

focus and will dictate its future development,”

summarizes Thomas Fuhr, Managing Director

at Mercedes AMG High Performance Power-

trains. At their base in Brixworth, England,

the masterminds of Formula 1 engine produc-

tion and KERS development hand-build some

F

THE EXTRA THRUST from KERS is worth valuable tenths of a second during a race.

T H E K E R S SYS T E MThe energy generated under braking is stored in a battery. It can then be summoned up by the

driver to feed an electric motor connected to the car’s combustion engine. The

energy released may not exceed 400 kilojoules per lap.

56

P E R F O R M A N C E

Progress at our fingertipswords thomas schul z i llustr at ions tob ias wandres

21

C O N T R O L C E N T E RKERS is activated from the steering wheel. The

driver presses the Boost button to release extra output, which makes a key differ-

ence at the start of a race, under acceleration and when overtaking.

E N E R GY C O N V E R S I O NThe Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) unit in Formula 1 cars weighs around 24 kg

(just under 53 lb) and harnesses the valuable energy generated under braking that is otherwise

released as waste heat. This cutting-edge technology gives the driver access to an extra 60 kW (82 hp) of power.

57

100 race engines each year – all complete

with KERS – for Mercedes AMG Petronas and

customer teams McLaren and Force India.

The Mercedes KERS unit, consisting of a lithium

battery, electric motor, pump and cooling sys-

tem, is mounted longitudinally to the engine and

positioned with great precision so as not to com-

promise the car’s center of gravity. The unit cur-

rently tips the scales at 24 kilograms (just under

too much. “Some drivers commit to a starvation

diet in the winter before a new season,” says

Fuhr. “Every 10 kilos (22 lb) costs you roughly

four tenths of a second out on the track.” With

that in mind, you can see

why the drivers go

easy on the calo-

ries. After

all,

53 lb), no more than 6 kg (13 lb) of which is ac-

counted for by an electric motor barely the size

of a coffee cup. This may not seem much in a

car which F1 rules dictate has to weigh at least

640 kg (1,411 lb), driver includ-

ed. However, in a world

ruled by precision

and hundredths of

seconds it is still

the usage guidelines for KERS are binding on

all teams – and strict with it. The permitted en-

ergy release from the KERS battery is limited to

400 kilojoules per lap at present, and output to

60 kW (82 hp). The drivers can boost their ba-

sic 700 hp with this extra power at the touch of

a button, but the Fédération Internationale de

l’Automobile (FIA) stipulates that they may only

milk the benefits for a maximum 6.7 seconds

per lap – either in one push or spread out into

several applications. This rule is meticulously

enforced with the help of a sensor fitted in every

KERS unit.

The use of KERS at the start of a race is per-

mitted from 100 km/h (62 mph), at which point

pressing the Boost button will give the driver

an extra hit of acceleration. If he holds off until

the first corner, though, he can power through

the exit that much faster. On longer straights,

such as at Monza, he may like to call up a sus-

tained dose of KERS, while on a twisty street

circuit like Monaco the system can be more

effectively exploited in half-second bursts.

The decision rests with the driver. Of course,

the teams discuss strategy ahead of each race,

looking at local factors such as the track layout

and weather, “but no specific KERS orders are

sent into the cockpit”, underlines Fuhr. Plenty

of information and input flows out of the cock-

pit, however – from the driver into subsequent

KERS development stages. No computer, re-

gardless of power, is capable of supplying such

direct and therefore indispensable feedback.

Scheduled innovation An even more efficient KERS unit for Formula

1 will be introduced in just two years’ time, to-

gether with Mercedes’ new V-6 engine. Setting

the tone here are the FIA’s new technical direc-

tives for 2014, which state that the permitted

energy release from the battery will mushroom

from 400 kilojoules to four megajoules. The out-

put of the electric motor will increase to 120

kW (163 hp) and the period for which the power

boost can be utilized per lap is expected to rise

significantly from the current 6.7 seconds.

These FIA regulations could be described as

pre-planned innovation. “As things stand, the

KERS for 2014 will be larger and heavier,” says

Fuhr. “We still rely on lithium as the major

element in the battery; that’s something we’ll

need to address in the next two years, and we

will certainly find a solution. Progress will be

made with the energy density of the KERS bat-

tery, as happened with the storage capacity of

cell phones.”

The KERS technology from Mercedes’ high-

tech laboratory is set to take a quantum leap

along the road to mass production, the Formula

1 powerplant acting as a technological driver

for future passenger car engines and the Mer-

cedes F1 wheelmen as pioneers in progress.

And all at the touch of a button.

DAT E S

Formula 1March 16 – 18Australia, MelbourneMarch 23 – 25Malaysia, Kuala LumpurApril 13 – 15China, ShanghaiApril 20 – 22Bahrain, SakhirMay 11 – 13Spain, CatalunyaMay 24 – 27Monaco, Monte CarloJune 08 – 10Canada, MontrealJune 22 – 24Spain, ValenciaJuly 06 – 08England, SilverstoneJuly 20 – 22Germany, HockenheimJuly 27 – 29Hungary, BudapestAugust 31 – September 02Belgium, Spa-FrancorchampsSeptember 07 – 09Italy, MonzaSeptember 21 – 23 SingaporeOctober 05 – 07Japan, SuzukaOctober 12 – 14Korea, YeongamOctober 26 – 28India, New DelhiNovember 02 – 04Abu Dhabi, Yas MarinaNovember 16 – 18USA, Austin (Texas)November 23 – 25Brazil, São Paulo

w w w . f o r m u l a 1 . c o m

IN A RACE there are no specific KERS orders. The driver alone decides when to use the technology.

58

P E R F O R M A N C E

D E S I G N A R T C U L T U R E S T Y L E A R C H I T E C T U R E

M O D E R N

A N Y O N E W I S H I N G to get a full picture of the automotive industry needs time and patience – or a copy of Cars Now! Published by Taschen, this lavishly illustrated book contains details of virtually every automobile in the world. Over 512 pages, no fewer than 117 manufacturers are described, together with technical details of their latest models, information on dealerships, corporate strategies and development of their logos. Needless to say, Mercedes-Benz is there – on 16 fascinating and information-packed pages.

The illustrations in these e-books help the reader understand the text

Colorful landmark: the i-Punkt garden shed

The cover ofCars Now!

T H I S G A R D E N S H E D F R O M I - P U N K T is a colorful way to create more space. It looks like a miniature work of art, and can be set up anywhere in your garden or right next to your house. The multi-colored cube is large enough to accommodate a motorcycle or to function as a garden shed, workshop or machine room. The combination of colors is your choice – let your artistic imagination run free.

S H A K E S P E A R E ’ S Romeo and Juliet has been around for a very long time – since 1579, to be precise. In a bid to convince teenagers that stories like this still have more to offer than any video game, My-Skoob has published a range of literary classics in the form of rather special e-books. Works like Moby Dick, Robinson Crusoe and Dracula have been l avishly supplied with modern illustrations designed to appeal to the younger reader.

G A R D E N S H E D

Color cubewww.i-punkt-gartenhaus.de

E - B O O K

Modernclassicswww.myskoob.com

B O O K

Who makeswhat?www.taschen.com

60

D E S I G N E R Yves Behar has a knack of using state-of-the-art technology to create objects that are so easy on the eye, they look good wherever they are – whether on a mantel or a work desk. Take the “Jambox” loudspeaker, which comes in red, blue, gray or neutral black. But this piece of equipment not only looks good, it sounds amazing, too. Though the wire-less speaker fits in the palm of your hand, it pumps out sound levels that would drown out any motorcycle – ideal for music, video soundtracks or live foot-ball broadcasts. And it comes with a built-in microphone for teleconferencing or Skyping.

T H E D I F F E R E N C E between fashion and art is in the eye of the beholder – a fact that people started to grasp at the latest when Andy Warhol started printing images of tomato cans on dresses. Nowadays, designers like Alexander McQueen even have retrospectives devoted to their creations at the Museum of Modern Art. Fashion label Filed Under prefers not to say whether its silk scarves are art or fashion: the motifs are mainly by artists, but are always designed with a hidden agenda – even if this is not immediately obvious. Ultimately, though, the real value of the accessory is based on the identification of the wearer with the motif. That is what fashion is about – which was, after all, Andy Warhol’s message.

I N T H E I R I S H city of Cork, a pavilion has taken to the skies: the “Irish Sky Garden”, complete with plants and seats, is suspended 30 meters (100 ft.) above the ground by a crane, offer-ing visitors a superb view of the city, its surroundings and the River Lee. Irish garden designer Diarmuid Gavin says he drew his inspiration for this aerial garden from the film Avatar. The pavilion won a gold medal at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in 2011.

Designer Yves Behar and his Jambox loudspeaker

Aerial pavilion: the Irish Sky Garden in Cork

Each of the silk scarves is available in a limited edition

T E C H N O L O GY

Earcandywww.jawbone.com

A C C E S S O R I E S

Silk with a hidden agenda www.filedunder.net

PAV I L I O N

Eye in the skywww.rhs.org.uk

61

F A S T F O R W A R D T O T H E

M O D E R N

Setting trends instead of following them; combining technology and design to satisfy needs that haven’t been discovered yet. Those are the hallmarks of truly great acts of creation — and the criteria Mercedes-Benz has satisfied in a single, truly extraordinary creation: the new A-Class.

62

F A S T F O R W A R D T O T H E

63

F U T U R EW O R D S D AV I D P F E I F E R P H O T O S M A R K U S B O L S I N G E R

HE

R:

DR

ES

S:

A.

F. V

AN

DE

VO

RS

T; L

EA

THE

R L

EG

GIN

GS

: R

IKA

; B

ELT

S:

A.

F. V

AN

DE

VO

RS

T, P

ATR

ICK

MO

HR

; W

ED

GE

S:

JEFF

RE

Y C

AM

PB

ELL

H

IM:

PAN

TS:

AN

NH

AG

EN

VIN

TAG

E;

BO

OTS

: PA

LLA

DIU

M;

BE

LTS

: TH

EO

BY

WO

RM

LA

ND

, D

IES

EL

, G

-STA

R;

LEA

THE

R A

RM

BA

ND

S:

DIE

SE

L

M O D E R N

64

WIND AND WAVES were the inspiration behind the extraordinary design language that defines the new A-Class.

Twice as tough:the brand-new A-Class sets new standards in design and technology

65

LEA

THER

JA

CK

ET:

BR

OY

DEN

; LE

ATH

ER L

EGG

ING

S:

RIK

A;

BEL

T: A

. F.

VA

ND

EV

OR

ST;

BO

OTS

: JE

FFR

EY

CA

MP

BEL

L

S TAT S

A-ClassA 250 Sport BlueEfficiency Engine / Output2.0-liter four-cylinder, 155 kW at 5,500 rpm;max torque 350 Nm at 1,250–4,000 rpm

Transmission7G-DCT 7-speed dual-clutch

This material serves as preliminary information. The availability for orderand technical data of the new A-Class depends on the market launch datesper country, but not before summer 2012.

w w w . m e r c e d e s - b e n z . c o m

M O D E R N

66

hat’s left of the present once it becomes the

past? Not something that’s easy to predict. Very

rarely do we, in the present, get to decipher a

product from the future: who’d have guessed

those chunky black boxes favored by advertis-

ing execs and music managers back in the early

’90s would eventually lead to today’s booming

cell phone market? And rarely do we stand in

front of a product and instantly recognize not

just its form and function, but the full depth of

potentiality and significance inherent within it.

The first A-Class – then still the A-Class con-

cept – was presented at Berlin’s Fashion Week

in summer 2011. By the very nature of what

they do, fashion people are profoundly sensi-

tive to the impact of design. And their reaction

was clear: that’s what the future looks like.

It often takes a long time for a concept car

to evolve into a mass-production model, and

along the way many compromises are made

– trade-offs that leach the energy from the

original vision and cripple the wings that first

allowed the fantasy to fly. That’s why observers

were so astonished when, in spring 2012, the

new A-Class finally rolled out of its trailer into

the glare of a sunny afternoon in Lanzarote. It

was as if a vehicle from a science-fiction film

had driven into the present through some di-

mensional rift. All the extraordinary features

that had so impressed the original audience

had been preserved – the pouncing stance, the

muscular scoops and curves, even, for those

who want it, the striking radiator grille with

its mouthful of pins: a star-filled sky behind

the obligatory Mercedes-Benz star nestling in

the middle.

W

Human beings at the heart of things – a philosophy the A-Class embodies to perfection

LEA

THER

JA

CK

ET:

G-S

TAR

; S

HIR

T: D

IES

EL F

RO

M W

OR

MLA

ND

; S

UN

GLA

SS

ES:

FLY

LON

DO

N;

BEL

T: D

IES

EL;

BO

OTS

: PA

LLA

DIU

M

67

THE NEW A-CLASSwill succeed because of its impact on the urban landscape of the future.

LEA

THER

JA

CK

ET:

G-S

TAR

; S

HIR

T: D

IES

EL F

RO

M W

OR

MLA

ND

; S

UN

GLA

SS

ES:

FLY

LON

DO

N;

BEL

T: D

IES

EL;

BO

OTS

: PA

LLA

DIU

M

THE DESIGNERShave come up with a thoroughly contemporary car.

M O D E R N

Inside the car, the instruments wrap round the

driver, as if in a cockpit. A large – apparently

free-floating – screen points the way forward

into the future. The designers have created a

thoroughly contemporary car. But in the auto

industry – unlike the fashion industry – the

important thing is not to abstract a shape from

a trend. Quite the contrary: a car’s shape must

be able to outlast the vagaries of time. And that

only happens if it springs from a higher ideal.

Curiously familiarThe A-Class is a fusion of concepts, molded

together by a design language drawn from

nature. According to Hartmut Sinkwitz, one

of Mercedes-Benz’ senior designers, wind and

waves were among the inspirations for the con-

cept car, and their influence can still be felt in

the production model.

There is something curiously familiar about

the lines and edges that define the car’s in-

terior and exterior. From certain angles they

remind you of dune crests, blown into per-

fect arches by the desert wind. Sometimes

they evoke classics of industrial design – the

air vents, for instance, are reminiscent of jet

engine nozzles. Certain shapes have been

optimized until they are incapable of further

Deja vu? The contours of the new A-Class are curiously familiar

DR

ESS

: A

. F.

VA

ND

EV

OR

ST;

LE

ATH

ER L

EGG

ING

S:

RIK

A;

BEL

TS:

A.

F. V

AN

DE

VO

RS

T, P

ATR

ICK

MO

HR

; W

EDG

ES:

JEFF

CA

MP

BEL

L

68

69

refinement – tested a million times over, they

have reached an evolutionary apogee.

The new A-Class is composed of such shapes

– so it is even more extraordinary to see how

modern the end product looks as a result. And

yet somehow right, as well. Like humming

along to a song on the radio even though you’re

hearing it for the very first time. The car ap-

peals directly to your emotions, imprinting

itself instantaneously.

As a rule, songs like that tend to be chart-

busters. And while the new A-Class doesn’t

look much like the old one, it does have to live

up to one expectation: the old A-Class was a

smash hit, notching up sales of over a million

vehicles worldwide.

So if the new A-Class is going to break out of the

hermetic world of exhibitions and car salons,

it needs to accomplish two things that at first

sight appear irreconcilable. It must satisfy ex-

pectations while confounding preconceptions.

“Very soon you won’t be able to ignore Mercedes

when you’re looking to buy a cool car,” promised

Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG. The

new A-Class is the progeny of this ambitious

announcement. But although the first thing you

notice about the new car is its form rather than

its function, the A-Class is still a Mercedes: it

must continue to meet the high engineering

standards that reassure car buyers their pur-

chase was one of the head, not just of the heart.

Both as “image” car and as retail product, the

new A-Class will succeed not because it appeals

to the critics, but because of its impact on the

urban landscape of the future.DR

ESS

: A

. F.

VA

ND

EV

OR

ST;

LE

ATH

ER L

EGG

ING

S:

RIK

A;

BEL

TS:

A.

F. V

AN

DE

VO

RS

T, P

ATR

ICK

MO

HR

; W

EDG

ES:

JEFF

CA

MP

BEL

L

STY

LIN

G:

JAC

QU

ELIN

E A

BR

AH

AM

S @

AR

TIS

TGR

OU

PM

IER

AU

.CO

M

HA

IR &

MA

KE-

UP

: MEL

AN

IE N

ATA

SC

HA

MEY

ER @

AR

TIS

TGR

OU

PMIE

RA

U.C

OM

THE NEW A-CLASS must satisfy expecta-tions while confounding preconceptions.n.

M A T E R I A L S

MiraclemetalA bodyshell made entirely of aluminum means the new Mercedes Roadster is more energetic yet also more energy-efficient. But aluminum played an important role in our in-creasingly mobile society long before it was used for building cars. Time to take in a little cultural history.words michael moorstedt

M O D E R N

70

hite as silver, immutable as

gold, strong as iron, malleable

as copper, light as glass,” is

how pioneering spaceman Im-

pey Barbicane describes “this precious metal”

in From the Earth to the Moon, an early story

of space flight written by Jules Verne. The star

of the novel is talking about the ideal material

for building a capsule that will be launched

into space by a gigantic gun – pure fantasy, of

course, but the French novelist certainly had a

point when he wrote this pean to aluminum.

Verne’s story appeared in 1865, but he was not

the only science writer to be excited by the newly

discovered, all-capable metal.

W

71

M O D E R N

The most abundant of all the metals found in the

Earth’s crust, aluminum only occurs naturally

in compound form. So nobody could do any-

thing with it until the early 19th century, when

French scientist Henri Sainte-Claire Deville suc-

ceeded in extracting the element – more or less

economically – in 1854.

Featherlight, extraordinarily tough and dura-

ble, corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, and soft

enough to be sculpted into complex shapes – it

is scarcely surprising that aluminum rapidly

gained a reputation as a “miracle material”. But

it could only be produced in small amounts and

soon became a jewelers’ favorite, used for mak-

ing medals and handcrafted ornaments that

sold for much higher prices than even gold or

platinum. Its use in automotive manufacturing

lay far in the future.

“Aluminum did not chart a straight, purposeful

course through the 20th century,” writes Ger-

man science journalist Luitgard Marschall in

her book Aluminium – Metall der Moderne (Alu-

minum – Metal of Modern Times). “Its journey

comprised a series of sweeping, sometimes even

absurd loops and curves.”

A metal à la modeAluminum was a favorite of artists and crafts-

people – the Bauhaus masters used it to design

furniture for their modular living spaces, and in

the 60s, fashion designer Paco Rabanne created

dresses from very thin aluminum plate for his

“12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materi-

als” collection.

But there was still a long way to go before the met-

al could be used and processed as extravagantly

as it is now. Not until 1886 did the electrolytic

Hall-Héroult process make it possible to extract

aluminum in industrial quantities, to industrial

standards. By 1900, annual global production of

aluminum had risen to around 6,000 tons. Today

it is the world’s second most important industrial

metal: more than 50 million tons were produced

in 2011.

Just as red-hot steel became the symbol of the In-

dustrial Revolution, so silver-cool aluminum has

become the symbol of our modern era. We are sur-

rounded and – in cars and aircraft – enclosed by it.

Aluminum has played and continues to play a key

role in the history of our mobile society.

72

MAKING CARS WITH ALUMINUMused to be unthinkable – the “miracle metal” once cost more than gold or platinum.

tive lightweight building material. An aluminum

fender is 40 percent lighter than a steel one. While

a carbon-fiber part would be even lighter, it would

cost nearly 80 percent more to make.

Vastly superior to steelDespite energy-intensive production methods,

aluminum offers huge opportunities for savings. A

study by the U.S. Department of Energy found that

aluminum-intensive vehicles save almost 12 times

as much energy during their lifetimes as is spent

in producing the material. The new SL’s bodyshell,

for example, weighs around 110 kg (240 lbs) less

than its predecessor – the reduced weight means

less fuel and better performance. According to a

rule of thumb in the industry, shaving 100 kg off

a car’s weight reduces fuel consumption by some

0.3 liters per 100 km (0.08 gal / 62 miles). Over a

vehicle’s entire lifecycle, the impact is very posi-

tive, saving time and money.

With this in mind it is easy to join with Jules Verne

in crying “Hurrah for aluminum!”

The dominant Silver Arrows racing cars of the

1930s signaled the start of the triumphant con-

quest of the automotive industry by aluminum.

The bodyshell of the new SL models is faithful

to this tradition – its lightweight aluminum con-

struction improves performance while simultane-

ously reducing fuel consumption and emissions. In

terms of rigidity and safety, the new metal is also

superior to the steel construction of the car’s pred-

ecessor, thanks largely to the different processes

used to manufacture components and optimize

them for their intended purpose: thus some parts

are made by casting, others by extrusion, still oth-

ers are produced as panels. According to a recent

study by McKinsey, the metal that once captured

Jules Verne’s imagination is today’s most effec-PH

OTO

S:

DA

IMLE

R A

G

73

Y O U R E A L LY H AV E T O W A N T T O get away from it all to enjoy the isolation and relaxation on offer at Song Saa Private Island Resort. The complex is located on a couple of islands off the coast of Cambodia that can only be reached by boat or seaplane. It boasts lux-urious overwater, rainforest and beach villas, as well as a hotel with a spa and a celebrity cook. Apart from every luxury imaginable, all you will find there is complete and utter peace.

The pool overlooks the Koh Rong archipelago. Villas

start at 574 euros per night

F I N D I N G Y O U R W AY A R O U N D A N U N K N O W N C I T Y is always an enjoyable challenge – you feel like something between an explorer and a conqueror. This Crumpled City map by designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso appeals to one’s sense of adventure – after all, you’re not exploring the terrain from the comfort of your desk but braving the elements as you navigate the side streets and intersections. The waterproof and tear-resistant map can be crumpled up and stuffed into the smallest pocket without suffering damage. With its help you can explore 27 cities, from San Francisco to Tokyo. 12.50 euros.

A N Y O N E W H O H A S T O work during vacations must sometimes long for their own desk. Which is where the “Rich-ards Secretary Trunk” comes in – it opens to reveal a fully-equipped workstation for the global traveler. The idea dates from the 19th century and has been revived by furni-ture designer Timothy Oulton. The vintage-look desk/trunk is yours for 3,145 dollars.

Outside, a trunk; inside, a desk

Emanuele Pizzolorusso and his city maps

74

C I T Y M A P

Screwed upwww.pizzolorusso.com

L U X U R Y R E S O R T

Isolatedislandswww.songsaa.com

L U G G A G E

Open for workwww.restorationhardware.com

M O B I L I T YT R A V E L P L A C E S P L E A S U R E L I F E S T Y L E

C Y C L I N G has always been a green activity, but there is scope for making such a healthy trav-el mode even more environmen-tally friendly, as French designers Fritsch and Durisotti have demon-strated with their B2o-vélo-bam-bou, as the prototype is called. The frame and forks of this eco-friendly velocipede are made of durable bamboo, and even the saddle, handlebars and decals are manufactured using sustainable materials.

I N T H E PA S T, tents were not exactly accessories that said much about their owners. Camouflage green or gray didn’t offer much scope for expressing one’s personality. But now the design-ers at UK company Fieldcandy have changed all that. Convinced that a tent should say something about the person inside, they have come up with a collection printed with watermelons, sheep, starry skies, book covers and butterflies. The tents are perhaps not ideal if you are trying to keep a low profile – but they certainly enhance the camping experience! Prices from 474 euros.

A L L E GRA MCEVEDY has seen it all – and sampled it, too. For 20 years the British celebrity cook took notes on the dishes she came across in various countries around the world – and now she has brought them together in her cookbook Bought, Borrowed & Stolen. The collection contains not only recipes but also an introduction to her collection of regional knives, ranging from a Burmese machete to an American steak knife – plus a host of anecdotes about people and places.

The bike’s frame and forks are made of bamboo

75

Fancy crawling into a book or counting sheep?

C O O K B O O K

Cooking around the worldwww.octopusbooks.co.uk

B I C YC L E

Eco-cyclewww.fritsch-durisotti.com

C A M P I N G

Contentwww.fieldcandy.com

M O B I L I T Y

76

Compared with other ski areas, Lech is a dwarf. Yet this tiny resort has one thing that allows it to punch above its weight – inhabitants that flout convention.words bene bened ikt photos christ ian k a in

T R A C K S I N T H E S N O W

Peak season

Relaxation of a different kind: beneath Christian Thanhäuser’s portraits of wild plants (left) or the hallucinogenic varieties used by food artist Paul Renner (see p. 84) at Almhof Schneider’s Chamber of Drugs and Wonders. Below: snow-bound Oberlech seen from the Rüfikopf

77

M O B I L I T Y

owhere does it quite like Lech, not even when it

comes to making bread,” grins Clemens Walch,

caressing a hand-shaped roll. He is the village’s

only baker and takes pride in his work. Around

20 tons of flour are permanently in storage,

“just in case we get snowed in” – as happened

during the severe weather in early January this

year. From four in the morning he is out deliver-

ing 1,000 loaves and 25,000 rolls and pastries.

All made to Clemens’ own recipes or his grand-

father’s. “Recipes from the lowlands don’t al-

ways work here,” he explains, “as we rarely have

humidity levels above 20 percent. That’s why our

snow is so good.” Powdery, he means. And omni-

present. For in the region that lays claim to de-

veloping modern alpine ski technique, the snow

sometimes falls for days. The village of Lech

stands at 1,450 meters (4,757 ft), on the border

between Tyrol and Vorarlberg, its lifts accessing

the mountains to a height of 2,400 m (7,874 ft).

Lech is a paradise for skiers – freeriders in par-

ticular – and boasts 122 kilometers (76 miles) of

trails, with no shortage of deep powder descents.

A world apartIt may not sound a lot compared to some of

the huge ski resorts – but theirs is precisely

the image Lech am Arlberg is trying to avoid.

Those who take the often difficult but reward-

ing approach over the Flexenpass, with its im-

posing avalanche galleries, enter a different

world. When they head for little Lech, royalty,

celebrities and snow connoisseurs all know

what they are letting themselves in for. For one

thing, they are aware that they will not always

be guaranteed a trail back to the resort, or that

only advanced skiers can get round it all in a

clockwise direction (and only backcountry

experts anti-clockwise), that although the ski

domains of St. Anton and Warth appear to be

nearby, they are in fact worlds apart. Clemens

the baker nods: “The Walser people don’t like to

be told what to do.”

The Walser are the original inhabitants of the

Arlberg, mountain settlers who arrived over

750 years ago from what is now Wallis

NVillage butcher Florian Hagen (above) and his business idea: he serves prime quality Simmental beef in his restaurant. Handsemmeln (“handrolls”, right) are shaped by the baker’s own fair hands

The one-piece ski suits are pulled on just before the start of the Weisser Ring ski race (above). Par-ticipants are in high spirits (left) and have their lucky charms to hand (right)

78

THE VILLAGE of Lech, birthplace of modern alpine ski technique, lies in a region where it can snow for days.

79

to cultivate the wild Alpine valleys as free farm-

ers. They were experienced craftsmen, built

sturdy wooden farmsteads that could withstand

avalanches, were practiced in cattle rearing, not

to mention milk and cheese production, and –

perhaps most importantly – knew what it took

for humans and animals to survive the severe

winters. These proud, independent people con-

tinue to shape life in Lech today. Perhaps it’s

because descendants of pioneers are born with

a stubborn gene. Men like Georg Strolz, the art-

loving owner of Hotel Austria, and his brother

Marcell. Over 15 years ago, the two had a gripe

about the oil sheikhs that came to Lech to ski:

spoiling them good and proper was one thing,

but buying their oil? Didn’t Lech have enough

wood to keep its villagers warm – and remain

carbon neutral and independent in the process?

Self-assertively independentBefore long a plan was in place to supply the

hotels and spa pools with district heating

generated from locally produced wood chips.

Construction work started in April 1999, the

boiler was switched on in November and hot

water was piped to the first 20 members, who

promptly scrapped their own water heaters

and converted oil storage facilities into saunas,

ski cellars and storerooms. For the first year

the new energy was more expensive than the

old, but by year two the system was repaying

the investment. Today it supplies 270 subscrib-

ers in Lech, Oberlech, Zug and Zürs.

Star architect Hermann Kaufmann, one of the

gurus of modern Vorarlberg construction, de-

signed the Zürs power plant: a transparent

boiler building with large glazed areas and a

low storage depot, giant cubes that unasham-

edly show off the state-of-the-art technology,

yet fit discreetly into the mountain surround-

ings. Project manager Marcell Strolz was also

determined that the chimneys should give off

neither smoke nor steam. He is proud that his

plant operates without visible emissions at

-15°C (5°F). The whole process is fully auto-

mated: from delivery by truck and fill-

M O B I L I T Y

S TAT S

M-ClassML 250 BlueTec 4Matic

Engine / Output2.1-liter four-cylinder diesel,150 kW at 4,200 rpm;max torque 500 Nmat 1,600–1,800 rpm

Transmission7G-Tronic Plus 7-speed automatic

Acceleration0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.0 s

Top speed 210 km/h (130 mph)

Fuel consumption urban: 7.6–7.0 l diesel/100 km(30.9–33.6 mpg)inter-urban: 5.8–5.4 l diesel/100 km (40.5–43.5 mpg)combined: 6.5–6.0 l diesel/100 km(36.1–39.2 mpg)

CO2 emissions combined: 170–158 g/km(273–254 g/mi)

Energy rating A

Cd 0.32

Trunk capacity690–2,010 liters

The values stated were calculated according to the measuring methods specified in the currently applicable version of Directive 80/1268/EWG. The data do not relate to a specific vehicle and are not part of the specification, but are merely for the purpose of comparing different vehicle types. The figures are provided in accordance with the German regulation „PKW-EnVKV“ and apply to the German market only.

w w w . m e r c e d e s - b e n z . c o m

80

Bernd Fischer (facing page), a board member at Raiffeisen-bank, is also in the mountain rescue team. Fun time at the Weisser Ring ski race (right): local band members provide some musical encourage-ment. Race participants on the descent (far right)

LECH AM ARLBERGis a paradise for skiers – especially for freeriders. The steep and deep owder runs are almost limitless.

81

ing the 4-megawatt boiler with wood chips, to

dedusting the waste gases using a centrifugal

separator and electrostatic precipitator. “This is

the Mercedes of flue gas purification systems,”

Strolz throws in casually. He clearly enjoys the

idea that the sheikhs have lost annual sales of 6

million liters (1.6 million gallons) of oil to Lech,

yet still come to ski and enjoy its spas.

Lech accommodates 13,000 people in winter:

around 8,200 visitors, 3,300 employees and

1,600 locals. 14,000 skiers each day are given

access to the ski domain. Once the limit is

reached, the sale of day passes is suspended,

avoiding long lift lines and overcrowded slopes.

From hobby to business ideaBernd Fischer is happy with that. For 30 days a

year, the Raiffeisenbank board member swaps

his sober suit for the red overalls of the helicop-

ter mountain rescue team. From eight to five he

is on standby, along with the pilot and emergen-

cy doctor. They average three operations a day.

Small wonder, then, that they keep a jumbo-

sized Toblerone in the sparse recreation room,

and that after many years at the bank or in and

beneath the helicopter, 52-year-old Fischer is

looking forward to a new challenge. In his ga-

rage stands a Mercedes G in which he plans to

travel overland to Bhutan next year, where he

has set up relief projects for children.

Globalization Lech-style, you might say. Much

like the achievements of Florian Hagen: the

31-year-old is Lech’s village butcher, as was his

father before him. Growing competition from the

gastronomic wholesale merchants forced Florian

and his father to take a long, hard look at their

future. And from his father’s hobby and the ex-

isting meatloaf business evolved a business idea.

The sausage kitchen was transformed into a sim-

ple, elegant restaurant purveying the mouthwa-

tering fruits of Hagen Sr.’s hobby: skillfully aged

prime cuts of sirloin. Grilled to perfection by his

wife in the tiny kitchen, the steaks are already

the stuff of legend. The two-year sommelier

course Florian took during his roaming appren-

ticeship as butcher and chef restaurateur only

M O B I L I T Y

MANY A FIVE-STAR establishment in Lech grew from modest but bold beginnings.

A glimpse inside the Allmeinde, or “common ground” (above), a spartan exhibition space in Lech. Not to be missed: a fondue with musical ac-companiment at Restaurant Klösterle (right)

82

adds to the culinary experience – ensuring the

diner has a good glass of wine to aid digestion.

This “snack bar” is anything but a hideout for the

smart set, however. Here you are more likely to

see Lech families out for a quick lunch, or the car

park manager taking a break from selling snow

chains. And along with a few essential groceries

you can still get a slice of meatloaf in a roll to go.

Art in the snowThat’s still occasional comfort food for a ski

instructor – private visitors to Lech can make

demanding clients. Most are already such

accomplished skiers they simply want a guide

rather than lessons in stem turns. But that

suits Walter Göggelmann. Proud of his roots in

Swabian Mercedes country, as he puts it, the

ski guide nonchalantly waves aside a question

about his favorite route. It all depends – the

one with the best snow, with the most beautiful

light, or perhaps the one in which he and his

clients have just made fresh tracks.

Hotelier Gerold Schneider has much the same

attitude: when it snows, he simply has to make

time for a short trip with the rocker skis and

airbag backpack. On these tours he occasion-

ally encounters a solitary black figure, often

just a head, peering out of the snow – one of the

100 cast-iron statues by British artist Antony

Gormley. All are cast from the same mold of

the artist’s naked body, all positioned at exactly

2,039 m (6,690 ft) above sea level. The two

Strolz brothers helped select the locations and

install “Horizon Field”.

Art is also the story of Gerold Schneider’s life. He

had no plans to take over Almhof Schneider, the

hotel started by his great-grandfather in 1929.

The five-star establishment grew from modest

yet bold beginnings. Gerold studied philosophy,

literature and art theory in Vienna, but was

drawn back to Lech to help with the family busi-

ness following the sudden death of his father and

the illness of his brother. It was to prove a stroke

of good fortune that his wife Katia was an archi-

tect who brought with her baggage from a color-

ful life – a childhood in Lebanon, a Heidi

Mayor Ludwig Muxel (left): “Lech and Mercedes – it’s a symbiosis of two top brands.” Perfect hosts (right): Gerold Schneider and his wife Katia

It’s party time in the Schneggarei (above) after the Weisser Ring race. At White Winners Night (left), sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, race participants are presented with their awards

83

Cool furnishings: the Frozen Icebar

A D D R E S S E S

LechACCOMMODATIONS

Almhof Schneider 5-star luxury hotel. Stylish restaurant, half board with 7-course menu, elegant spa. From 300 euros pp incl. half board.Tannberg 59, A-6764 Lech Tel. +43 (0)5583 3500w w w . a l m h o f . a t

Hotel Kristiania Modern art and themed rooms (“Sultan Süleyman”) in beau-tiful setting at the edge of the village, good restaurant. From 220 euros pp incl. half board.Omesberg 331, A-6764 Lech Tel. +43 (0)5583 25610w w w . k r i s t i a n i a . a t

Hotel Rote WandRustic rooms for romantic fondue evenings or gourmet menus. From 168 euros pp incl. half board.Zug 5, A-6764 Lech Tel. +43 (0)5583 34350w w w . r o t e w a n d . c o m

TREAT YOURSELF

Hagen’s Dorfmetzgerei & Imbiss High-end local store with res-taurant. Daily except Sundays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., restaurant from 11.30 a.m. Dorf 134, A-6764 Lech Tel. +43 (0)5583 2303w w w . h a g e n s . a t

Frozen Icebar Everything here is ice cold, apart from the Swarovski crys-tals, the cozy animal skins and the smiles of the guests as they sip their perfectly chilled champagne.Bergstation Schlegelkopflift, Tel. +43 (0)5583 41825-51 w w w. f r o z e n l e c h .c o m

M O B I L I T Y

film star at the age of 11, teenage years in Rome.

The Schneiders, too, are Walser people who like

to question conventional thinking. They have a

barn that could easily be converted into office

space or an apartment for a hotelier couple

and their children. Instead, they named it “All-

meinde” (common ground) and use it as a public

exhibition space, with an apartment concealed

inside. The hotel ski room looks like some futur-

istic sacristy with its heated, shrine-like lockers

for your boots around a circular cowhide sofa.

The door leads directly to the ski lift – naturally.

A day’s skiing with Gerold Schneider is an in-

toxicating experience – as is lounging in chef

de cuisine Vizenz Klimmer’s award-winning

restaurant and letting the pictures on the walls

work their magic. Here, Vorarlberg food artist

Paul Renner has depicted 114 hallucinogenic

plants; the Schneiders call it their Chamber of

Drugs and Wonders. And they don’t just mean

that figuratively. Once a year they organize a

gastronomic event, for which Renner designs

culinary creations from alpine plants and other

natural products – then allows them to take

effect. Like the man said, nowhere does it

quite like Lech.

In the Lech sunshine, skiers can enjoy a brief piste-stop or a cozy après-ski drink on the terrace of the Frozen Icebar

ILLU

STR

ATI

ON

: A

NN

A L

IND

ER

84

L E C H S P E CIf you’re a serious winter sports enthusiast, you’ll be spoiled for choice in the Arlberg.

A day’s skiing in Lech begins with the ride up the Rüfikopf in one of

the two G O N D O L A S . Powder-hounds who like it deep then have a

choice of routes back to Lech; and for those who like it steep, there’s the

L A N G E R Z U G descent to Stubenbach with a ski bus transfer back to

the resort. “Normal” skiers follow the route of the W E I S S E R R I N G –

the legendary race held every year in mid-January that sees 1,000 partici-

pants complete a circumnavigation of the village of Lech. The best time

for the 22 km (13.75 miles) and 5,500 meters (18,000 ft) of elevation

gain is 46 minutes 4 seconds, as at 2012. H E L I T O U R S can drop

you on top of the Mehlsack at 2,652 m (8,700 ft) or above the Schneetal

on the Braunarlspitze. And afternoons? Spa back at the hotel or a stroll

through the village: a visit to the M E R C E D E S R A R I T Y in the Raif-

feisenbank showroom, to village dressmaker Sonia Zimmermann, whose

Lenai + Linai label is currently all the rage, to Walch the bakery for cakes,

to the O F F R OA D E X P E R I E N C E by Mercedes in Zugertal or après-

ski in the Schneggarei. The most spectacular walk takes you to Zug and

is best done in the evening as a prelude to dinner at the Klösterle or Rote

Wand. The T O B O G G A N R U N from Oberlech down to the village is

floodlit until 10 p.m. and the gondola operates until one in the morning.

From the Rüfikopf down to Zürs

ILLU

STR

ATI

ON

: A

NN

A L

IND

ER

85

M O B I L I T Y

slowly being taken over by the soothing, hypnotic flicker of the tel-

evision screen. The decline of the poster is transforming our sense

of being surrounded by still pictures, the only movement coming

from passing pedestrians and vehicles. Instead, we increasingly

find ourselves in an electronic urban environment where flickering

lights rule supreme. But are we losing anything with the demise

of the poster?

What we are certainly losing are those huge, immobile pictures

consisting of several photographs specially designed to be joined

together to create a single, massive image that is visible from afar.

The closer you came to this sort of poster, the more grotesque the

jumbo-sized images appeared. Nowadays, any that remain are be-

coming bigger and bigger until they sometimes cover the façades

of entire buildings. But with their essential quality of serenity and

stillness, they are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

The messy inadequacies of the analogue world The classic way to view a poster was to drive past it. A wall covered

with posters was like a kind of static film, with the passing viewer

acting as the projector. If you looked at one more closely – on a

billboard or a bus shelter, for example – you could see for yourself

what this seductive art form was actually made up of. Under closer

scrutiny, the hugely magnified picture turned out to be a matrix

of colored dots resulting from the four-color printing process. You

25

30

35

40

45

01

05

10

15

20

A brave new world is rapidly replacing the old, familiar one. PETER GLASER bids a nostalgic farewell to:

J U S T P A S S I N G

S O O N all our urban spaces will begin to look like Times Square

or the spectacular surroundings of Shibuya railroad station in To-

kyo: entire façades hidden by massive screens showing non-stop

videos. The traditional poster is rapidly disappearing and will soon

be little more than a nostalgic memory that returns briefly when

an image occasionally freezes on the flickering screens. Megaci-

ties festooned with such huge monitors already feature in futuristic

science-fiction movies.

The humble poster with its static image is gradually disappearing

and giving way to moving pictures. More and more hybrid forms

can already be found – such as the flat, glass screen-like cases by

the roadside in which images roll past incessantly, replacing each

other in rapid succession, each visible only for a few seconds before

the next comes along. Other systems operate like roller blinds, with

the image made up of thin strips that regularly rotate to form a new

picture. In other words, the hectic pace of modern life has begun

to affect even the old-fashioned poster. But the more the picture

moves, the further it is from being a true poster.

Cathedrals of the modern world In public spaces – station concourses, stadiums and the show-

rooms of global consumer brands – the next stage has already been

reached: the poster has been replaced by massive flat screens with

LED displays. These cathedral-like spaces of our modern world are

THE POSTER

88

49

55

60

65

70

75

80

P E T E R G L A S E R is a prize-winning author, blogger and journalist who has been writing about the digital lifestyle for many years.

could also see all the folds and joins – and sometimes even a

streak of bird dropping or glistening traces of resin from an over-

hanging linden tree. Posters like these served as a sort of shabby

backdrop for the drama of urban life.

With the advent of moving electronic images on huge screens,

we are going to lose quite a few things: the added graffiti, the

random superimposition of one poster on another, the tattered

sections that slipped out of alignment – in short, all the messy

inadequacies of the analogue world. Electronic images glide

smoothly across the screen without any irregularities or any

glued edges. And the expensive screens themselves are out of

reach – you can’t get anywhere like as close to them as you could

to the robust old billboards. As a result, the images are distant –

out of reach and out of touch.

Careful ritual of replacement With electronic images, the transition from one scene to anoth-

er is instantaneous, whereas replacing a poster used to involve

a special ritual involving two men, a ladder, a bucket of glue and

a wallpaper brush. And it wasn’t just a question of slapping a

new poster on top of the old one. First, a layer of white paper

had to be applied to prevent any elements from the old picture

showing through.

This careful process of replacing one paper surface with an-

other is something we will miss, especially that moment when

the entire surface had become white, and the men with the

bucket held up the sections of the new poster in front of them

as though they were trying out new clothes in a department

store mirror. And sometimes, when a billboard hadn’t yet been

rented out, the surface would remain in this pristine white state

for several days – a pleasing blank space in a world cluttered

with visual stimuli.

ILLU

STR

ATI

ON

: M

AR

IO W

AG

NER

P U B L I C A T I O N D E TA I L S

Published byDaimler AG · Communications · HPC 402 · D-70546 Stuttgart

Responsible on behalf of the publishersMirjam Bendak

Publisher’s Council Dr. Joachim Schmidt (Chairman) · Daniel Bartos · Thomas Fröhlich

Lüder Fromm · Julia Hofmann · Christoph Horn · Jörg Howe · Anders Sundt Jensen

Concept and EditingCondé Nast Verlag GmbH · Karlstrasse 23 · D-80333 München

Managing Director Moritz von Laffert

Senior Publisher Wolfgang Winter

Editor at Large David Pfeifer (responsible for editorial content)Art Director Markus Rindermann

Managing Editor Tobias NeblChief Copy Editor Martin Trockner

Editorial Contributors Bene Benedikt, Jenny Buchholz, Peter Glaser, Lukas M. Guster, Manfred Klimek, Sunny Kröger, Michael Moorstedt, Volker Rachow, Hannah Sartorius, Thomas Schulz, Martin Trockner,

Christof Vieweg, Gerhard WaldherrDeputy Art Director Dirk Meycke

Director of Photography Birgit BiecheleFinal Editing Edda Benedikt

Final Graphics Stefanie Ferstl

Advertising

Daimler AG: Maja Brechlin

Distribution

Daimler AG: Uwe HaspelMercedes-Benz magazine reader service:

Zenit Pressevertrieb GmbH · Postfach 810580 · D-70552 StuttgartTel. 0800 0010001 · leserservice@zenit-presse.de

Annual subscription: EUR 22 · CHF 34 · Free of charge for MercedesCard holders.

Production

Daimler AG: Jennifer HelkePre Media Solutions: Meyle + Müller GmbH+Co. KG

Maximilianstrasse 104 · D-75172 PforzheimPrinting: Stark Druck GmbH + Co. KG

Im Altgefäll 9 · D-75181 Pforzheim

RightsReprints and use, as a whole or in part, only with the express written permission of

Daimler AG. No responsibility can be taken for unsolicited texts and photographs. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher or

the editors. No guarantee is given for information on vehicle equipment and accessories. For binding information and prices please refer to the official

Daimler AG sales documentation. All other content in this magazine has been com-piled to the best of our knowledge, but no guarantee is given.

Mercedes-Benz magazine appears quarterly, with editions published under cooperation or license in 40 languages.Number 324, 58th year of publication

Printed on chlorine-free paper · Printed in Germany6720032402 ISSN 1617-6677

A bottle of Aceto Balsamico is allowed

to show its age

Reductio ad balsamico: evaporation, concentration and caramelization are staging posts on the slow, epicurean byway from Modena to Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale. words and photos manfred kl imekm

Sour power

90

M O B I L I T Y

ine. It could have turned into wine. That was in

its infancy as must, unfermented grape juice.

Instead, it has made its way to master chef

Massimo Bottura’s condiment shelf. Welcome

to Osteria Francescana, a gourmet restaurant

at the heart of Modena, a place mass tourism

seems to bypass.

Massimo Bottura loves the town and its sur-

roundings, not least on account of their gas-

tronomic specialties. Just down the road is

ham-hung Parma. The local fields serve up

a delicious basket of vegetables and the dair-

ies stock row upon row of Parmesan cheeses,

gaining flavor by the hour. Then there’s the

light-red Lambrusco that needn’t be the sickly-

sweet shortcut to a hangover. And finally, Aceto

Balsamico – balsamic vinegar – the genuine

item from Modena itself. Bottura has a bottle to

hand, a tiny flask in fact, barely ten centimeters

(4 in.) high, holding 1/8 of a liter and topped

with a gold cap.

“We call this ‘Tradizionale’; this one’s 50 years

old. It’s the only genuine balsamic vinegar,”

says Bottura. Later on we’ll meet someone who

disagrees. And they’ll both be right. As so often

in Italy, in Modena there are two versions of the

truth. Bottura stirs a drop – a single drop – of

balsamic vinegar into the sauce, then drizzles

a fine-spun thread around the rim of the plate,

for the patron to scoop up with a fingertip and

savor at the last. “There we go,” says Bottura,

positions three vegetables on one side of the

plate and sends it on its way. “You don’t need

more. Balsamico is precious.”

Battery-bred balmHe’s right, of course, and yet there’s also cheap

balsamic vinegar to be had. A paradox? “Not at

all,” says Carlo Petrini, who heads up the re-

spected Slow Food organization. “The simple

fact is that the cheaper versions are not genu-

ine balsamic vinegars at all.” Sad to say, any

vinegar can slap on the label “balsamico” –

which is a thorn in the flesh of the established

producers in Modena and Reggio Emilia. They

rightly fear that their proud tradition is being

watered down.

In bygone days, only a few thousand gourmets

worldwide were familiar with the concen-

trated vinegars of Modena. Aceto Balsamico

Tradizionale was a typical regional product of

Italy. But then, vinegar is vinegar, isn’t it?

It sure isn’t. It’s easy to spot the outward signs

of Balsamico Tradizionale from Modena: the

little bottle and a double-digit number. A

cream-colored cap says the vinegar is at least

12 years old, while a gold cap says it has ma-

tured for at least 25 years in a battery of bar-

rels that have grown smaller from year to year.

Balsamico demands patience Balsamic vinegar isn’t hard to make, but it

does take time. First you cook the must of

white grapes – traditionally Trebbiano or Sau-

vignon, although some producers use Lam-

brusco grapes, which barely affects the flavor.

Once the boiled-down must, or mosto cotto,

has thickened and been filtered, you pour in

some balsamic vinegar – at least ten years old

– and a good amount of young wine. Then add

at least 12 years of evaporation and concen-

tration. During this time the vinegar will be

transferred from one barrel to the next,

W

91

FULL OF CHARACTER But not of tourists – which has its advantages.

PH

OTO

S:

CO

LOU

RB

OX

(1)

Along with the taste, the color is crucial

from larger to smaller, each made of a differ-

ent kind of wood. While the first may be an

oak barrel, the smaller kegs are often chest-

nut, cherry, ash or mulberry, each adding its

own flavor.

As it evaporates, the young balsamic vinegar

is regularly enriched with a portion of older

vinegar. There are many different methods, but

the producers are understandably not telling,

to ensure that the precise mixture or “coupage”

remains their secret.

The legitimate few It’s no secret, however, that the vinegar lofts

where the barrels are lodged don’t exactly

smell of roses. Many of the smaller producers

store them under the roofs of their homes be-

cause that is where the temperature fluctuates

most. Low winter temperatures interrupt the

evaporation process and reduce the turbidity.

In winter, they say in Modena, the vinegar

stays home.

When a vinegar producer expands, like the

Acetaia del Cristo owned by the Barbieri family,

they build a storehouse next to their home and

“export” the odors. Erika Barbieri is one of the

few women in this sweet-sour business. Com-

panies like hers are the unfailing heart of the

Italian economy – family firms turning out an

authentic product and making it an internation-

al success. And yet on the surface, their fattoria

looks like any other farm. Acetaia del Cristo is

94

A P P L E B A L S A M I C V I N E G A RAustria’s Alois Gölles is one of few farmers who have perfect-ed the Italian method; he lets apple vinegar mature in oak for longer periods until it becomes an exclusive balsamic. The dif-ference in flavor can be tasted in the clear apple notes, which some cooks appreciate more than the grape flavor found in traditional balsamic vinegar.

S H E R R Y V I N E G A RIn the Jerez de la Frontera region of southern Spain, many sherry bodegas also make a large number of exclusive vinegars, especially with Palomino, Muscat or Pedro Ximénez grapes. These varietals all yield a juice that is fruity and velvety. Vinegar made of Pedro Ximénez grapes is also sweeter and more aromat-ic than many balsamic vinegars from Italy.

C H A M PAG N E V I N E G A RChampagne vinegar is not made into balsamic; instead, it matures for one to three years in large wooden barrels. With its mild sweetness, it is com-monly used by the French to enhance dishes, even heartier cuisine. You frequently encoun-ter this in the Champagne region, where vinegar is used at most fine restaurants.

Exquisite: three alter-natives to traditional balsamic vinegar

ANOTHER DAY DRAWS TO A CLOSE In its time-scarred kegs, the Aceto Balsamico matures for up to 50 years.

92

M O B I L I T Y

a member of the consortium of Traditionalists.

According to many delicatessen owners, these

are the only legitimate suppliers of “genuine”

Aceto Balsamico, which must not be confused

with industrial copycat products that try to

match the taste by using cheap wine vinegars,

caramel and glycerol. The Traditionalists delib-

erately set themselves apart from other region-

al producers – something that sticks in Claudio

Stefani’s craw. He’s the one who vehemently

disagrees about Tradizionale being the only

true balsamic vinegar.

Stefani heads up Acetaia Giusti, an operation

that exports thousands of bottles a day to coun-

tries around the world. Giusti makes young

vinegars and old ones – the latter by the same

methods used for Tradizionale and achieving

the same high quality. What the Traditional-

ists are sour about is that Giusti can turn out

so many bottles of old balsamic vinegar that

tastes like their own products. Which is not to

say Stefani can use their seal, because he can’t

– on account of also producing young vinegars.

At the Giusti factory it looks just like any tradi-

tional operation, except that alongside the hun-

dreds of small barrels there are also several

large tanks.

Back in the kitchen, Massimo Bottura refuses

to drizzle a Tradizionale over a salad. “Much

too precious,” he says. And to make his point

he savors a single drop, licked from his finger-

tip. The myriad flavors in here can only be cre-

ated and blended by time-honored techniques,

honed by knowledge and experience. “Making

vinegar is not an art form,” says Erika Barbieri,

“but it’s not child’s play either.”

Countless factors determine how the vinegar

evolves over the years. Sometimes a whole bat-

tery of barrels will be lost to a rogue fungus.

Years of work down the pan. Massimo Bottura

picks up a pipette, draws out a measure of the

50-year-old vinegar and drips it over sliced

strawberries. It’s a familiar combination of fla-

vors, but the avant-garde master chef is a great

believer in traditions: “If it tastes right,” he

says, “it is right.”

Watching chef Massimo Bottura at work is like being at a conju-ror’s show – especially when he digs into his unconventional bag of tricks to refine a dish with Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale. His Croccantino di Foie Gras serves as a good example. To start with, our master chef steeps 400 g of duck foie gras in milk for a few hours before mar-inating it for six hours in Calva-dos and 10 g of cloves. He then places the foie gras in a terrine and cooks it in a vacuum bag at 55°C (130°F) for 35 minutes, before shock-freezing the liver down to 2°C (35°F) and letting it sit in the refrigerator for two

days. When the 48-hour chill is up, he boils 2 cl of water with 5 g of sug-ar, half a vanilla bean and the peel of an orange, stirring into this syrup 30 g of chopped Noto almonds and 300 g of chopped Piemont hazelnuts. The mixture is spread onto a baking sheet and seasoned with fleur de sel before being caramelized in the oven at 200°C (390°F). Once it has cooled, Bottura breaks it into fine pieces. Using a warmed knife, he slices the liver into two pieces measuring approximately 8 x 4 x 1.5 centimeters (3 x 1.3 x 0.5 in.). Then he takes a cinnamon stick, carefully creates a small hole in each piece, and drips in some Aceto Bal-samico di Modena Tradizionale Extra Vecchio. Finally, he patches up the hole with a little piece of the leftover liver, inserts a popsicle stick from the other side, and rolls the liver in the nut mixture. Ecco – the master chef’s delectable creation is ready to be savored.

F I N E C U I S I N E

Balsamico

93

Master chef and Balsamico fan:

Massimo Bottura

A precious ingredient: Aceto Balsamico

PH

OTO

S:

STO

CK

FOO

D (

1)

PH

OTO

S:

AC

ENC

Y P

EOP

LE,

BA

BIR

AT

PIC

TUR

E, D

DP

IMA

GES

(4)

, G

ETT

Y IM

AG

ES

M O M E N T S

M E R C E D E S - B E N Z

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS

Ahead of the 2012 Olympics, sporting greats gathered in London to celebrate

this year’s award-winners.

94

“�Sport�is�a�world�language�–�it�unites.”�D A L E Y T H O M P S O N

t isn’t often that stars turn fans them-

selves. But Clive Owen, who hosted the 2012

Laureus Awards, confessed his passion for soccer

virtually in the same breath as he greeted the audience

attending the star-studded event. He was duly excit-

ed about meeting Sir Alex Ferguson and other leg-

ends of the “beautiful game”. A Liverpool fan, Owen

provided regular updates on developments in the

game that his team was playing as sports greats and

Hollywood celebrities took turns on the stage

I

Bryan Ferry sang “Slave to Love” and “Don’t Stop the Dance” as a warm-up for the evening’s party

Central Hall – lit up as for a

royal wedding

Olympic champion Denise Lewis before the event

Bar Refaeli and Lennox

Lewis an-nounce the Sportsman of the Year

Sergey Bubka,

member of the

Laureus Academy

Gave speeches: actors Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth

95

PH

OTO

S:

BR

AU

ER P

HO

TOS

(2

), D

AIM

LER

AG

(3

), D

DP

IMA

GES

, G

ETT

Y IM

AG

ES (

5),

IN

TER

TOP

ICS

, P

EOP

LE P

ICTU

RE,

XP

OS

UR

E P

ICTU

RE

at Westminster City Hall. Earlier in the day, some of

the sports personalities had visited one of the many

children’s and youth projects that are supported by

Laureus. Then, in the evening, it was time to present

the awards and celebrate in true style at the glitter-

ing black tie event. And so, at the end of a long and

exciting Laureus day, there were really only winners:

award-winners, party guests and the children around

whom Laureus revolves. Only Liverpool had to settle

for a draw – but Owen took it in good grace.

M O M E N T S

Ihit invenis namust hilia dolor sit, audigni hilluptaque lacessi nu

“Blade runner” Oscar Pistorius with his award

Windsurfer Philip Köster brought his mother along

Thandie Newton on

her way to laud a

winner

Most colorful tie of the evening: Ion Tiriac

“It’s�the�climax�of�an�����incredible�season.”���N O V A K D J O K O V I C

Academy Chairman Ed Moses with his wife and the Beckers

In the spotlight: Novak Djokovic and his trophy

96

E V A P A D B E R G

“�Sport�has�the�power�to�change�the�world.”�N E L S O N M A N D E L A O N T H E L A U R E U S F O U N D A T I O N

Host Clive Owen kept the audience up to date on developments in the Liverpool game

Monica Seles was involved in a Laureus project in the morning

A Who’s Who of world sports: the Laureus Academy gathers in front of a large image of the award

Westminster Central Hall provided the perfect setting for the awards ceremony

Marathon world record holder Tegla

Loroupe

Auto enthusiast Günter Netzer and his wife

beside the new SL

Luke Wilson and his girlfriend

Fashion designer Ozwald Boateng with companion

97

AY R T O N S E N N A , 19 8 4

R E T R O S P E C T I V E

19 0 E

São Paulo,Brazil

H E W O N H I S F I R S T W O R L D T I T L E with McLaren, but off the track Ayrton Senna drove

Mercedes. It’s possible that this close bond was sealed after the man still considered the fastest

ever Formula 1 driver celebrated one of his first big successes in a Mercedes. That was in May 1984,

when Niki Lauda invited him to take part in a show race marking the opening of the Nürburgring’s

new Grand Prix track. 20 drivers, including nine former F1 world champions, lined up at the wheel of

20 identical Mercedes-Benz 190 E touring cars. Alongside Lauda were such luminaries as Alain Prost,

Keke Rosberg and James Hunt. Emerson Fittipaldi, however, had to pull out at short notice. The

Brazilian legend was replaced by his still relatively unknown compatriot Senna, who had made his

grand prix debut two months earlier. At the end of the 12-lap race, Senna – as would become a

frequent sight – stood on the top step of the podium, having finished more than two seconds ahead

of the second-placed Lauda. This shot was taken soon after in Senna’s garden in São Paulo. There is an

air of affection about how he shows off his Nürburg winnings – a blue-black metallic 190 E.

PH

OTO

: IM

AG

O S

PO

RTF

OTO

DIE

NS

T

98