86 January 2014 www.bahrainthismonth.com Tony Sidgwick That isn’t really what the letters AMG stand for, but after a visit to Yas Marina Circuit for the AMG Performance Tour, that’s what we think they SHOULD stand for… It’s an almost perfect set of circumstances for a motoring buff — one of the world’s finest Formula One circuits; a drag strip; and, most importantly, almost the entire range of one of the world’s greatest sports car brands. The performance division of premium automaker Mercedes, aka AMG, is a sight to behold. Reading from the entry-level vehicle up to the halo model is like a journey through automotive erotica — A45 AMG, C 63 AMG Coupe, C 63 AMG 507, E 63 AMG 4MATIC, CLS 63 AMG, SL 63 AMG and, the absolute icing on the cake, the SLS AMG GT. So you can imagine walking down the pit lane and seeing them all in the flesh, lined up and ready to be thrashed. It was going to be a good day… But where to start? One of the biggest initial impressions you walk away with from an AMG event is the glorious, glorious orchestra of those lovely V8 engines, it’s a truly wonderful sound. And of all of them, the stars are most definitely the naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 from the C 63 507 and the SLS AMG. As the industry trend moves towards the more economical induction engines, naturally-aspirated ones like these will become increasingly rare as time goes on, so it’s possible that this will be one of the last great V8 engines to come out of Europe. However, funnily enough, one of our favourite models from the whole experience is also the only model which DIDN’T boast one of AMG’s V8s, and that was the A 45 AMG. This is one of the very latest AMG models to be unveiled by the company, and represents a whole new direction for the brand. For a team traditionally dedicated to producing massively powerful V8 sports cars, this super hot hatch provides a hugely appealing entry-level option to the AMG range that is, in our opinion, guaranteed to win over a whole new client base. The A 45 boasts an all-new engine from AMG, a twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0-litre four-pot, which might sound puny compared to these monstrous V8 models, but before you scoff, just look at the figures: 360hp and up to 450Nm of torque, making it the most powerful series production four-cylinder engine in the world. motoringwheels AMG: Awesome; Magnificent; Glorious The SLS AMG GT – Awesome!
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