Mercedes-Benz has a 'Classic' Adelaide
MELBOURNE – November 26, 2009: The thirteenth running of the annual Classic Adelaide Rally delivered more than a few surprises for entrants.
This year’s event again saw Mercedes-Benz participate with a suite of vehicles that impressed both crowds and competitors with their durability, performance and safety.
E 63 AMG: first Australian appearance
As part of its
Australian sneak-preview the all-new E 63 AMG sedan was piloted over the
rally’s four days by a selection of guests, including well-known
trucking and logistics operator Glen Cameron, five-time MotoGP world
champion Mick Doohan and some selected motoring journalists. The
super-sports sedan didn’t disappoint the crowds, demonstrating its
race-bred abilities on the rally’s closed road sections with drifting
action, jumps and a staccato exhaust note that rivals a V8 Supercar.
C 63 AMG: crowd favourite puts on a show
The C 63 AMG was
again a favourite with the Classic Adelaide crowds, especially in the hands
of MotoGP legend Mick Doohan. Normally accustomed to his 600 horsepower
V12-powered S 65 AMG, the motorcycle ace revelled in the short wheel-base
handling of the nimble sports sedan. He demonstrated his superb car control
all weekend long, including an all-wheels off-the-ground jump at Mt
Lofty.
In front of a big crowd at the event’s famous Paris Creek Special Stage, Doohan laid down a record 300 metre-long burnout at the stage start before chasing down and passing both a Nissan GT-R and a Porsche 911. Doohan, who has owned ten AMG sports cars, is a regular at the event and said he was looking forward to next year’s running when Mercedes-Benz and AMG will again have a special and unique vehicle entered for spectators.
E 500 coupé: style, sophistication and speed
Patron of the
annual Classic Adelaide rally is South Australian Vern Schuppan, winner of
the 1983 Le Mans 24-hour endurance race and former Formula 1, Indy Car and
Sports Car racer.
Alongside son Kerrin, Schuppan campaigned a stunning new E 500 coupé fitted with an AMG Sports Pack in this year’s event. Showing the driving skill that made him an international racing star, Vern gave a display of the E-Class coupé’s handling abilities that would have put smaller sports car to shame. And he didn’t dawdle. Along with getting plenty of air at the event’s popular Mt Lofty stage the Whyalla native achieved unofficial stage times that would have done a dedicated racing car credit a couple of years ago.
Vito 120 CDI: “Is that a van about to overtake
us?”
The surprise entry in Mercedes-Benz’ thirteenth
consecutive Classic Adelaide rally was also the event’s most
talked-about: a Vito 120 CDI van.
Australia’s most powerful one-tonne van showed it had the goods when it caught and passed a Porsche 911 Turbo on a special stage during the rally’s second day. And to prove not even James Bond can always get away when the pressure’s on, it later caught and passed an Aston Martin DB9, dropping jaws even further.
The Vito was driven on the rally’s first two days by motoring journalist James Stanford, fresh from the Global Green Challenge. It spent the weekend at the hands of Bathurst 1000 veteran and tarmac rally driver Peter Gazzard. The Mount Gambier ace demonstrated the high-speed handling, stability and performance of the turbo-diesel V6 Vito, showing everyone that Australia’s only 5-star van (as rated by ANCAP) really is Australia’s most powerful.
David McCarthy, senior manager of corporate communications at Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific said “This is the first (and possibly) only time that a van has participated in Classic Adelaide and it proved to be the surprise of the event.
“It not only generated Mexican waves from spectators but it attracted attention at each of the rally’s scheduled stops as if it was a Mr Whippy van!
“The suitably sign-written Vito was disparagingly called a mobile billboard by some entrants but they soon ate their words! Those competitors had ample chance to read the 5-Star ANCAP safety message on the back of Vito as it passed more than a few of them on some of the special stages,” he said.
“The annual Classic Adelaide rally is an important event for our marque because it allows us to showcase the depth and breadth of our product range. The four vehicles we entered drove hard during all four days and required nothing in the way of parts or technical attention during the event.
“Of course the AMG sports cars were hugely popular with the crowds, but it was the Vito van that showed Mercedes-Benz does not compromise on its product hallmarks. Simply because you drive a commercial vehicle does not mean you have to be without performance, road holding, drivability, performance and safety, and the Vito 120 CDI proved this,” added McCarthy.
And it seemed the Mercedes van was completely at home in the rally’s exotic car category, flexing its muscles amongst the Ferraris and Porsches.
“The Vito van was more than competitive in the rally’s Thoroughbred Touring section. It was as fast and, in many instances, faster than its competitors,” he added.
And the reason for entering the Vito van into a rally populated by some of Australia’s fastest cars?
“We wanted to demonstrate that workplace safety in a vehicle does not mean you have to accept a boring vehicle option. The Vito proves it: customers don’t have to sacrifice performance in order to have a five star safety rating.”