All Entries Tagged With: "granturismo"

Proud Parent: Mercedes’ AMG SLS Featured on GranTurismo 5

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Daimler, AG

YOU can just hear it: “PLAY-STAY-SHON”.

As the Jalops are busy buffing their lapels at their inclusion into the Forza Motorsport entertainment brand, Mercedes-Benz, too, is tickled as punch to have their Gullwinged AMG SLS on the cover of PlayStation’s GranTurismo 5.

Yours happens to have been an avid Gran Turismo fan. Addict, really.

What high school wing nut wouldn’t be? The graphics were fantastic and the physics simulations were really, truly impressive.You could sample all your favorite cars from the comfy confines of your living room sofa.

Hours and hours of time well waisted.

Since home entertainment consoles are becoming big, big business, ( us Generation Y’ers have never lost our zeal for computer games thanks to Mario ), car companies like Mercedes are definitely seeing the light and the dollar$ in playing along.

On Maserati’s Latest

Autumn in NY by Maserati

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Maserati of North America

ACCEPTING that the drive behind parting with $120K on the lovely new Maserati GranTurismo Convertible boils down to more than buying into sheer performance figures, let’s nonetheless do a quick ‘n dirty comparo of what Maserati North America’s billing as supporting statistics.

• A hand-built 4.7 liter V8 , 433hp engine | They might’ve said: “righteous & sonorous Ferrari-sourced 4.7 liter V8″. Avanti!
• Top speed 176 mph | Will see off ze Germans. But not an Aston V8 Vantage Roadster.
• 0-60 in 5.3 seconds | BMW’s M6 (con) obliterates this figure with typical M Power Sturm und Drang!
• The longest wheelbase in its segment | Hooray, the useful topless GT lives!
• The same trunk volume with the soft top either up or down | This might be a good thing. Or not.
• A racing-style aluminum undertray producing an aerodynamic coefficient of 0.35 Cd | An old Volvo 850 wagon = 0.34 Cd.
• Monocoque body stiffness with benchmark Torsional dynamic rigidity of 27.2 Hertz | Sounds good. But what’s “27.2 Hertz?”
• The roof is opened automatically in only 24 seconds | An SL does the same job in less than fifteen.

Too bad style can’t be qualified. Judging by tantalizing imagery alone, the GT decappottabile trumps every rival save for Aston Martin’s fairest.