The safety car is basically a car that limits the speed of all the competing cars present on the race track during a caution period such an accident. And to undertake this vital responsibility, a car with sufficient power to quickly respond in an urgent situation is properly needed to ensure a swift and efficient run during a race. For this, Mercedes is upgrading the safety car for the upcoming 2012 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix from the SLS AMG to the SLS AMG GT.
Although the original SLS already has an impressive output of 570-horsepower, the all-new 2013 SLS AMG GT had received a number of tweaks and upgrades that made it better than the previous version. First stop is definitely the power, where 591-horsepower is produced from the 6.2-liter grumbling V8 mated to an updated AMG Speedshift DCT 7-speed sports transmission, enabling this German muscle to propel into a century sprint in just 3.6 seconds. The GT is also fitted with a high-performance ceramic composite brake system and a set of weight-reduced AMG 10-spoke forged light-alloy wheels, which rides on a more aggressively tuned springs and dampers.
To assume responsibility as the safety car, the SLS AMG GT will be fitted with a specially developed rear silencer for a more exciting V8 soundtrack, F1 decals, rear window safety lights, bucket seats with six-point seat belts, two central screens to allow both driver and co-pilot to monitor the race progress and a radio system.
Behind the wheels of this newly-deployed safety car is 41-year-old Bernd Mayländer from Germany, whom had served as the official F1 safety car driver since 2000 and is also an important member of FIA’s safety team during this weekend’s race. As a trivial fact, so far the 2012 season had seen the Mercedes-Benz Safety Car being called into action for six times to date where the drivers had travelled for a range of 138.1 km (85.8 miles) under the Safety Car conditions.
