GQ_South_Africa_2017

52 GQ.CO.ZA OCTOBER 2017

E

ntering the green hell with

the bright yellow SLS Black

Series brings back some

of my fi nest motoring

memories. Exactly nine

years ago I was here with a SL63 AMG,

taking part in a four-day AMG Pro Driver

training. It was an epic experience with

the added advantage of driving the

car for a couple of days afterwards

through the Alps.

I remember the famous bends:

Hatzenbach, Adenauer Forest,

Bergwerk, Flugplatz (where I lifted off

and deployed my roll bar with a

frightening bang) and my favourite, the

bone-shattering Karussel. Th e inside

half of the corner is steeply banked with

a concrete surface. It’s actually a hairpin

turn, but the banking allows for a much

higher cornering speed.

Th is time around I was not allowed to

race in anger, although the SLS Black

Series would have been perfect for it. I

am allowed one (rather slow) lap

through the green hell this time.

I am taking part in a birthday parade

of AMG superstars, prior to the start of

the famous 24-hour Nürburgring race.

AMG has never been more successful in

its 50-year history. It all started in 1967

with two motoring enthusiasts, Hans-

Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, in

a workshop in an old mill. Initially

Mercedes-Benz wasn’t happy with these

grease monkeys fi ddling with a ‘perfect

product’. Th ey even refused to let the

former Daimler mechanics use the

three-pointed star on their creations.

Half a century of motoring

history lies behind the

beasts from Affalterbach.

We hit the world’s most

demanding race track

to pay homage to the

silver arrows

Words by Dieter Losskarn