@wheelsaustralia 19
WAGENER’S FAVOURITES
This is not the answer I expected.
Ask Wagener to nominate his
favourite models from 20 years
at Mercedes-Benz and he doesn’t
hesitate: “Typically, I most like the
cars I’m working on now, so those
surfacing; people tell me it’s the
most beautiful of all coupes.
“Beauty is very important in our
history. The SLR Concept from 1999
was my first job at Mercedes-Benz.
There’s a lot of stuff going on [in the
the Japanese. “Really, to ou
European eyes, we don’t g
[Asian design]. They are su
with their different approa
I’m pretty sure they will fo
[our lead].”
The launch of an A-Clas
doesn’t mean the end of t
the four-door coupe versio
current A-Class. The new
sedan is primarily for Chin
hence the decision to laun
concept in Shanghai – but
is also a replacement CLA
program. Australia is expe
see the first of the new-ge
A-Class models around mi
PETER R
r
et it
ccessful
ch, but
llow
s sedan
he CLA,
nofthe
A-Class
a–
ch the
there
in the
cted to
neration
d-2018.
OBINSON
for 2021 and 2022.”
“If I look back, then the GT for its
iconic proportions. Like the 300SL
Gullwing it must last for decades.
It’s a new class of Mercedes-Benz
sportscar.TheS-ClassCoupeis
u
design] but it’s still a special car.
The [W176-generation] A-Class,
because when it came out [as a
concept in 2011], it changed the
way we designed our cars and
because it has been so influential
gorgeous; the proportions, the [with our rivals].
With 626kW and a scorching 0-97km/h time
of 2.3sec, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
is essentially a drag-race car for the road.
However Texas-based tuner Hennessey
Performance sees this as merely a good start,
with plans afoot to turn the wick up on the
Demon to the tune of 1500hp (1119kW). This is
likely to be achieved by a bigger supercharger
and beefier intercooler, plus new headers
and some software fettling. Almost doubling
the power output should turn the Demon into
something truly satanic.
...but deliver us from evil