may 2016 'round the benz
DESCRIPTION
Monthly Newsletter of the Pikes Peak Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America.TRANSCRIPT
Welcome new members!
Inside this issue:
View From the Peak 2
Springs Rally 3
Joint Section Picnic 3
Parks & Rec Drive 4
GLC Coupe 4
President’s Rally 5
Dinner and a Movie 5
September Fun Run 5
MHS Events 5
PPS Shirts 6 Mesa Verde Regional 6
Der Marktplatz 7
Click 7
P3 Update 8
Nurburgring Speeds 8
SLK Turns 20 9
AMG Stores 9
Autonomous Trucks 10
Sandra Grimm
Wes Wood
Newsletter of the PIKES PEAK SECTION
MAY 2016
‘ROUND THE BENZ
Monument Trifecta++Saturday, 21 May 2016
9:00 a.m.We tend to “drive” through Monument on our way to somewhere else. This time we are going to stop and “explore”! Welcome to Monument, CO!
When we started planning this drive last year, before the 2015 snows, we dubbed this a Trifecta…but, the weather can-celed the event. In planning for this year, we found there are many more than 3 things to enjoy in and around the Monument area, so we expanded the event and the name.
We will meet at the Egg & I for breakfast, departing from there about 10:30 for a lei-surely drive to the east and north. Monu-
ment, being the eventual destination, with a stop or two along the way.
There have been some hints over the last couple months’ newsletters and at other events, but there will be more than wine, beer, and spirits….So, trust us, it will be a great outing for all.
We will have several stops, ending for a late lunch gathering (not included in event fee) at the end. Due to the particulars, the final cost has not been determined, but wepromise it will be a small per person charge.
We’re looking forward to a great day out, hopefully dry and sunny for windows down, sunroofs open or tops down!!! Call Dan Kerbs at 719-964-5956, if you have any questions or to let him know you’ll be joining us!
The Best or Nothing!
View From the Peak by Andrew NelsonSection OfficersPresident:Andrew [email protected]
Vice President:Judy [email protected]
Secretary:Mary [email protected]
Treasurer:Julie [email protected]
Directors:Stan [email protected]
Glenn [email protected]
Henry [email protected] Sylvia [email protected]
Dave [email protected]
Webmaster:Robert [email protected]
Editor:Judy [email protected]
Regional Director:Michael [email protected]
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‘Round the BENZ is published monthly by the Pikes Peak Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America (MBCA), Inc. Articles and ideas are the opinions of the writers and no authentication is implied as to the validity of any infor-mation contained therein. Explicit permission to republish any article with proper attribution is given to all sections of MBCA, Inc. Articles for publication consideration should be mailed to Pikes Peak Section, MBCA, Attn: Editor, 4335 Penhurst Place, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 or, whenever possible, emailed to: [email protected]. Deadline for receipt is the 18th of the month prior to the month of issue.
Pikes Peak Section members are encouraged to support the advertisers in our newsletter. They help to make this publication possible.
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Andrew has taken this month off. View From the Peak will return next month!
As always, drive safe, and I will see you down the road.
Andrew
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Saturday, 18 June 20169:00 a.m.
Okay, the Springs Rally was all set and ready to go last month. All we needed was sunny spring weather; but Mother Nature obviously had other ideas. She sure seems to have it in for the Pikes Peak Section in 2016. We had to re-schedule the Springs Rally due to an unexpected 13” snowfall.
So, we’re going to try this again. Please join us at The Egg & I restaurant for our monthly section breakfast on Saturday, 18 June at 9:00 a.m.. It’s a great way to meet up with and get acquainted with your fel-low Pikes Peak Section members.
After breakfast, at approximately 10:30 a.m. we will commence with what we’re
calling the “Springs” Rally.
The theme of the rally will encompass most things “springs” about our great city. Think Colorado Springs, mattress springs, all things seasonally Spring, hot springs...you get the idea. I hope this is enough informa-tion for now to “wet” your appetite. These pictures should help you out.
As you can probably surmise, the route will be in and around the greater Colorado Springs area and should last 2-3 hours. The terminus will be at a appropriately themed restaurant for lunch, where prizes will be awarded for the top 3 finishers. The entry fee is only $15 per car. Please RSVP to Andrew Nelson at 719-634-7522
“Springs” Rally
Joint Section Picnic - 9 July 2016
The Mile High Section is in charge of the Joint Section Picnic this year. After 3 consecutive years at Absher Acres, we’re giving Karen and Clark a rest. The Mile High Section is keeping the details close to their chest so we don’t know yet where the
picnic will be or any of the particulars. But we do have a date! Yes, mark it on your calendars - Saturday, 9 July 2016.
This is always a popular event and a chance to reconnect with our northern neighbors. We will enjoy picnic fare in an outdoorsy venue. Niels Haubold is in charge and we’re sure he’ll come up with something creative. His previous outing took us to Rambler Ranch in Elizabeth, CO. If you can’t wait for the details, give him a call or drop him a note at 303-949-7673; [email protected]
Stay tuned to ‘Round the Benz for updates. We’ll post ‘em when we get ‘em.
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“...features
automobiles
as old as
the 1906
Success, to
classic 1950s
and 1960s
racing cars.”
Breakfast & Parks & Rec Drive - 16 July 2016Phase 3 of our Paved Peaks & Passes program goes into full swing soon. If you haven’t picked up your passport yet, there’s still time to get one.
One of the stops in the passport is the Gallery at the Vehicle Vault in Parker, CO. The Vehicle Vault is home to an awesome collection of cars. The Vehicle Vault museum opened Oct. 25 and the complex is still in development. It will feature about 120 car garages for collectors who will pay $100,000 or more a year for homes for their cars. The aim is to create a country club for car lovers.
The heart of the business is the museum, which features automobiles as old as the 1906 Success, to classic 1950s and 1960s racing cars. There is a 1954 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing, which is considered the crown jewel of the collection because it
is so rare and has 400 original miles on it. The museum features cars from every decade, including an 1980s DeLorean and 2006 Ford GT. Admission is $10 for seniors and military, $12 for adults, and $8 for kids. Discounted rates are available for groups
of 15 or more.
After our visit, we will wend our way home via a scenic route that will enable us to collect several more passport stamps for the day. Fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate and give us a nice sunny
day for photography.
Join us for breakfast at The Egg & I Res-taurant at Citadel Crossing at 9:00 a.m. We’ll depart from the parking lot at ap-proximately 10:30 a.m. for our scenic drive, stopping for a late lunch along the way later in the afternoon. If you have any questions, please contact Judy Bennett at 719-576-9737; [email protected].
Mercedes-Benz is introducing its new GLC Coupe which goes on sale early next year, as a 2017 model, and as the name suggests the vehicle is a coupe-like ver-
sion of the GLC. It’s Mer-cedes’ response to BMW’s X4, just as the larger GLE Coupe is the
response to BMW’s X6.
At the market launch, there will be two po-tent options to choose from. The standard model will be a GLC300 Coupe powered
by a 241-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-li-ter 4-cylinder engine. Those seeking more power can opt for a GLC43 Coupe from Mercedes-AMG. This model gets the 362-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 found in Mercedes-AMG’s other “43” series models like the aforementioned GLC43 and E43.
Both GLC Coupe variants come with all-wheel drive and a 9-speed automatic transmission as standard. The GLC43 Coupe is clearly the quicker of the two. Mercedes says owners can expect the vehicle to accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 5 seconds. The GLC43 Coupe also gets sports-tuned suspension as well as a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system (31:69 front to rear).
Pricing information for the 2017 GLC Coupe range will be announced closer to next year’s market launch.
GLC Coupe by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
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PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS!
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Mystery Dinner TheaterDate: 21 May 2016Location: 2406 Federal BlvdCost: $55 per personContact: Natalie Mashburn, (303) 988-2710; [email protected]
Colorado ConcoursDate: 5 Jun 2016Location: 5900 S. Santa Fe DrCost: $9 online, $10 at gateContact: Terry Armstrong, (303) 691-9339
Mile High Section EventsFor more information, visit the MHS website at http://www.milehighmbca.org
“...our
annual Drive-
In Movie has
undergone a
revamping....”
Dinner and a Movie - 27 August 2016This is another event we’re changing up for 2016. It is our understanding that our annual Drive-In Movie has undergone a re-vamping after 7 years. We will still be going to the drive-in but we won’t be doing a rally in the afternoon. And we won’t be doing it on Labor Day Weekend.
We will be joining Dan and Cheryl Kerbs at their house for dinner and a movie on Sat-urday, 27 August, instead. So mark your calendars and plan to attend this fun event.
Breakfast & Fun Run - 17 September 2016
Breakfast & President’s Rally - 20 August 2016Andrew is tee-ing up another rally extrav-aganza close on the heels of the Springs Rally. We’ll let him get through the Springs Rally in June before we push him for de-tails on his next one.
Details will be provided in upcoming news-letters. So, mark your calendars for Satur-day, 20 August. We’ll meet for breakfast at The Egg & I Restaurant, as usual. Rally to follow.
Do you have an idea for a Fun Run? An interesting place to visit? We’d like to hear about it if you do. Members of your Board of Directors regularly come up with fun drives and interesting places to go. Sometimes we hit a home run and other times, not so much. After so many years,
though, the creative juices get a little sluggish and we could use an infusion of new ideas.
Our September Fun Run is Satur-day, 17 September. Show up for breakfast at The Egg & I and then let’s see who has the best idea for some driving fun!
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Pikes Peak Section ShirtsTime to show your MBCA spirit, Pikes Peak Section. We’ve found some new shirts that look spectacular - light blue for the ladies and darker blue for the gents.
Your choice of cotton pique or polyester. For more details, please contact Judy Ben-nett at [email protected] or 719-576-9737. The order form is below.
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Der MarktplatzWanted. C36 or C43 sedan. 300SEL 6.3 sedan. Call Pete at 719-599-7100 or email [email protected]
Running Board Trade. I have a 2012 ML 350 that needs running boards. I’m looking for someone with a 3rd generation
ML who has running boards but really wants rocker panel covers. Let’s trade. It’s not a hard job to do and we’ll each save over $1000. Contact Dave Car-penter at 719-532-0257 or [email protected]
Roof Box Cargo Carrier. Price reduced! $300 cash only or make an offer. Contact John or Hilda at 548-8322 or [email protected]
2000 SL-500 hardtop (black and perfect) with stor-age stand for $1,000. Plus I’m interested in purchas-ing a ‘04/’05 SL-500, Black on Black or Black on Gray, the usual stuff - perfect and low mileage for around $20,000 - $25,000. Call Rick Palmer 597-5241.
Mercedes CD Changer – 6 disk, $80, 002 820 5989, with frame-holder and velcro cover. Call Har-vey at 331-1212.
This just in from the latest edition of the MBCA e-newsletter, Click, a quick wrap-up of news, dis-counts & special events:
Announcing StarFest® 2016! Wednesday August 3rd- Saturday August 6th, 2016. The Minuteman Section invites you to New Eng-land for 2016 StarFest®! StarFest® 2016 will take place in Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner” with lush green val-leys and picturesque hilltop farms, it’s also know as the Antique Capital of Connecticut. From the seashore near the host hotel, to the lush greenery near the host track, the two are linked by a short trip on I-395. Spectacular scenery and iconic New England towns await your discovery. Registration for StarFest® is open now. For more information, visit MBCA.org.
2016 Germany Tours. June 20 and September 19,
2016. Travelers will enjoy guided tours of the Carl Benz Museum in Ladenburg; the Daimler Workshop in Bad Cannstatt; AMG facilities in Affalterbach; the Mercedes-Benz Museum and Brand Center in Un-terturkheim; the Technical Museum in Sinsheim; the Bad Cannstatt Engine Assembly Plant; the Classic Center in Fellbach and the Sindelfingen assembly plant that covers more ground than the entire princi-pality of Monaco. This trip is $2,500 U.S. per person plus airfare. For more information please contact
Jim O’Sullivan at 843.671.2079 or [email protected]
Legends of the Autobahn - Friday, Aug 19, 2016. Legends of the Auto-bahn® is a celebration of the world’s pre-eminent German vehicle brands: Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW. Participants are invited to revel in the prowess and grace of German auto-motive engineering, catch sneak-peeks of new vehicle releases, and savor the rare models each marque
will have on display. For more information visit: http://www.legendsoftheautobahn.org/
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Paved Peaks & Passes UpdateThe Paved Peaks & Passes program is alive and well. Our teams are still working on completing Phases I and II. But Phase III, Parks & Recreation (P&R) is almost ready to launch.
We are still checking out interesting places to visit for Phase III for 2016. We’ve decided on a list of 40 possible locations, mostly city and regional parks around our area. Participants will have to visit 35 of them to complete their passports.
You’ll be driving all around our area from Rye to the south, to Limon in the east, to
Loveland in the north, and to Red Cliff in the west. We’ve concentrated on locations we have not visited before, as we continue
to explore our beautiful state of Colorado. You’ll be happy to know that for this phase, we’ve included some locations in our home stomping grounds of Colorado Springs.
So stay tuned to see where we’ll be driving
this summer. Passports cost $85 and in-clude a jacket. They should be available by the April breakfast. Contact Judy for more information at [email protected] or give her a call at 719-576-9737.
Nürburgring Speed Limits by V. Vijayenthiran
Following the death of a spectator in a crash that took place during a race held at the Nürburgring early last year, speed limits were introduced at sections of the track.
This put an end to the possibility of setting Nürburgring lap records, though thankfully the limits were only on a temporary basis pending the comple-tion of some modifica-tions to the track and surrounding areas to improve safety.
Now that the modifica-tions are complete, the track’s operator, Capricorn, has an-nounced that the speed limits will be removed from this month on. The remov-al coincides with the start of the VLN race series whose highlight is the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
There were seven modifications made which Capricorn was forced to introduce in order to renew its license to hold races at the track. They include lined off areas, fenc-
es and more restricted zones for spectators. Around 500 meters of the track surface was also renewed.
The news means automakers can finally continue pushing their cars to the limit at the Nürburgring and perhaps set some
new records in the process. The current lap record for a production car is the blistering 6:57 time set by Porsche and its 918 Spyder back in 2013. At least one automaker, Koe-nigsegg, has set itself a target of beating the time.
“...speed
limits will be
removed....”
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Taking the stand for the first time 20 years ago at the Turin Motor Show with its folding metal hardtop was Mercedes-Benz’s inno-vative SLK roadster.
The original SLK was an attention-grabber, for sure, arriving in a market where only a handful of convertibles had been offered with folding metal hardtops before. The SLK promised a mainstream rebirth for roadsters as all-weather vehicles .
To celebrate the little roadster’s 20th birth-day, Mercedes-Benz has actually renamed the roadster to SLC, a badge that helps the model fit in better with its new naming strat-egy. Small cars get Cs in their names like the C-Class sedan and the GLC crossover (which was previously called GLK).
When the SLK first arrived, its name meant “sporty, light, and short” in German (sportlich, licht, and kurz for you German speakers), and it fit in below the company’s significantly more expensive SL roadster.
American buyers were first offered only the
supercharged SLK 230, but a V-6-powered SLK 320 and an AMG-tuned, 354-horse-power SLK 32 AMG soon followed. The first generation SLK was built for almost a decade before being replaced in 2005.
The original SLK squared off against the BMW Z3 and the Porsche Boxster, both of which have since received new names (Z4 and 718 Boxster, respectively). The BMW has followed Mercedes’ lead by offering a metal folding hardtop, while the Boxster spawned the Cayman coupe.
The market for small roadsters has general-ly dwindled for BMW and Mercedes, though both brands view the Z4 and SLC as essen-tial image boosters.
SLK Turns 20 by Andrew Ganz
Mercedes-AMG’s product onslaught won’t be slowing anytime soon as there are plans for at least 10 more models by year end. The information was confirmed to Automo-tive News by Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers.
“We’re going to expand our portfolio to 48 different models by the end of the year,” Moers is quoted as saying.
Mercedes-AMG currently offers 38 separate models when you include the various body-styles as well as the arrival of the new “43” series. Some of these will include the re-cently revealed GLC43, GLC43 Coupe and C63 Cabriolet. And just around the corner is a new GT R performance flagship.
The need for more models, according to Moers, is strong demand worldwide. Last year the Affalterbach tuner sold 68,875 cars, a staggering rise of 40 percent on the previous year’s tally.
Mercedes-AMG will also test the waters with standalone stores. Moers said there will be a dedicated Mercedes-AMG store opening up in Japan and there are discus-sions in place to open one in Australia. Existing Mercedes-Benz dealers will also be encouraged to add dedicated Mercedes-AMG showrooms at their stores.
With so many models on offer, there is always the concern of exclusivity. However, as Porsche has shown, exclusivity can be retained by using extra profits to fund the development of limited run halo models. Porsche delivered a record 225,121 cars in 2015 thanks to mainstream models like the Cayenne and Macan, and with its extra profits is continuing to develop awesome cars like the 918 Spyder and future halos like the production version of the Mission E concept and a new mid-engine supercar.
AMG Launches Stand-Alone Stores by V. Vijayenthiran
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“...testing
trucks that
can cross
multiple
countries with
minimal driver
intervention.”
In the not too distant future, the role of a truck driver may be obsolete.
German auto giant Daimler, which owns major truck brands such as Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Freightliner and Western Star, is al-ready testing trucks that can cross multiple countries with minimal driver intervention.
A trio of self-driving Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks set off yesterday from Stuttgart, Ger-many and should be completing their trial run in Rotterdam, the Netherlands some-time tomorrow. The trucks are traveling in a platoon formation and constantly send information between one another.
The technology, known as Highway Pilot Connect, is still in development, with trials taking place not only in Europe but in the United States as well. Last year we saw a self-driving Freightliner complete a trial run in Nevada. At present , a human driver is still required to take over in critical situ-ations, such as changing lanes, passing maneuvers and exiting and entering new highways. The long-term goal, though, is to develop trucks that are fully autonomous.
Highway Pilot Connect relies on radar and stereo camera monitoring systems that look ahead up to 820 feet, enabling it to keep the truck within posted speed limits and within a safe distance from other road users. Crucially, it also relies on vehicle-to-vehicle
(V2V) and vehicle-to-object communication (V2X) systems, which enables fuel savings of around 10 percent through the platoon formation, also referred to as electronic docking.
Thanks to V2V capability, Highway Pilot Connect-equipped vehicles traveling long distances can form a platform where the distance between each is only 15 meters in-stead of the usual 50 meters. This consider-ably smaller distance produces a significant reduction in aerodynamic drag, and thus fuel consumption. Daimler points out that the concept is comparable to slipstream rid-ing in cycling.
In addition, a vehicle platoon takes up much less space than individually controlled vehicles. It’s also safer since Highway Pilot Connect can send braking signals to the vehicles in the platoon in less than 0.1 of a second. This compares with the average human’s reaction time of around 1.4 sec-onds.
As for when we might see something like the Highway Pilot Connect system available in showrooms is still up in the air. Develop-ment is far from complete and then there are all the regulatory hurdles to overcome. Daimler says it is maintaining dialogue with all possible stakeholders in autonomous ve-hicles, from government officials to motor-ing and transport bodies.
MB Autonomous Trucks by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
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10 May 2016Board Meeting - 6:00 p.m.Andrew Nelson 719-634-7522
21 May 2016B’fast & Monument Trifecta++ - 9:00 a.m.Dan Kerbs 719-594-6017
7 June 2016Board Meeting - 6:00 p.m.Andrew Nelson 719-634-7522
18 June 2016Breakfast & Springs Rally - 9:00 a.m.Andrew Nelson 719-634-7522
5 July 2016Board Meeting - 6:00 p.m.Andrew Nelson 719-634-7522
9 July 2016Joint Section Picnic - TBDMile High Section 303-949-7673
16 July 2016Breakfast & P&R Drive - 9:00 a.m.Judy Bennett 719-576-9737
2 August 2016Board Meeting - 6:00 p.m.Andrew Nelson 719-634-7522
20 August 2016Breakfast & President’s Rally - 9:00 a.m.Andrew Nelson 719-634-7522
27 August 2016Dinner & A Movie Dan Kerbs 719-594-6017
Calendar of Upcoming Events
The Pikes Peak Section Board of Directors meets the First Tuesday of Each Month at Mercedes-Benz of Colorado Springs, 730 Automotive Drive. Meetings start at 6:00 p.m.
All Section members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Return Service Requested
On the Web at www.mbca.org/pikes_
peak/
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‘ROUND THE BENZ
‘Round the BenzEditor
4335 Penhurst Place
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
MBCA Pikes Peak Section
Happy Memorial Day!