IXO 1:43 2020 Mercedes Benz AMG GT-R Safety Car: 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix

The Mercedes-AMG GT is a sports car produced in coupé and roadster bodystyles by German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-AMG. The car was introduced on 9 September 2014 and was officially unveiled to the public in October 2014 at the Paris Motor Show. After the SLS AMG, it is the second sports car developed entirely in-house by Mercedes-AMG. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton assisted with the development. The Mercedes-AMG GT went on sale in two variants (GT and GT S) in March 2015, while a GT3 racing variant of the car was introduced in 2015. A high performance variant called the GT R was introduced in 2016. A GT4 racing variant, targeted at semi-professional drivers and based on the GT R variant, was introduced in 2017. All variants are assembled at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen, Germany.

The GT's exterior design was kept similar to that of the preceding SLS AMG. It features the wide wheel arches, lower bodywork, and fastback sloping roofline of the SLS AMG, but uses conventional forward-opening doors instead of the iconic gullwing style pioneered by the 300 SL in the 1950s. The large bonnet and slim windscreen have been retained. The vehicle structure is made up of 93% aluminium, with the front module base made up of magnesium. The exterior lead designer was Mark Fetherston, whose previous works include the W176 A-Class, the CLA-Class, and SLS AMG. The interior, designed by Jan Kaul, features a large centre console and decorative elements in a leather and carbon polymer design. The trunk offers room for a medium-sized suitcase.

The GT uses a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, with the engine positioned inside of the vehicle's wheelbase. The spaceframe chassis and body are made out of aluminium alloys, while the boot lid is made of steel and the bonnet is made of magnesium. The suspension system is a double wishbone unit at the front and rear, with forged aluminium wishbones and hub carriers.

The car is powered by a 4.0-litre M178 twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The engine is in "hot inside V" configuration—with exhaust manifolds and turbochargers inside the cylinder banks to reduce turbo lag—and uses dry-sump lubrication. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT dual-clutch transmission; the GT S variant employs an electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip differential.[13] In a road test executed by Car and Driver, the GT S accelerated from 0–97 km/h (60mph) in 3.0 seconds, completed the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds and attained a top speed of 311 km/h (193 mph).

The GT R is a high-performance variant of the Mercedes-AMG GT and was introduced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 24 June 2016. The M178 engine in this variant is tuned to an output of 430 kW (585 PS; 577 hp) at 6,250 rpm and 700 N⋅m (516 lb⋅ft) of torque at 5,500 rpm. The GT R accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds and has a claimed top speed of 319 km/h (198 mph).

While the GT R retains the key mechanical differences the GT C gains over the GT S, it also gains manually adjustable coilover springs (in conjunction with the AMG Ride Control suspension of the base models), an active underbody fairing, a manually adjustable rear wing, and a 9-mode AMG Traction Control system. As befitting of a high-performance variant, the GT R loses Keyless-Go, the integrated garage-door opener, the heated and power-folding side mirrors, the auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors and reverts to the basic light-weight 4-speaker audio system that the GT comes with.

When it was launched, the GT R had several cosmetic changes compared with the standard car, notably the vertical slats in the front grille, an adjustable rear wing, new front air intakes and new front and rear diffusers. The styling of the GT R is more comparable to that of the AMG GT3 race car. However, the base GT variant gained several of these cosmetic changes as part of a mild facelift in the 2017 model year. The GT R went on sale in November 2016, with deliveries beginning in 2017.

It completed a lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife track in 7:10.92, in a test conducted by German magazine Sport Auto. hence earning it the seventh position for street legal vehicles in 2019.

In motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. The aim of the safety car is to enable the clearance of any obstruction under safer conditions, especially for marshals and/or await more favourable track conditions weather-wise.

During a caution period the safety car (which generally consists of an aptly modified high-performance production car) enters the track ahead of the leader. Depending on the regulations in effect, competitors are not normally allowed to pass the safety car or other competitors during a caution period, and the safety car leads the field at a pre-determined safe speed, which may vary by series and circuit. At the end of the caution period, the safety car leaves the track and the competitors resume normal racing. The first reliance on this safety measure occurred with the deployment of a pace car during the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.

In Formula One if an accident or inclement weather (typically, heavy rain) prevents normal racing from continuing safely, the Race Director will call for a "safety car" period, which would see marshals wave yellow flags and hold "SC" boards, pending the car in question entering the track. From 2007, all Formula One cars must have LEDs and/or displays fitted to the steering wheel or cockpit, which inform the driver which flags are being waved. A yellow LED is illuminated when the safety car is deployed.

The safety car has both orange and green lights mounted on its roof in the form of a light bar. The green lights are used to signal that it is possible to overtake the safety car; this is only done until the race leader is immediately behind the safety car and at the head of the queue of race cars following.

From 2015, the safety car is not required to wait until all backmarkers have caught back up to the queue. When the safety car is ready to leave the circuit, it will turn off its orange lights to indicate that it will enter the pit lane at the end of the lap. Drivers must continue in formation until they cross the first safety car line, where circuit green lights and flags will indicate they are free to race again.

The safety car is piloted by professional drivers (since 2000, by Bernd Mayländer) on-board high-powered modified vehicles supplied by Mercedes-Benz,[4] and must maintain a reasonable speed so as to ensure that the competitors' tyres are as close as possible to operating temperature and their engines do not overheat. The driver of the safety car is accompanied by a co-driver to assist with operations and communications.

For incidents during the first three laps, the safety car also has an advantage over the traditional red flag; with a red flag, it would take a minimum of fifteen minutes to restart the race, and the two-hour limit would not start until the cars were ready for a second formation lap. With regards to the time limit, the race is being scored and the time is also counting while the safety car is on the track, and the race resumes.