Alex Unleashed on Cars

  Aston Martin recently made their return to top class prototype racing this year with their new AMR Valkyrie LMH. Whilst their current season in the WEC (World Endurance Championship) hasn't been filled with wins and podiums, it is a welcome return for the make. But, what about Aston Martin's previous endurance racers? After all, Aston's efforts all stem from that sole win at Le Mans in 1959. Following that win in '59 Aston Martin's next big assault at Le Mans was in the 80s, there were 3 Group C spec cars: the Nimrod, EMKA-Aston Martin & the AMR1. All 3 were fairly uncompetitive with the AMR1 posting the best finish of 4th at Brands Hatch in '89 and all 3 used the same basic 5.3 (later 6 litre V8 engine also used in Aston's road cars of the time. The first two cars, the Nimrod & EMKA weren't factory backed cars, Aston Martin was merely the engine supplier for both, Both competed at Le Mans with only the EMKA's brief time in the lead in 1985...

  The Mercedes SLR McLaren (or McLaren Mercedes if you prefer) is a bit of an oddball in the world of hypercars and the 200 MPH club. It has an automatic gearbox, the engine is in front of the driver and it packs a lot of Mercedes creature comforts. And yet, we're talking about the 2nd fastest Mercedes ever made (AMG-ONE is fastest), about a car that can stop from 120 MPH in the distance the Highway Code says it should stop from 60 and a car that packs a mighty supercharged V8 engine. The SLR owes it's existence to the 15 year long partnership between McLaren and Mercedes in Formula 1 that gave Mclaren 3 world titles: '98, '99 & '08 before Mercedes became a team on it's own, though McLaren still mostly used Mercedes engines after the split. The SLR project, owing it's name to the old 300 SLR that Sir Stirling Moss & Denis Jenkinson won the 1955 Mille Miglia was first unveiled in 1999 with a projected release in 2003, the concept had a smaller 5 litre...