2023 Author: Charles Youmans | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-20 18:41
The sports division of Mercedes-AMG is currently offering the A45S hot hatchback. However, in those days, when the segment of compact "lighters" was not as wide as it is now, and the German giant did not have such cars at all, Mercedes-Benz released the first generation A-class. It happened in the late nineties. The body bore the in-house index W168, and the well-known Steve Mattin worked on its design.
Exactly then, the concern released a special version of its hatchback, timed to coincide with the victory in Formula 1. And now, more than twenty years later, one of them is put up for sale at the price of the new A45S. For a hatchback in the rarest configuration of the 1999 Edition Häkkinen, they will ask for 44,900 euros, which in Russian rubles is approximately 3, 9 million. What explains this price? Firstly, he bears the name of Mika Hakkinen - the only driver in the history of Formula 1, who beat the famous Michael Schumacher, winning the champion title in 1998 and 1999.
The new car was shown at the 1998 Essen Motor Show in two versions. One was named Hakkinen, and the other was named David Coulthard, who was Mick's teammate. Each modification was released in a circulation of 125 copies. The cars received a hand-finished livery in the style of Mercedes-McLaren. It combines red accents with black airbrushing on a silver body, as well as the names of the pilots and the country's flag on the front doors. The exterior is complemented by twin tailpipes and 17-inch AMG wheels wrapped in low-profile tires.
Inside, the seats, doors, dashboard and steering wheel are trimmed in Designo red leather, and standard equipment includes air conditioning, power windows, sunroof, Bose audio system with CD changer, heated seats, front and side airbags, central locking, aluminum pedals, side sills with the driver's name and folding rear-view mirrors.
On the technical side, there are no changes in the car. The same 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine with 101 hp remains under the hood. Front-wheel drive, and transmission - five-speed "mechanics". At the time, however, the world was expecting more power from an F1-inspired special edition, with Mercedes offering Edition Häkkinen and Edition Coulthard with the usual A-Class engine lineup. But the model is equipped with a sports suspension, which is designed to improve the handling of the compact city hatchback. This particular instance is a "time capsule". He traveled only 215 kilometers and is in a state as if it had just left the assembly line yesterday. Due to the fact that this is a rather strange modification, the car has been on sale since May of this year, and so far there have been no offers to buy.