A place in the section ‘On the roller bench’ is usually reserved for cars that have not been tuned. The joke is that we compare the measured result with the manufacturer’s specifications and then see whether everyone has just as big a mouth as when they arrived. In the coming period we will make an exception and we will release cars with a tuning of any kind on the rollers. Like this Mercedes-Benz A-class 45 AMG.
A Mercedes A45 AMG is not really a shaky thing by itself, but more is always more fun. Marcel van den Hoek knows all about this. “I bought this car from an employee of a Mercedes dealer. This AMG has, among other things, a custom-built hybrid turbo and adapted air intakes, exhaust line and air filter and of course the software has been adjusted. Most of it has been done by EPC. If all goes well, this car has already been ‘rolled’ once at Beek Auto Racing and came with 470 hp and 600 Nm of torque. ” Of course, this has aroused Ghisbert’s attention, but no matter how he looks back in his system, the earlier measurement cannot be found. And Marcel was not there himself. That remains a bit vague today.
The big question for Marcel is of course: what do you do with such an extreme car in the calmly rippling Dutch traffic? “I commute to work by train,” he laughs. “But at the weekend I just use this car as a family car and it is of course nice to meet other enthusiasts. Previously I had a Honda Integra Type-R and a Mitsubishi Evo X. Now I thought this was a nice car; although it is a lot heavier than what I was used to. ”
MAINTENANCE REQUIRED
Then the measurement. As is often the case with well-tuned cars, the festivities take place in a very small speed area. We do not find the 470 hp that was mentioned, although 430 hp in an A-class is of course still a lot. Ghisbert may have an explanation. “It could well have been measured with 470 hp somewhere, but we don’t know when that was. You also have to keep a car that is so extremely set up. Over time, it simply loses its ability. Tuning also needs maintenance, otherwise you will see that it quickly loses its power again. If this Mercedes is properly taken care of again, it is quite possible that the 470 hp will simply reappear, but you have to invest for that. ”