2006 Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi

2006 Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi Photo Gallery

Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi
Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi
Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi
Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi
Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi
Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi	Mercedes R-Class Meets America’s Cup Yacht Alinghi

(From Daimler-Chrysler Press Release)

    America’s Cup: Mercedes-Benz as a guest at Alinghi Unusual conceptual comparison

    One year after its world debut in New York, the Mercedes-Benz R-Class is the focus of an unusual conceptual comparison as part of a workshop. In Valencia it will encounter the Americas’s Cup yacht Alinghi, which is due to defend the title in the 2007 America's Cup. Both car and yacht combine practicality with elegance and dynamism based on the very latest technology – shared attributes which are interpreted completely differently in each case.

     The result is a versatile and comfortable touring SUV on the one hand, and a Cup Racer uncompromisingly configured for maximum performance on the other. With the innovative R-Class, Mercedes-Benz has once again confirmed its role as the trendsetter among vehicle manufacturers. This touring SUV combines the advantages of familiar vehicle types such as a sporty saloon, estate car, van and sports utility vehicle (SUV) into a new, distinctive concept. Form and function come together in the design of the R-Class: the extremely spacious interior provides exemplary safety and first-class comfort for up to six occupants, accompanied by attractive styling and dynamic performance characteristics.

    Luxurious design versus "form follows function"

    Striking design lines also characterise the America's Cupper Alinghi, though in contrast to the R-Class it knows only one purpose, namely to be faster than the other yachts. Accordingly its design uncompromisingly follows the principle that "form follows function", with just as little regard to comfort as in a Formula 1- or DTM racing car. The only thing that counts for German sports director Jochen Schümann and his team is speed and endurance under extreme conditions. The regatta yacht was designed solely with these in mind – from the tip of its 33,5-metre high carbon fibre mast to the 20-tonne keel bulb below the hull. The hull itself weighs only two tonnes, but must withstand compressions of up to 50 tonnes of the rig.

    Navigation versus helmsmanship

    Both the R-Class and the Cup-Racer Alinghi must reach their destination by the quickest and shortest route. The navigation or "helmsmanship" of the car is based on concepts and terms derived from seafaring: the R-Class is equipped with COMAND, a system which precisely pinpoints the position of the vehicle using GPS, calculates the desired route and takes its occupants directly to their destination.

    Navigating the yacht Alinghi is a real feat of “helmsmanship”. The vessel’s course is continually optimized by the crew, on the combined basis of satellite navigation and roughly 80 onboard electronic sensors which measure key parameters such as the wind and boat speed.

    Engine versus muscle power

    Once the right course has been set, the dynamic qualities of the R-Class come to the fore. Despite its extremely spacious and luxurious interior, the R-Class impresses with particularly sporty performance characteristics. The 375 kW/ 515 hp V8 engine of the new R 63 AMG accelerates the dynamic and elegant touring SUV from zero to 100 km/h in 5.0 seconds. The output range of the other petrol engines for the models R 350 and R 500 extends from 200 kW/272 hp to 225 kW/306 hp, while the six-cylinder diesel in the R 320 CDI has an output of 165 kW/ 224 hp.

    To provide optimal power transfer, all the models in the R-Class are equipped with the 4MATIC permanent all-wheel-drive system and the 7G-TRONIC 7-speed automatic transmission as standard. Electronic support systems such as 4ETS and ESP ensure that unlike the racing yacht, the R-Class also remains safely on course when driven at speed and confronted with unexpected situations.

    Getting the Alinghi up to speed is hard work. While gentle pressure on the accelerator is enough to accelerate the R-Class, the yacht crew needs to hoist up to 830 sq. m. of sails – consisting of the mainsail (220 sq. m.), the foresail (150 sq. m.) and the enormous spinnaker with almost 500 sq. m. – to reach the maximum speed of around 20 knots (37 km/h). Steering and trimming the sails must be done by the crew themselves, using muscle-power assisted by grinders.

    Dimensions: spaciousness versus constraints

In contrast to the continuous activity taking place on the Alinghi, the new R-Class is a haven of calm and safety where generosity is the order of the day in every respect. The variable interior seats up to six occupants in luxurious comfort, and has a maximum load capacity of 2,385 litres.

    The space on board the Alinghi is entirely devoted to practical considerations. Despite the maximum load capacity of 60,000 litres, the yacht has no seats whatsoever for the crew. The 17-man crew is distributed over a beam width of three metres and a boat length of 24,5-metres, and each member is assigned a specific workplace for his respective task.

    R-Class meets Alinghi – a versatile and comfortable touring SUV on the one hand, and a Cup Racer uncompromisingly built for maximum performance on the other.

    Mercedes-Benz is the "official supplier" to the Swiss America’s Cup Team Alinghi, which has established its base in a futuristic building – next to the other eleven teams - in the Spanish port of Valencia. In addition to sailing, Mercedes-Benz is involved in other top-class international sports such as tennis and football.

    Key data of the R-Class and Alinghi at a glance:

	R-Class R320 CDI	Alinghi
Crew	4+2	17 (+1)
Overall length	5157 mm	24,500 mm
Overall width	1922 mm	3600 mm
Overall height	1656 mm	33,500 mm
Kerb weight	2895 kg	24,750 kg including sails and gear. Includes 20,000kg of lead in bulb.
Payload/Crew	625 kg	1570 + 100 kg
Maximum load capacity*	2385 l	Empty hull, volume approximately 60,000 l
Turning circle	12.4 m	Less then a boat's length
Engine	V6, four valves per cylinder	Sails upwind: main and genoa Sails downwind: main, spinnaker and staysail
Output	165 kw/224 hp at 3800 rpm	Upwind with TWS 15 knots: 4800 (N) Downwind with TWS 15 knots: 10,500 (N)
Max. torque	510 Nm	Zero, straight line speed
Displacement/ Sail area	2987 cc	Upwind 380 sq. m. Downwind 830 sq. m.
Drive/ Power transfer	Permanent all-wheel drive 4MATIC	8x crew on grinder 1x crew on steering wheel 3x crew on trimming winches
Maximum speed	116.2 knots (215 km/h)	20 knots (37 km/h)
Fuel consumption	8.9 litres of diesel per 100 km	Max. calorie consumption per crew member and day: 6000
Electronic aids	ABS, Brake Assist, ESP®, 4ETS	Only sensors allowed, not control: Wind speed and direction Boat speed and heading Leeway and heel Telemetry when testing Strain gauges for loads Glass-fibre for loads and bending
Navigation	COMAND/ GPS	Dual DGPS Tactical computer Laser gun