Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei
Lewis Hamilton has been the face of Mercedes for more than a decade now. In 2015, he had an incredible opportunity to drive the whopping $143 million Mercedes 300 SLR. In fact, he did it alongside the man who raced in it back in 1995 late Sir Stirling Moss. The Brit recalled the surreal experience during the unveiling of the concept Mercedes car AMG Mythos Pure Speed ahead of the Monaco GP.
As seen on YouTube, Hamilton said, “When you crash, you hope you get thrown out of the car. And it’s just such a different way of thinking today because we have seatbelts. You want to be tucked in and safe.”
“As we were back then, they didn’t want to be stuck in the car when they have a crash. But when we were going on this bank, I remember looking over and it felt very reminiscent of the past time. It gave me a bit of a glimpse into the past of how crazy it was for them. And also just to see a legend like that and riding alongside him. It was a real honor.”
The Pure Speed is reminiscent of the 300 SLR but with an F1-inspired halo. An important addition to the limited edition car as the older version did not rank highly in terms of safety. He admitted the drivers hoped to be thrown out of the car in the event of a crash. The reason is that such open and heavy cars if flipped upside could guarantee fatality.
This is exactly why the halo has become such an important safety invention in the F1 and racing world. However, the 300 SLR is still one of the greatest race cars ever made according to Stirling Moss. Under the hood, the legendary Mercedes car has a naturally aspirated eight-cylinder engine which produces as much as 310 hp at 7400 rpm.
Lewis Hamilton points out similarities between Project One and Pure Speed
The concept car which is limited to 250 pieces draws inspiration from the Mercedes Project One. Project One is the Mercedes’s first-ever F1-inspired supercar. Having one in his garage, Hamilton could instantly point out the similarities between the One and Pure Speed during the walk around.
He said, “I love these wheels. This is inspired by the Project One, right? Oh yes. I mean all the projects you guys do are cool.” The seven-time champion also made a hilarious comment about the halo on the Pure Speed.
Hamilton added, “I mean generally the halo looks like a flip-flop that goes between your toes. It doesn’t look good normally. It looks better on here than it does in our car.”
The Pure Speed is modeled closely to an F1 car with no windshield and windows. It’s a completely open two-seater and has a halo for protection. The Pure Speed is the latest in the concept Mercedes Mythos series. Now, the limited edition car has announced itself after the launch ahead of the Monaco GP.
