This weekend, Mercedes-Benz unveiled their SLS Formula 1 safety car. Although they've been providing the world's most high-profile automotive racing series with safety cars for the past couple years, we think this is their best offering yet. They do, too. According to them, the SLS which replaces the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren as MB's flagship sports car, is the fastest F1 safety car ever.
What is a safety car? It's the car that limits the speed of competing cars on a track in time of emergency, usually after a crash when the caution flag has been waved. It keeps the order. Also called pace cars, you can find them in almost every form of motorsport. While the SLS is by far one of our favorites, check out a couple others we think are dope.
Mercedes SLS
Series: Formula 1
• Mercedes has supplied Formula 1 with a safety car for the past few years, and this years seems to be the best. Even better than the Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG. According to reports, it will be the fastest safety car ever used in Formula 1. If that's the case, the US F1 team, which has confirmed that they're gonna miss the first three races, needs to strip one down and campaign it.
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Ford Fusion Hybrid
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
• OK, so it's not the coolest thing to look at, nor is it anywhere near the fastest pace car on the road, but it's a hybrid! Even if NASCAR doesn't practice using next generation weight saving or fuel technologies, at least their pace car can.
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Nissan GT-R
Series: Super GT, Australian V8 Supercar Series
• In the 2009 season, the Nissan GT-R was campaigned by four teams—it's the car, that to many, currently epitomizes what the series is all about, so it was a no brainer to make it the official pace car. As for the Austrailian V8 Supercar series, the Nissan Skyline GT-R is something of a legend Down Under. Although it's no longer ran in their premier racing league, the name still reigns supreme.
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Ford Mustang GT
Series: Daytona 500
• At the 2011 Daytona 500, the Ford Mustang GT brought the blue oval back to the front of one of America's most famous races. When the 412 horsepower coupe it became the first Ford in 40 years to hold the pace car title. To commemorate the occasion Ford built 50 special edition Mustangs in the Daytona 500 livery.
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Chevrolet Camaro SS
Series: Indianapolis 500
• Chevy's have a long history at Indy. Over 60 years worth. But the 2nd coolest Chevy to ever Pace an Indy 500 was the Chevy Camaro SS that was used in 2009. We still think it's cool even if Fergie's tool of a husband, Josh Duhamel drove it at the start of the race.
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Audi R8
Series: 24 Hours of Le Man, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (German Touring Car Series)
• Ah, the Audi R8. One of the best looking and best performing new sports cars to hit the scene in the past decade. We're not surprised to see it pacing the world's oldest auto race, as Audi has dominated Le Man for the past decade with six wins.
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Chevrolet Corvette C6
Series: Indianapolis 500
• We said second the coolest car of the past two decades was the Chevy Camaro SS. Well, the first one is the Corvette. In the past 10 years, it has been a pace car six times! Our favorite year was the 2006 Corvette C6 with the American Flag livery that was driven at the start by Lance Armstrong who won the Tour De France the year before. Stars andStrapsStripes, baby!
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Mazda RX-8
Series: Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona
• At this years wild and rainy 24 Hours of Daytona, the Mazda RX-8 held the top spot as the pace car. Fun Fact: At the lesser known prelude to Daytona, Fresh From Florida 200, a race which also serves as the opening for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, the MazaSpeed3 was used as the pace car.
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