Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
With the Formula One extravaganza just around the corner, motoring correspondent Kristian Harrison found himself brimming with that familiar feeling of excitement, yet slightly tarnished by disappointment. He always wanted to be a race driver when he grew up, but opportunity never knocked, so he resigned himself to watching his heroes Michael Schumacher and then Lewis Hamilton tearing around the tarmac instead. This year, though, thanks to Al Haddad Motors, he was given a chance to emulate his idols by zooming around the Bahrain International Circuit in two fast sports cars, or at least its car park.
That’s right, Mercedes-Benz kindly signed away its AMG GT and A 45 models for the day and what a blast it was putting them both through their paces on a sunny afternoon.
As always, I was greeted at the Tubli showroom with a warm welcome from marketing manager Imran Ali and PR executive Haneen Fuad. However, I must excuse them for cutting the chat short as I just wanted to get out and drive!
Offered the choice of which vehicle I wanted to drive first, I obviously plumped for the A 45 … ah, who am I kidding, of course I bee-lined straight for the GT! A dark red seductress waiting to growl and bite as it was put through its paces, how could I resist?
While not perhaps designed for a six-footer, I managed to find a comfortable seating position and pressed the button to roar the engine to life. There’s also the option for a classic ignition start by turning the key located inside the central arm rest compartment. Certainly a novelty that may strike a chord with classic car fans in the modern age of button pressing.
Rolling out of the showroom, I couldn’t wait to find an open stretch of the highway so I could unleash the power of the eight-cylinder bi-turbo engine. The options were almost overwhelming; not just Sport mode, not even Sport+ … but ‘Race’.
The dial clicked into place, the suspension tightened up, my foot tensed, then thrust downwards on the accelerator as my fingers clenched around the chrome paddle shifters as I worked my way up through the gears.
What an exhilarating experience; the wind rushing over the aerodynamic curves, the engine barking its favourite song, heads of pretty ladies turning in the cars around me.
Sadly, I reached 120kph all too soon and as I had promised Imran to be a good boy, I adhered strictly to the speed limit.
We soon arrived at the BIC for a photo shoot with GulfWeekly’s Honey Sharma. He was setting up angles and backgrounds for the GT so I decided to take the A 45 around the large tarmac area and nearby roads to get a feel for it.
Now this car is something special in its own right. In fact, it’s the fastest four-cylinder car in the world and the gap in price to the GT is much greater than the one in performance. In fact, it can go from 0-100kph in just 4.2 seconds and is a lighter and niftier machine with a larger cockpit for comfort.
If there is one criticism, I find the bolted-on spoiler on the back a little egregious and I think the car would look nicer without it. However, I do understand its aerodynamic purpose as this thing can really go!
Having spent more time with the German manufacturer’s vehicles recently, I’ve gotten used to the alien spaceship-esque centre console controls, so I took great delight in clicking and twisting my way through media options, navigation, driving modes and more.
Resisting the urge to drive to all my friends’ houses and tell them I’d purchased a new motor (as they’d all want to be taken for a spin in it and I’d still be here today driving round), I drove the GT back to the showroom sobbing. OK, it wasn’t that dramatic, but it was with a resentful look that I handed over the keys with!
If any readers want to live the dream like me and fulfil their inner F1 star, then now is the best chance as Al Haddad are offering these cars and more at special prices for a limited time.
The AMG GT is priced at BD54,995 and the AMG A 45 is available for BD19,995.
l For more information, visit the Al Haddad Mercedes-Benz showroom in Tubli or call 17785454.
