By Phuti Mpyane

It’s fascinating that whenever the name Chris Bangle is mentioned many will immediately think of BMW. Yes of course he is famous for the uglification of a few BMWs a while back. Furthermore if the name Walter de Silva is bandied about many will recognize him as Audi’s chief of design. But what if I bring up the name Mark Fetherston?…Silence!

I’ll return to Mark in a few moments. In the meantime let’s climb into a DeLorean DMC-12 and head back to the future, to the 1930s specifically, during an era where a truly dramatic piece of automotive art appeared.

The name Ferdinand Porsche arrives at this juncture. Before he went on to create his own sports car legacy F.Porsche penned one of the most hauntingly beautiful cars ever, the Mercedes-Benz SSK 710, nicknamed the Trossi Roadster after its first owner, one Carlo Trossi.

But such is the business of automotive design that in modern times the artist is celebrated more than before. Peter Schreyer is another name that comes to mind. He is the man responsible for turning KIA cars from bread tin charm into very appealing cars to look at.

This wasn’t the case as much in the olden days, more especially for designers in the employ of car brands. The glory was reserved for coach masters who dared open their own setups, devoid of corporate red tape that killed off dramatic design in the name of mass appeal. The Bertones of this world collected the kudos.

At Mercedes-Benz in particular its designers seemed to loathe pedestals while some were known to be downright shy of stepping outdoors. Freiderich Geiger (1907-1996) is largely unknown but his work is the toast of collectors. Not only did he pen the lusty looking 500K and 540K of the 30s but he also assisted create the following: the R107 SL (nicknamed Bobby Ewing); W113 (Pagoda); and also assisted Bruno Sacco finalize the great and luxurious Presidential level Mercedes-Benz 600, also known as the Grosser.

Similarly a gentleman by the name of Rudolf Uhlenhaut (1906-1989). He was part of the many individuals who brought art to motor sport with the Silver Arrows and his effort lives through the Grand Prix Mercedes-Benz W125 of 37’ but significantly, he gifted the world with the 300 SLR and SL ‘Gullwing’.

Mark Fetherston
Back to Mark then. A few years ago I had a quick chat with the Mercedes-Benz designer (B-Class, A-Class, CLA) in a bus packed with media people on its way to a hotel in Cape Town. He was young, slightly carefree like anyone his age and full of energy. We spoke about his pending ocean trip to dive with Great White Sharks while also digging for more information. These are some of the questions and answers.

PhutiMpyane: Were you instructed to design the current Mercedes-Benz A-Class as a hatchback or was it one of those random epiphanies?

Mark Fetherston: Well we had a number of options, including an MPV.

PM: What’s with the hyper excitement about seeing Great Whites?

MF: It will be my first time and besides the shape of Sharks amazes me. They are so aero efficient

PM: (suspicious by now) Does your enthusiasm with these deadly sea monsters have anything to do with a pending project, perhaps a replacement of the SLS?
MF: (Laughs out Loud) No Comment!

I included Fetherston in the same commentary as the great Uhlenhaut purely because he is firmly in that lineage of designers whom my kids and others will be praising in their adulthood but really, more so for his borrowing of Geiger’s bird wing doors. His two current works will be genuine article collector’s items by then and both of his brilliant art pieces are currently on my wish list.

These are the SLS AMG and the new Mercedes-AMG GT that I’ve just driven.

It’s what hits me when I first lay eyes on it. It looks..err…like a broad Shark. Aerodynamic, wide, and purposeful for speed. Wait, before you say AHA! There is no relation to our convo whatsoever, I think.

The GT has arrived to fatten the options in the segment. On the one side you have the BMW I8, Audi R8 and Aston Martin Vantage and it brings its own aesthetic flavour to the niche. It subscribes to the classic sport concept of ages ago more than anything in ear shot with a long bonnet, a pared back cabin, strong shoulders at the rear and no flamboyant doors.

It’s also not as intimidating as the SLS. You should be able to approach parking bays at Monte Casino with ease and confidence. It’s quite the delightful shape, similar to the soft brute of beauty seen on an Aston Vanquish with the juicy length from nose to screen. Nor is it stubby and blunt like an Audi R8.

It’s an amalgamation of many ideas from the past and present but finished more with olde world aesthetic pizzazz; very much like an electronic cigarette in the shape of a smoking pipe.

It’s not in the design realms of the Porsche 911 too, mind you, the very car that AMG has firmly set its sights upon if the debut ‘Dream Car’ advert (youtube – AMG GT commercial) is to be believed.

Enter Tobias Moers
I meet Mr Moers in a rather unplanned and unconventional way. There we were, our photographer and myself soaking in the sun at the AMG performance driving centre at Zwartkops, Pretoria. Having blasted through the outskirts of the Jacaranda City faster than anyone else on the day we’d arrived unbelievably early for Africans, 20 minutes before the scheduled conference with Herr Moers, Chairman of the Management Board of AMG worldwide but importantly, chief project manager of C63 and AMG GT.

He waltzes onto the balcony and I recognize him from the internet.

We have a few secret chats during the course of the day and he recounts some amazing moments and I manage to piss him off with a comment.

Here are a few of our exchanges with some WOW moments:

PhutiMpyane: How did AMG manage to shift perceptions and rise up as the cool brand in these days above anything else really?

Tobias Moers: “Well it’s a concerted effort that the company took to return to AMG’s roots which are firmly on the racing scene. Our cars have to be last word in sportiness and we’ve had success.”

PM: A man in a suit from Brabus once told me that his company was involved in the creation of the AMG GT, can you confirm this?

TM: (Angry) “No ways. There is no such. Perhaps this man from Brabus was pushing his brand. Yes yesyes they worked with Mercedes-Benz on the smart range but I tell there was never any involvement of that BRAND with this. This is my Baby!”

PM: Since you are from AMG rather than Mercedes-Benz what in your opinion made MB to overlook Brabus in seeking a partner for its high performance projects?

TM: “Quality really. Many years ago (1986) at the Frankfurt Auto Show Hans-Werner Aufrecht – the A in AMG – who at the time was an engineering specialist on modding Mercedes Benz cars displayed a mental W124 E-Class that had the world of petrol heads stand up and drool.

The then executives at Mercedes walked up to this beast, popularly sobriquet The HAMMER, which had a performance V8 engine shoe-horned in the confines of its bonnet. They big boys pored over the work, discussed and debated at length about the idea of a performance wing but were more impressed with the quality of worksmanship rather than the horsepower levels.

When they finally decided to pursue the idea of skunkworks department they felt comfortable with the excellence of AMG’s engineering to bring power to the table of luxury and reliability that Mercedes-Benz had carved out for many years before. And this is how AMG was chosen above all.”

But Tobias Moers is a petrol head in every sense of the word. He is blooded in the oily, mechanically enthusiastic AMG and not the corporate corridors at Mercedes-Benz. I pick this up from the passion of words about performance cars. It can be seen in the tingling goodness of the latest C63 AMG where noise, poise and speed come together beautifully.

With the new AMG GT, the power outputs are equal to C63 (350kW/375kW) but the speeds are higher thanks to its lightweight. The noise is so much louder too and on the road Tobias’ Baby feels a bit hard but this comes with the territory of merging everyday usability with actual race track proficiency.

The target for AMG is to create dragsters that are easy to drive, both on the regular and on the absolute ragged edge. The GT is exactly this. It’s also a drop dead gorgeous thing that will urge you at all times to drive it out on weekends, to that party, that meeting, that restaurant at Vilakazistreet, Soweto.

Very much like Messers Geiger, Uhlenhaut, Sacco (Mercedes-Benz 190) the names of Fetherston and Moers (Tobias along with legends like Fritz Nallinger) will be etched in the annals of the company’s illustrious history. They have done their bit.

For now, for about R1 642 000 for the standard car and R1 981 000 for the GTS you can enjoy the combined talents of Tobias and Mark and the continued heritage here in South Africa.

AMG GT vs SLS AMG

5 Reasons to buy the SLS AMG and not the AMG GT

1) Well it’s cheaper now
2) It’s an instant classic
3) The M159 engine feels torque richer
4) It’s such an elegant, dramatic, and showy shape
5) Those Doors are eternal swagger!

5 reasons to buy the AMG GT instead of the SLS AMG

1) Normal doors equate to better structural rigidity
2) If you want a thrusting attack of bends and racetracks
3) If you want a double clutch gearbox
4) If you want the latest things in life
5) It’s technically superior

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